The IEEE Humanoid Research Group revealed the ultimate model of its findings earlier this week. The mission was to ascertain a framework for growing requirements for humanoid robots. You may obtain a full copy of the report right here.
This framework focuses on addressing the distinctive dangers and capabilities of humanoids to allow their secure and efficient deployment throughout industrial, service, and public functions. The group aimed to coordinate efforts amongst Requirements Growth Organizations (SDOs) to create requirements in three interconnected areas:
- Classification: Creating a transparent taxonomy to outline humanoid robots, their bodily capabilities, behavioral complexity, software domains, and humanoid-specific traits. This classification serves as the muse for figuring out relevant requirements and addressing gaps.
- Stability: Creating quantifiable stability metrics, check strategies, and security requirements tailor-made to actively balancing robots. This contains addressing dynamic stability, fall-response behaviors, and predictive danger modeling.
- Human-Robotic Interplay (HRI): Establishing tips for secure and reliable interactions between humanoid robots and people, together with collaborative job security, interpretable habits, and person coaching to handle dangers and perceptions.
The working group consisted of over 60 people, led by Aaron Prather, director, robotics & autonomous methods program at ASTM Worldwide. The working group met for over a 12 months, researching the market, interviewing distributors and finish customers, analyzing the wants, and debating the output.

The consultant market segments of the people within the IEEE Humanoid Working Group. Credit score: The Robotic Report
“The toughest half was aligning such a various set of voices, from business leaders to educational researchers to regulators, round a fast-moving know-how,” stated Prather. “Everybody introduced totally different priorities to the desk, and our job was to distill that right into a set of shared suggestions with out shedding nuance. It was like constructing a bridge whereas the panorama beneath saved shifting.”
When requested what occurs subsequent with the requirements improvement, Prather informed The Robotic Report, “This report is a beginning line, not a end line. We now want to show the suggestions into concrete requirements, testing protocols, and certification pathways. The true lacking piece is making certain these requirements evolve alongside the know-how itself, in order that they don’t simply sustain with humanoids, however information their secure integration into human areas.”
The doc shouldn’t be a requirements definition, and that was by no means the objective. Earlier than the assorted requirements our bodies can full new requirements particularly for humanoid robots, the gaps within the current requirements must be recognized.
RoboBusiness, a number one occasion for robotics builders produced by The Robotic Report that takes place October 15-16 in Santa Clara, Calif, may have a serious deal with humanoids. The occasion will characteristic Agility Robotics and NVIDIA discussing classes realized from early humanoid deployments. The occasion’s humanoid monitor will even cowl the newest enabling applied sciences and design methods which can be very important to the evolving wants of humanoids.
Likewise, the market alternative and potential use circumstances must be quantified. It was the 2 major targets of the working group. The expectation now could be that the assorted SDOs will use this doc as a place to begin to map out their particular person initiatives, assemble the groups, and start working via the small print.
One of many extra fascinating, thought-provoking, and closely debated sections of the doc was the “Classification of the Humanoid Robots.” This part generated numerous debate concerning the definition of the assorted class ranges. In the long run, the group arrived at a well-thought-out methodology to characterize the methods.
Prather expects it’ll take one other 18 to 36 months for the requirements improvement work to be accomplished and the ratified requirements to be revealed.
The web result’s that, whatever the needs of particular person entrepreneurs or enterprise capitalists to speed up the introduction and adoption of humanoid robots, the chance to deploy a humanoid robotic in quantity won’t occur till 2027 on the earliest. Whereas there could also be market demand, the humanoid firms will be unable to soundly deploy humanoid robots collaboratively round people till the brand new requirements work is accomplished and ratified.

Within the traditional Crossing the Chasm mannequin, the humanoid market is presently discovering traction with early adopters. To cross the chasm to wider adoption, the robots have to be secure to function round folks within the “beachhead” use circumstances that can drive adoption by the early majority. Credit score: The Robotic Report
One of many key remaining gaps to full autonomy for humanoid robots stays the dearth of coaching knowledge for the synthetic intelligence that operates the robots. The two-3 12 months window that is still within the security requirements improvement will probably cut back the strain to hurry humanoid robots to market, and as an alternative allow the event groups to make pragmatic and measured progress in system improvement.
The prudent response for each humanoid robotic developer and investor is to make sure that particular product roadmaps and milestones for these startups are funded via 2027.