ARGUMENTS AGAINST HUMANOID ROBOTS FOR USE IN SPACE

The following comments supplied by Dr. David Miller (kipr@src.umd.edu):

Humanoid robots are very difficult to produce and not at all necessary for low-gravity work. In robotics you don't want to have a robot handling a tool (it is difficult and expensive). In general it is better to have special purpose manipulators that incorporate the tool, or interchangable end-effectors: either solution is cheaper than an all purpose manipulator that can adequately handle several different types of tools.

Humanoid robots are also unnecessary for entertainment value. Who is more popular: R2D2 or C3PO? People have no problem identifying with non-humanoid robots. In our educational programs, we have demonstrated lots of different types of robots and kids especially identify with any and all types of robots, though generally the more articulated the better.

Finally, humanoid robots are easier to control than non-humanoid shapes only if you have a person in a full force-reflecting kinematic exoskeleton with no time delay. Studies have shown that once time delay is introduced, or there is no force reflection, that performance in not appreciably enhanced by having the kinematics of the robot reflect the kinematics of the operator.

If you see any large holes in the above arguments, we would appreciate hearing about them.

This page updated on 12/6/95