{
  "id": 910666,
  "title": "Quote of the day by roboticist Rodney Brooks: 'The visual appearance of a robot makes a promise about what it can do and how smart it is' — a warning about the misleading form of a humanoid robot",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/14/quote-of-the-day-by-roboticist-rodney-brooks-the-visual-appearance-of",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-08-14T22:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "TechRadar",
    "slug": "techradar",
    "url": "https://www.techradar.com/pro/quote-of-the-day-by-roboticist-rodney-brooks-the-visual-appearance-of-a-robot-makes-a-promise-about-what-it-can-do-and-how-smart-it-is-a-warning-about-the-misleading-form-of-a-humanoid-robot"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In a recent blog post, Australian roboticist Rodney Brooks, co-founder of iRobot, drew attention to the visual appearance of humanoid robots, emphasizing how it sets expectations about their abilities and intelligence. He warned that the form of such robots can create a false promise of their capabilities, which could lead to disappointment when reality does not meet the illusion. Brooks' three laws of robotics, inspired by Isaac Asimov, focus on the competency and capabilities of robots, emphasizing the need for creators to ensure they are trained and capable enough for real-world tasks.\n\nDespite impressive performance in controlled environments, these robots often fail when introduced into real-world settings. This has led to a series of \"robot fails,\" highlighting the challenges they face in navigating complex environments. Nevertheless, Brooks' laws stress that companies must improve the AI technology and dexterity of these machines before ramping up production, with the first commercial deployments expected by 2027.",
  "summary": "Just because engineers are building humanoid robots to look like us, that doesn't mean they're intelligent or even capable",
  "key_points": [
    "Brooks warns visual appearance of humanoid robots sets false expectations about capabilities",
    "Three laws of robotics focus on robot competency and real-world task capability",
    "Commercial deployment expected by 2027 after improving AI and dexterity"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}