Responsible Humanoids: A Contradiction in Terms?
Paper in proceeding, 2026
In this paper, we critically examine the current "humanoid hype"in robotics, questioning its alignment with responsible robotics principles. While technical challenges drive internal fascination, the pervasive public image of humanoids demands deeper HRI engagement. We explore how responsible robotics concepts, such as privacy, dignity, and trust, are uniquely challenged or overlooked in the pursuit of anthropomorphic robot forms. By dissecting this hype, and mapping the main findings of the recently-published Roadmap for Responsible Robotics to the humanoids field, we aim to move beyond technical form-factor obsessions to understand the true societal implications and identify potential blind spots for the HRI community.
Responsible robotics
Humanoids
Author
Severin Lemaignan
Spanish National Research Council (CSIC)
PAL Robotics
AJung Moon
McGill University
Simon Coghlan
University of Melbourne
Emily Collins
University of Manchester
Vanessa Evers
Stichting Centrum voor Wiskunde & Informatica (CWI)
Nanyang Technological University
University of Twente
Nico Hochgeschwender
Universität Bremen
Sara Ljungblad
Chalmers, Computer Science and Engineering (Chalmers), Interaction Design and Software Engineering
University of Gothenburg
Michael Milford
Queensland University of Technology (QUT)
Sarah Moth Lund Christensen
University of Sheffield
Francisco Rodriguez-Lera
Universidad de Leon
Pericle Salvini
University of Oxford
Yi Yang
KU Leuven
Hri 2026 Proceedings of the 21st ACM IEEE International Conference on Human Robot Interaction
1341-1349
9798400721281 (ISBN)
21st ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction, HRI 2026
Edinburgh, United Kingdom,
Edinburgh, United Kingdom,
Subject Categories (SSIF 2025)
Robotics and automation
DOI
10.1145/3757279.3788817