I believe there’s a big gap between flashy robot prototypes and commercially viable products.
Humanoid robots like Optimus often seem more about securing business contracts or generating publicity, while real-world applications usually require specialized, less advanced robots, like one-arm robots or Stretch.
The development of robots like Boston Dynamics’ Spot tells us how long it takes to turn prototypes into practical products, and the transition from Handle to Stretch highlights the trade-offs between advanced demos and actual commercial viability.
I think humanoid robots are more of a long-term investment for future use in factories.
I knew a guy that added wheels to a hexapod robot legs and programmed it to move by “swiming” fastest thing I seen ever. Freaked me out zipping across the floor.
Bipedal is ultra complicated movements. the advantage is use of hands. if you don’t need hands or will just mount extra limbs like a centaur, go with 4 leg minimum. There is a reason evolution choose that variant for most land species.
Also space, bipedal is taller than quadaped equivalent. so if horizontal space is an issue but vertical is not it could be a better application.
If the application is a battle bot, the Heavy object anime goes into details on why mecha is not realistic in favor of giant military “objecst” like Illuminate Urchinow assault block.