The tech industry has become obsessed with the idea of humanoid robots, bipedal androids designed to complete tasks on behalf of their flesh-and-blood counterparts.<\/p>\n
But as many experts have argued<\/a>, having robots walk around on two legs and manipulate the world around them with two hands and arms may not always be the most efficient option. After all, plenty of industrial robots use wheels to roll around a warehouse, or feature one large, strong, and multi-pivoting arm instead of relying on several weaker ones.<\/p>\n Besides, the existing crop of humanoid robots is capable of a lot more than walking around and waving their hands.<\/p>\n Look no further than a video<\/a> shared by robot tinkerer and researcher Logan Olson last month, which shows how a humanoid robot can turn itself into a surprisingly creepy crawling machine while using the full extent of its four limbs\u2019 freedom of movement. The footage shows the robot dropping down to all fours in less than a second, unnervingly bending its arms and legs to crouch down and scuttle across a concrete patio \u2014 like a demon straight out of a horror movie.<\/p>\n Agility Robotics AI research scientist Chris Paxton, who recently reshared the video, used the footage as a reminder that a \u201clot of these robots are \u2018faking\u2019 the humanlike motions.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a property of how they\u2019re trained, not an inherent property of the hardware,\u201d he wrote. \u201cThey\u2019re actually capable of way weirder stuff and way faster motions.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHuman motion is most efficient for humans; robots are not humans,\u201d he added in a follow-up<\/a>.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a particularly pertinent topic as companies like Tesla, Figure, and China\u2019s Unitree race to commercialize humanoid robots for the mass market. While companies have made major strides \u2014 in a separate tweet<\/a>, Paxton argued that \u201crunning is now basically commoditized\u201d \u2014 experts have questioned if it\u2019s really the best form factor for every job.<\/p>\n Case in point, Chris Walti, the former lead of Tesla\u2019s humanoid robot Optimus, told\u00a0Business Insider<\/a> earlier this year that humanoid robots simply don\u2019t make much sense on the factory floor.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not a useful form factor,\u201d he said at the time. \u201cMost of the work that has to be done in industry is highly repetitive tasks where velocity is key.\u201d<\/p>\n The human form \u201cevolved to escape wolves and bears,\u201d he added. \u201cWe weren\u2019t designed to do repetitive tasks over and over again.\u201d<\/p>\n While a creepy-crawling robot, as demonstrated in Olson\u2019s video, admittedly may not be the pinnacle of productivity, it serves as a great \u2014 albeit nightmare-inducing \u2014 reminder that humanoid robots are technically capable of a lot more than masquerading as a human being, while walking around, shaking hands, and giving out popcorn<\/a>.<\/p>\n At the same time, a humanoid robot distending its joints to crawl along the floor likely won\u2019t endear it to humans, either.<\/p>\n \u201cThat is terrifyingly cool,\u201d one user wrote<\/a> in response to Olson\u2019s video.<\/p>\n \u201cI just s*** my pants,\u201d another user confessed.<\/p>\n