Walker S1 humanoid robot starts factory work at BYD

Time for robot taxes:

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Given that it's a humanoid robot, I suspect that this is more of a marketing stunt than any practical deployment of robots.

Humanoid robots don't make a ton of sense in manufacturing. Why mimic the sub-optimal anatomy of a human when you can make your robotic work slave have any appendage you want, which are designed to be optinal for their task along the assembly line?

Humanoid robots mostly only make sense in spaces that need to be designed for humans (like homes or hospitals) where the robot needs to regularly interact with human infrastructure.

Sure but if you have brand new machines that are supposed to be operated by humans, buying a 10k humanoid compared to paying some real humans is going to appeal a lot of entrepreneurs: and you'll be able to mix the two kinds of workers initially, see Amazon warehouses as an example.