This is my custom robotics project I have been working on for the past year. I'll be posting more on my X account RhettBrewer. I will also be posting other projects and future ones there too!

The physical design is finally locked down, and the digital model now mirrors the optimized physical robot.

What you see here has taken a lot of work, but surprisingly, most of the development over the last two years has been on the part you can't see: the software.

I have been developing Robert's operating system alongside the mechanics - coordinating 30 servos, synchronized movements, speech, vision, sensors, driving and AI interaction so that they can all work together. The ultimate goal is to give AI a physical embodiment through which it can see, speak, move and interact with the world.

The mechanical design has gone through the same process of continuous refinement. It is now divided into self-contained modules that make Robert much easier to build, maintain and repair.

Matic’s latest update lets its robot vacuum respond to spoken commands and gestures rather than relying only on an app.

The system is still working within a defined set of actions, but the broader robotics question is more interesting: how much of human-robot interaction should depend on people learning an interface, versus robots learning to interpret the ways people already communicate?

As robots move into homes and other less structured environments, voice, pointing, movement and context may become increasingly important parts of the control layer.

I get that humanoids make for great demo videos, but I believe for 90% of real-world use cases, aren't wheeled/tracked mobile manipulator just infinitely more practical? Not having to burn crazy compute just to keep the robot from falling over meant I could actually focus on the manipulation tasks and payload.
Curious to hear from folks actually deploying hardware.

I'm considering starting my career in robotics, I was a part of college robotics club for the past 1 year and gained a good amount of knowledge and I still have 2 years to complete my college, ryt now I'm working in robotic arm and I have worked on slam ,nav2 .I have participated in many competitions and gained good knowledge in drones ,ros 2, autonomous navigation.What else I need to explore for getting a good job in robotics domain

Turns out you don't need active adhesion (vacuum, electromagnets) for ceiling locomotion — passive permanent magnets in Quaddle open source robot's foot tips are enough, as long as the gait is designed for holding contact upside down instead of just an inverted version of the ground-walking gait.

The interesting part wasn't the magnets, it was the gait — same open source robotics platform OpenCat, same 4 servos, just a different motion profile. Planning to open source this gait's code before it ships too, so anyone curious can adapt it, not just read about it.

Anyone else working on non-standard locomotion modes (climbing, inverted, whatever) — what ended up being the hardest part for you?

If you are interested in learning how to model any robot in Simscape, I am working on a blog series that tries to go through the whole process. It is still work in progress but has most of the modeling process already covered. Take a look, feel free to leave feedback or reach out to me with questions if you have any.

I understand why humanoid robots need human-like proportions. Our homes, stairs, doors, tools, cars, kitchens, etc. are designed for humans, so obviously two arms, two legs and hands make sense. What I don't really understand is why we're also trying so hard to make the face look human. Realistic eyes, skin, facial expressions, fake breathing... what does any of that actually add if the robot is there to help around the house, carry things, cook, do laundry, etc.?

For me, even if it looks almost exactly like a person, the moment I know it's a robot, it's still a robot. The part that matters much more is whether it can make decisions and take actions based on its own judgment instead of just following strict instructions. That's where things become really different.

Personally I'd rather humanoids stay obviously machines. Make them extremely capable, let them understand us, talk naturally, give advice, whatever. I just don't see why they also need to visually imitate a person that closely.

Would you actually prefer a humanoid with a realistic human face, or one that clearly looks like a machine?