Welcome, sci-fi realists…

Last week we reported on California’s new robotaxi safety standards, which fine companies if their vehicles halt first responders. This week we have another non-controversial idea for robot guardrails out of the same state, this time dealing with human vs. humanoid cage matches. 

So what’s happening, exactly? The state athletics commission sent a cease-and-desist letter to a startup called Rek that was piloting these humanoid cage matches, prompted by a recent stunt in San Francisco where a man stepped in a ring with a humanoid and lost. In the future, any such match would require the state government’s permission. 

Humanoids have already broken humans’ Olympic records. But with exteriors made of aluminum alloys, steel, or titanium, they can also break their bones. It’s not hard to imagine humans getting badly injured, and it feels like common sense regulation. We encourage you to follow specifics as they pan out — and to not pick any fights with robots.

In the meantime, here's what you need to know about robotics right now:

UK rolls out eight government-backed robotics hubs

The UK government has announced a new push to establish eight different hubs for robotics across the nation. They’ll span a wide range of different sectors and use cases from agriculture to manufacturing to driverless vehicles. This time, it’s less about humanoids and more about practical industry applications.

The press release dives deep into one hub (The HARVEST Hub) that’s focused on farming to showcase how valuable these hubs are expected to be. Others mentioned in the release include the Milton Keynes Robotics Adoption Hub — which will help roll out drones, autonomous (self-driving) vehicles, and service bots — and the Greater Southwest Robotics Adoption Hub, which will focus on other industries, like maritime. 

The government will provide millions for each hub, but it’s also worth noting that additional funds will be set aside for 12 projects focused on robotics training and apprenticeships, such as the Port and Logistics Robotics Adoption Programme. 

What this likely means for the future: Germany is currently the biggest powerhouse for robotics across Europe. But if the UK really intensifies its efforts to integrate robotics into various sectors, as this news suggests, it could become another European powerhouse.  

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Robots in Action

Now that we gave you a break from humanoids, we are back at it. DEEP Robotics, a familiar name to those who read this newsletter, is presenting us with a new use case for humanoids even we never thought of: directing traffic. 

This makes sense, since humanoid arms and hands have gotten more realistic over time. In the video below, the DR02 model can be seen crossing roads, avoiding getting run over, and directing cars based on its training data. See for yourself: 

Around the Horn

Weekly Feature: Bots Behaving Badly

Now, what’s something that isn’t working so well?

As shown below, on DigitalTrends’ X feed, a Columbian streamer named WestCOL attempted to incorporate a humanoid made by Promobot in a stream — and it didn’t go so well. 

First, while attempting to show off its moves in the most pompous, obnoxious way possible, the humanoid punched the streamer in the back of the head. Then it kicked a display case, and fell over on the floor. 

Almost as if it knew it had messed up, it retired itself after that. This is what happens when looking cool supersedes safety concerns. Check it out below:

Industry Signals

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