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fliptop [soylentnews.org] writes:

Human-shaped robots with dexterous hands will be staffing warehouses and retail stores, tending to the elderly and performing household chores within a decade or so, according to a Silicon Valley startup working toward that vision [axios.com]:

Demographic trends — such as a persistent labor shortage [axios.com] and the growing elder care crisis [axios.com] — make fully-functioning, AI-driven humanoid robots look tantalizingly appealing.

Companies such as Amazon are reportedly [vox.com] worried about running out of warehouse workers [axios.com], whose jobs are physically and mentally demanding with high attrition.

A heavy-hitting startup called Figure [figure.ai], which just emerged [prnewswire.com] from stealth mode, is building a prototype of a humanoid robot that the company says will eventually be able to walk, climb stairs, open doors, use tools and lift boxes — perhaps even make dinner.

[...] It will take decades for humanoid robots to be able to replicate the sophisticated things our bodies can do, but visionaries are hard at work trying to make it happen.

Previously: Elon Musk Reveals Plans to Unleash a Humanoid Tesla Bot [soylentnews.org]

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