Marketplace All-in-One How far away are we from humanoid robots doing our chores?
Dec 2, 2025
In this conversation, Ken Goldberg, an engineering professor at UC Berkeley and co-founder of Ambi Robotics, shares his insights on humanoid robots. He discusses the challenges of home environments that confuse robot sensors and the timeline for when these robots might actually help with chores—predicting a 10 to 25-year wait. Ken emphasizes that while robots will augment human roles, they won't replace jobs requiring empathy. He also highlights realistic near-term applications in logistics rather than household tasks, dispelling sci-fi myths about humanoid capabilities.
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Homes Break Robot Perception
- Home environments are extremely variable and cluttered, which breaks current robot perception systems.
- Ken Goldberg says transparency and shiny surfaces like glass and silverware particularly confuse sensors and cause robots to drop items.
Conference Reality Check
- Ken Goldberg described a large robotics conference with 6,000 attendees and many humanoids on display.
- He said most attendees debated and agreed humanoids will not replace most human workers anytime soon.
Timelines Are Much Longer
- Expectations are being inflated by high-profile coverage and claims, which Goldberg warns against.
- He estimates realistic timelines of about 10 to 25 years for capable home humanoids.