{"id":"84a34d0ad9a154604fe03a8fc439434d1a8d81fd6b30ded86abe4f9382e085ef","title":"Rodney Brooks argues humanoid robots lack the touch and dexterity their promise requires","argument":"Rodney Brooks’s post was published September 27, 2025. Brooks argues that humanoid robots will not learn human-like dexterity from videos alone: human manipulation depends on touch and force information that visual recordings leave out. He contrasts this with speech and image systems, which, he argues, rely on carefully engineered ways of preparing their inputs. The problem, in his account, is not simply a need for more data; systems must collect the right data and learn how sensing relates to plans for action. Brooks says some academic experiments go beyond visual data, but have not yet demonstrated real dexterity. He also argues that full-sized, two-legged humanoid robots are dangerous to be near when they fall, making safety consequential if people are expected to share spaces with them. 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The reading consistently presents the arguments, predictions and safety claims as his rather than as established fact.","excerpt":"In this post I explain why today’s humanoid robots will not learn how to be dexterous"},{"dimension":"summary","status":"uncertain","explanation":"The core argument is faithful and understandable: touch and force are missing from video training, earlier successes relied on engineered input stages, and walking is unsafe. However, the final sentence presents Brooks's forecast without its stated scope. He frames it as the next fifteen years. Smallest repair: say his conclusion concerns the next fifteen years. Minor point: speech and image systems are a comparison he uses to support his argument, not strictly a contrast.","excerpt":"That is the next fifteen years for you."},{"dimension":"date","status":"pass","explanation":"The originalPublished instant 2025-09-27T00:02:56Z falls on the UTC day September 27, 2025, which the reading states. 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