What's most noticeable to ordinary people is the surge of robots dominating social media: from the Unitree robot performing a fluid and impressive set of punches; to the ZQGame robot running alongside runners in Shenzhen Bay...
More and more robots are appearing in the public eye, and their actions are boosting the market value and financing of the companies behind them.
But one question has been bothering me:
Why are all robots humanoid?
The ultimate direction of embodied intelligence
The public's "robot fantasy" originates from Hollywood. Whether it's Spielberg or James Cameron, they always have a special "fascination" with robots. In their eyes, robots are not cold, lifeless metal shells, but living beings with flesh and blood.
They are tireless, constantly striving for progress, possess emotions more focused than humans, and are forever pondering philosophical questions such as 'Who am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going?'
Therefore, whether it is the T-800 Terminator or the Blade Runner, they are both humanoid forms with hands and feet, and walk upright.
Influenced by the movie, almost everyone began to think that robots should first look like humans, and at least be able to walk on two legs.
In the realm of embodied intelligence, humanoid robots are the most dazzling crown.
Because in the physical world, human activities are a complex and diverse collection, and facilities and tools in almost all fields are built based on human use.
Humans have always longed for robots to replace us in our work, and only by shaping robots into humanoid forms can they adapt to the physical world to the greatest extent possible, without us having to modify the world to accommodate them.
While wheels and tracks are indeed faster than legs, what happens when encountering steps?
While quadrupeds are indeed more stable than bipeds, without the ability to operate with "hands," they cannot perform the tasks that humans want them to do.
Therefore, only by designing robots to resemble humans and possessing human motor abilities can robots better adapt to the environment, master more tools, and thus truly achieve versatility.
Musk says there should be 10 billion humanoid robots on Earth by 2040.
At that time, robots will be needed to work in various workstations and environments. Only humanoid robots can fulfill the needs of human society for everything from stairs and door handles to tools, furniture, and switches.
OpenAI President Greg Brockman offered a more "mystical" interpretation.
He believes that all future robots will be in the form of "universal humanoids" because human genes desire to become gods and to create humanoid species.
Whether it is the physical world or the metaphysical world, there are different perspectives for interpretation.
But to me, the human body is already the optimal biological form resulting from billions of years of evolution in nature, so why innovate? Can we innovate to be even better?
Therefore, humanoid robots represent the ultimate direction of embodied intelligence.
The Long History of Human Evolution
While science fiction is one thing, actually developing a humanoid robot is no easy feat.
Humans have been trying to conquer humanoid robots for nearly 60 years, and 2025 will not be the year that can truly be called the "Year Zero of Humanoid Robots".
The world's first humanoid robot came from Japan. In 1967, Waseda University in Japan developed the WL-5 bipedal walking machine, which was the world's first humanoid robot, WABOT-1.
Although it looks very "rudimentary" now, with only 26 joints and metal frames all over, its mobility is only at the level of a one-year-old infant. It takes three people and 45 seconds to move forward about 10 centimeters.
But this is already the "humanoid robot Unit-01".
In the years that followed, limited by the pace of technological progress in human society, overly complex humanoid robots were gradually forgotten. Robot companies turned their attention to researching quadrupedal and tracked robots, which were simpler in structure and easier to operate.
After all, quadrupeds and tracks are more stable, and their center of gravity is easier to keep within the support surface. Humanoid robots, being bipedal, have a smaller support area, and if their center of gravity exceeds the support surface, they are more likely to fall over.
The stagnation in humanoid robots lasted for more than 40 years.
It wasn't until 1992, when the bipedal robot created by Boston Dynamics took its first trembling step on a specially designed treadmill, that a giant leap was made in the history of humanoid robots.
Ten years later, in 2013, Boston Dynamics' Atlas humanoid robot made its first public appearance and successfully unlocked the skill of "walking upright," shocking the world.
Later, the Atlas humanoid robot even learned to do somersaults and dance.
However, Atlas has yet to enter the commercial stage because the humanoid robot is completely incapable of working in any scenario and can only serve as an "expensive toy," with more symbolic than practical significance.
Since 1967, humanoid robots have been trying to find their "brain," to make them smarter and more technologically advanced. It wasn't until 2023 that their wish was fulfilled.
In 2023, ChatGPT ignited the flame of "artificial intelligence," plunging the entire world into the AI wave.
Robotics companies are also extremely excited, as humanoid robots have finally found a truly intelligent "AI brain".
After being embedded with large-scale interactive models, the robot's perception, decision-making, and action capabilities are enhanced, enabling it to begin to understand and execute human needs.
After being fed a large amount of data, the AI model can continuously learn through iteration, and the humanoid robot may then acquire the ability to perform tasks.
Humanoid robots are finally starting to look human.
cerebrum, cerebellum and propria
After finding the "AI brain," the progress of humanoid robots has been rapid.
In 2024, OpenAI partnered with robotics startup Figure to release the Figure 01 humanoid robot, which features a built-in ChatGPT-4 and became the world's first robot to pick up an apple.
In 2025, a group of "Yangbot" robots dancing the Yangko on the Spring Festival Gala stage completely satisfied human understanding of robots, making Unitree a hot darling of capital.
Yes, humanoid robots are all the rage.
Over the past year, the embodied intelligence sector has been the hottest area for capital investment, with a total of 11.915 billion yuan raised and 188 investment and financing events taking place.
Numerous robotics companies, including Unitree Robotics, ZQGame, Cloud Depth, Fourier Robotics, and Zhiyuan Robotics, are riding the wave of opportunity and soaring to new heights.
A hot market means that products are becoming more complex.
In 2025, humanoid robots began to be further subdivided, with the "AI brain" being broken down into three parts: the cerebrum, the cerebellum, and the body.
The term "brain" refers to a robot's comprehension ability, specifically its understanding of human commands and its environmental perception.
The cerebellum refers to a robot's fine motor control capabilities;
The body itself consists of various components that make up the prototype of the humanoid robot, such as joints, limbs, and head.
In addition, a series of complex components are required, such as general-purpose AI, vision sensors, tactile sensors, and force sensors specifically for robots.
Clearly, there are still many hurdles to overcome before humanity can truly become a humanoid robot.
However, quantitative changes will eventually lead to qualitative changes, and the technological singularity of the next humanoid robot is not far away.
