The Road to Humanoid Robots Assisting Us in Daily Life: Teleoperated vs. Autonomous

The dream of humanoid robots assisting us in our homes, workplaces, and public spaces is steadily becoming a reality. However, there are two distinct paths that these robots will follow to reach us: teleoperated humanoid robots, which are controlled by humans remotely, and fully autonomous humanoid robots, which can operate independently.

Each type of robot is advancing at its own pace, with different levels of maturity and timelines for widespread deployment. In this post, we’ll break down the difference between teleoperated and autonomous robots, examine their unique challenges, and offer a timeline for when we might see them becoming part of our everyday lives.

Teleoperated Humanoid Robots: Short-Term Impact

Teleoperated robots are machines controlled by a human operator, often from a distance. These robots extend the physical capabilities of the human operator, allowing them to perform tasks in environments that may be too hazardous, remote, or complex for people to access directly.

Current Status and Technology Readiness (TRL)

Teleoperated humanoid robots are relatively mature compared to their autonomous counterparts. Many of these robots are already being used in specialized settings like space exploration, healthcare, and hazardous environments.

TRL 5-7: Many teleoperated robots are currently at TRL 5-7, meaning they have been validated in relevant environments and can perform complex tasks under human control. Robots like NASA’s Robonaut or Boston Dynamics’ Spot are capable of handling intricate operations remotely in high-risk environments like outer space or disaster zones.

Expected Use Cases

Hazardous environments: Teleoperated robots will be deployed in environments that are too dangerous for humans, such as nuclear facilities, underwater exploration, or disaster recovery scenarios.
Surgical assistance: These robots are being refined to assist doctors in performing complex surgeries remotely, improving precision and access to care.
Remote work operations: Robots can handle tasks in industries like manufacturing and mining, where remote teleoperation can increase productivity and reduce human risk.

Timeline for Widespread Use (2024–2028)

2024–2026: Teleoperated humanoid robots will become more widely deployed in industrial and hazardous environments. They will play a vital role in extending human capabilities in remote operations.
2026–2028: These robots will increasingly be used in specialized sectors like healthcare, assisting in remote surgeries and rehabilitation. Industrial sectors will rely more on these robots for teleoperation in challenging environments.

By 2028, teleoperated humanoid robots will likely be in common use across various sectors, performing high-risk tasks under the direct control of human operators. While not fully independent, they will bridge the gap between human physical presence and machine precision in demanding environments.

Fully Autonomous Humanoid Robots: The Long-Term Vision

Unlike teleoperated robots, fully autonomous humanoid robots can operate without human intervention, making decisions and adapting to their environment independently. These robots hold the promise of seamless integration into daily life, where they can assist with household chores, caregiving, or perform tasks in unpredictable environments.

Current Status and Technology Readiness (TRL)

The path to full autonomy is much more complex. While robots can perform semi-autonomous tasks today, achieving true independence will take more time and innovation.

TRL 4-7: Current humanoid robots like SoftBank’s Pepper or Boston Dynamics’ Atlas are at TRL 5-7, where they can handle specific, predefined tasks and adapt to controlled environments. However, they still need significant development to operate fully autonomously in the open world.

Challenges for Full Autonomy

Perception and navigation: Robots must develop advanced perception systems (vision, audio, touch) to navigate and understand complex environments like homes, offices, or busy streets.
Decision-making and learning: Autonomous robots need to process real-time data and make decisions without human input. This involves building AI systems that can learn from their surroundings and improve over time.
Safety and ethics: Autonomous robots must operate safely around humans and navigate ethical concerns, such as privacy and control, particularly in caregiving or personal assistance scenarios.

Expected Use Cases

Home assistance: Fully autonomous robots could assist with household chores, caregiving, and providing companionship to elderly or disabled individuals.
Public spaces: These robots could perform tasks like delivering packages, maintaining infrastructure, or offering customer service in retail environments.
Healthcare: Autonomous robots will eventually assist healthcare workers by monitoring patients, delivering medications, and performing routine care tasks in hospitals or at home.

Timeline for Widespread Use (2030–2040)

2028–2035: Autonomous robots will begin achieving TRL 8, where they can perform a broader range of tasks in semi-structured environments, like assisting in homes, hospitals, and smart cities. These robots will still require some human oversight, but they will become more capable of handling unpredictable events.
2035–2040: Robots will reach TRL 9, achieving full commercial deployment. At this stage, humanoid robots will be capable of complex decision-making and operating fully autonomously in real-world environments. These robots could take on a wide range of daily tasks, from assisting in homes to working in service industries and public spaces.

By 2040, autonomous humanoid robots may be a common part of our lives, helping us with tasks at home, at work, and in public spaces. They will be fully capable of navigating and interacting with the world around them, allowing humans to focus on more creative or specialized tasks.

The Split: Teleoperated vs. Autonomous Robots

While both teleoperated and autonomous humanoid robots hold incredible potential, they are on different development paths and timelines.

Teleoperated robots will arrive first, likely dominating sectors like healthcare, industry, and hazardous operations by the mid-2020s. Their reliance on human control makes them a practical, short-term solution for extending human abilities into areas that are difficult or dangerous to access.
Fully autonomous robots will follow in the 2030s, reaching true independence only after significant advancements in AI, perception, and decision-making. These robots will eventually take on a wide range of tasks in our homes and workplaces, offering convenience and efficiency in daily life.

Conclusion

As humanoid robots continue to evolve, their role in society will split between teleoperated systems providing immediate, practical assistance and fully autonomous robots that will come later, capable of truly independent operation. The road to integrating these robots into our daily lives is an exciting one, but it requires clear differentiation between what’s possible now and what’s still on the horizon.

With advancements in both types of robots, we are well on our way to a future where humanoid machines are helping us in ways once thought to be science fiction. Whether they’re under human control or operating autonomously, robots will soon play a significant role in enhancing our lives.