Humanoid robots may be grabbing headlines, but the practical question for enterprises is simpler: can they deliver measurable value on the factory floor or in the warehouse?
Speaking to UC Today, Erik Nieves, CEO and Co-Founder of Plus One Robotics, said recent progress in humanoid robotics is real. However, he cautioned that the industry remains some distance from replicating the capabilities that make people so adaptable at work.
“The thinking is right-headed,” Nieves said.
“We build our processes around our capabilities. To the degree that we can replicate ourselves, the more automation-friendly everything becomes.”
Yet the early focus on human-like movement may have been misplaced. The industry “over-indexed on legs,” he argued, even though many enterprise tasks are completed from a fixed position, with materials delivered directly to workers.
For many use cases, wheeled robots may be more practical than bipedal machines. The more significant technical challenge, Nieves said, is dexterity – particularly the ability for two robotic hands to work together in coordinated ways.
“A lot of the demonstrations… were just a robot carrying a tote,” he said. “The day a humanoid can clap its hands behind its back is the day we know we will have achieved true hand-to-hand coordination.”
Utilisation Defines The Business Case
For businesses evaluating robotics investments, utilisation should be the decisive measure of success. High-volume, high-speed processes are still likely to favour purpose-built systems, such as traditional industrial robots combined with cameras and specialised tooling.
Humanoids are unlikely to match that throughput in the near term. Their potential may instead lie in lower-intensity, flexible work that does not justify dedicated automation.
Nieves described these as “fractional tasks”: a two-hour job in one area, followed by several hours supporting another process elsewhere. Individually, those tasks may not justify the cost of a bespoke machine. Together, they could create a viable business case for a general-purpose humanoid robot.
Connected Robots Raise Security Concerns
Security is another growing concern, particularly as US policymakers scrutinise connected foreign-made robots. Nieves identified two key risks: sensitive operational data being accessed by unauthorised parties, and the possibility of a connected system disrupting industrial operations.
He pointed to the longstanding example of Stuxnet, which targeted industrial control equipment rather than conventional PCs, as evidence of the potential impact on operational technology.
As restrictions evolve, Nieves expects the greatest near-term disruption may affect autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), which are already widely used in warehouses. Domestic capacity to manufacture them remains limited, he said, and the outcome will depend heavily on the details of any exemption process.
Building A Stronger Robotics Ecosystem
Over the next five years, a successful US robotics strategy will require more than policy announcements. It will need stronger supply chains, engineering and component capacity, and workforce investment across mechanical engineering, electronics and process control.
“If we get supply chain, engineering capacity and workforce right,” Nieves said, “it’ll be fine.”
