Alarming Video Shows Humanoid Robot Demon-Scuttling

The tech industry has become obsessed with the idea of humanoid robots, bipedal androids designed to complete tasks on behalf of their flesh-and-blood counterparts.

But as many experts have argued, having robots walk around on two legs and manipulate the world around them with two hands and arms may not always be the most efficient option. After all, plenty of industrial robots use wheels to roll around a warehouse, or feature one large, strong, and multi-pivoting arm instead of relying on several weaker ones.

Besides, the existing crop of humanoid robots is capable of a lot more than walking around and waving their hands.

Look no further than a video shared by robot tinkerer and researcher Logan Olson last month, which shows how a humanoid robot can turn itself into a surprisingly creepy crawling machine while using the full extent of its four limbs’ freedom of movement. The footage shows the robot dropping down to all fours in less than a second, unnervingly bending its arms and legs to crouch down and scuttle across a concrete patio — like a demon straight out of a horror movie.

Agility Robotics AI research scientist Chris Paxton, who recently reshared the video, used the footage as a reminder that a “lot of these robots are ‘faking’ the humanlike motions.”

“It’s a property of how they’re trained, not an inherent property of the hardware,” he wrote. “They’re actually capable of way weirder stuff and way faster motions.”

“Human motion is most efficient for humans; robots are not humans,” he added in a follow-up.

It’s a particularly pertinent topic as companies like Tesla, Figure, and China’s Unitree race to commercialize humanoid robots for the mass market. While companies have made major strides — in a separate tweet, Paxton argued that “running is now basically commoditized” — experts have questioned if it’s really the best form factor for every job.

Case in point, Chris Walti, the former lead of Tesla’s humanoid robot Optimus, told Business Insider earlier this year that humanoid robots simply don’t make much sense on the factory floor.

“It’s not a useful form factor,” he said at the time. “Most of the work that has to be done in industry is highly repetitive tasks where velocity is key.”

The human form “evolved to escape wolves and bears,” he added. “We weren’t designed to do repetitive tasks over and over again.”

While a creepy-crawling robot, as demonstrated in Olson’s video, admittedly may not be the pinnacle of productivity, it serves as a great — albeit nightmare-inducing — reminder that humanoid robots are technically capable of a lot more than masquerading as a human being, while walking around, shaking hands, and giving out popcorn.

At the same time, a humanoid robot distending its joints to crawl along the floor likely won’t endear it to humans, either.

“That is terrifyingly cool,” one user wrote in response to Olson’s video.

“I just s*** my pants,” another user confessed.

More on humanoid robots: When You Read the Fine Print, Humanoid Robots Are Going Absolutely Nowhere

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