K-Culture GlossaryㅎIndustry and policy
Humanoid
A robot built in the shape of a human body. Now that it's getting an AI brain, the race to put it to work in factories and homes has begun.
In plain words
A humanoid is a robot modeled on the human body — two arms, two legs, fingers. The logic is simple: since the world is designed for human bodies (stairs, doorknobs, tools), a robot shaped like a human can be deployed into that world without redesigning anything.
Humanoids were a decades-long research topic before AI brains turned them into an industry. Companies like Tesla and Figure have started deploying them in factories, and Chinese manufacturers are pushing hard with aggressive pricing. Coverage of humanoids often points to the gap between flashy demo videos and how useful these robots actually are in practice.
See also
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