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by bnjmn 252 days ago
> Humanoid robots are handicapped by their similarity to humans which is really an artificial constraint.

YES, and I wish people would stop pretending we've unlocked some new generality by promoting generic humanoid robots over task-specific ones.

You can probably Rube-Goldberg your way to a diaper-changing robotic enclosure with a 3D baby bidet that uses many low-force robot arms to subdue (most) babies, but a humanoid robot is a very a poor substitute for a human here.

Plus, a human can take personal responsibility for the baby's safety, which is not something a robot can ever do, unless we somehow make the robot fear for its life/freedom/employment the same way the overarching social/legal system does for humans who sign contracts or accept highly accountable roles.