A video of a humanoid robot doing household chores in a San Francisco home has sparked fresh debate over what domestic work might look like if machines take on more of it.
What many people zeroed in on, however, was that the robot was not acting independently — a remote human operator was directing the cleaning work, according to USA TODAY.
Here's what to know
On August 21, Gianna Capezio hired a Tau Robotics robot for a one-hour cleaning session.
In that time, the humanoid robot purportedly made a bed, cleaned a bathroom, and vacuumed.
In comments excerpted by USA TODAY, Capezio said the robot moved more slowly than she would expect of a human cleaner, but it still did a "solid job."
Capezio's TikTok video had been viewed about 4.5 million times. Some were intrigued by the idea of outsourcing routine chores to a machine, while others focused on how slowly it seemed to move and whether it cleaned well enough to justify the $30-an-hour cost.
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"How long did it take?" one commenter wrote. "Looks like he was [in] slow mode."
"I just know nothing got cleaned," said another.
Capezio also said that she did not feel the need to redo the cleaning afterward.
More background
Based in San Francisco, Tau Robotics sells humanoid cleaning services for both homes and offices.
The company offers robots for tasks such as vacuuming floors, taking out trash, and picking up clutter, with different models tied to different service tiers.
Human involvement remains part of the process, arguably negating the value of a "cleaning robot" to begin with, particularly because it worked more slowly than a human cleaner.
The robot Capezio used was controlled through teleoperation rather than functioning on its own.
What's being done?
Other companies are pursuing similar ideas for the home, with similar catches. USA TODAY also mentioned 1X's humanoid robot, Neo, which has been marketed as both a domestic helper and a companion.
Neo was offered for pre-order at $20,000, along with a $499-a-month subscription option.
Promotional materials showed it watering plants, taking out the trash, and even dancing — but, like Tau's "cleaning robot," it, too, required a human operator.
"The goal is for the robot to eventually become fully autonomous, but in the meantime it will be operated remotely," USA TODAY noted.
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