Robot Makers Wrestle With How to Safely Pull the Plug on Humanoids

Tech titans from Elon Musk to SoftBank’s Masayoshi Son have envisioned humanoid robots working next to people in factories, schools and homes. Realizing that future will require humanoid makers to assure their human customers that the robots won’t harm them.

To help ease those concerns, robotics companies are working on a set of standards that would guide how humanoids can be safely put to work in industrial settings. That process, however, has to overcome technical challenges particular to humanoids. And it’s exposed a rift among some roboticists on how strictly to set the safety standards.