Why humanoid robots need their own safety rules
“If Digit’s going to walk out into an aisle in front of you, you don’t want to be surprised by that,” he says. The robot could use voice commands, but audio alone is not practical for a loud industrial setting. It could be even more confusing if you have multiple robots in the same space—which one is trying to get your attention? There’s also a psychological effect that differentiates humanoids from other kinds of robots, says Prather. We naturally anthropomorphize robots that look like us, whi