Do robots really need legs?

TechFirst with John Koetsier

Are humanoid robots the future… or a $100B mistake?

Over 100 companies—from Meta to Amazon—are betting big on humanoids. But are we chasing a sci-fi dream that’s not practical or profitable?

In this TechFirst episode, I chat with Bren Pierce, robotics OG and CEO of Kinisi Robots. We cover:

- Why legs might be overhyped

- How LLMs are transforming robots into agents

- The real cost (and complexity) of robotic hands

- Why warehouse robots work best with wheels

- The geopolitical robot arms race between China, the US, and Europe

- Hot takes, historical context, and a glimpse into the next 10 years of AI + robotics.

Timestamps:

0:00 – Are humanoids a dumb idea?

1:30 – Why legs might not matter (yet)

5:00 – LLMs as the real unlock

12:00 – The hand is 50% of the challenge

17:00 – Speed limits = compute limits

23:00 – Robot geopolitics & supply chains

30:00 – What the next 5 years looks like

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