The Big Picture takes a look at robots today, and the series of photos shows a clear line between humanoid robots and, well, useful robots.

There are clearly two directions robot builders can take: trying to create a realistically humanoid robot that looks and moves like a person, and robots that are built to perform specific tasks. The robots used by the military, for example, are completely utilitarian. But they would look really stupid in a wedding dress.

Eventually, maybe these two schools will come together. But I can't help but think that trying so hard to make robots that look like people is a foolish endeavor. Who cares what they look like? Why not just focus on making these robots as useful as possible rather than just pumping out creepy bots that are essentially expensive mannequins. [The Big Picture]

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