'The question is really just how long it will take': Over 2,000 gather at Humanoids Summit to meet the robots who may take their jobs someday | Fortune

"But the commercial boom in artificial intelligence has lit a spark under long-simmering visions to build humanoid robots that can move their mechanical bodies like humans and do things that people do. Alaoui, founder of the Humanoids Summit, gathered more than 2,000 people this week, including top robotics engineers from Disney, Google and dozens of startups, to showcase their technology and debate what it will take to accelerate a nascent industry."

"Disney's contribution to the field, a walking robotic version of "Frozen" character Olaf, will be roaming on its own through Disneyland theme parks in Hong Kong and Paris early next year. Entertaining and highly complex robots that resemble a human - or a snowman - are already here, but the timeline for "general purpose" robots that are a productive member of a workplace or household is farther away."

"Even at a conference designed to build enthusiasm for the technology, held at a Computer History Museum that's a temple to Silicon Valley's previous breakthroughs, skepticism remained high that truly humanlike robots will take root anytime soon. "The humanoid space has a very, very big hill to climb," said Cosima du Pasquier, founder and CEO of Haptica Robotics, which works to give robots a sense of touch. "There's a lot of research that still needs to be solved.""

Venture investors historically avoided robotics because projects were complex, capital-intensive and perceived as unexciting. The commercial surge in artificial intelligence has reignited efforts to develop humanoid robots that move and act like humans. A Humanoids Summit attracted over 2,000 participants, including engineers from major companies and startups, to showcase progress and chart industry acceleration. Entertainment-scale robots, such as a walking Olaf, will appear in theme parks, demonstrating advanced capabilities. Deep technical gaps remain for general-purpose workplace or household robots, with researchers highlighting challenges in touch, mobility and broader integration before widespread deployment.

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