OpenAI disbands its robotics research team
I think most people believe that the problem with robots is that we don&#x27;t have the right software, and if we just knew how to program them then today&#x27;s robots could be incredibly useful in everyday life. From that perspective, this move from OpenAI seems dumb.<p>That belief is wrong. Today&#x27;s robots can&#x27;t be made useful in everyday life no matter how advanced the software. The hardware is too inflexible, too unreliable, too fragile, too rigid, too heavy, too dangerous, too expensive, too slow.<p>In the past the software and hardware were equally bad, but today machine learning is advancing like crazy, while the hardware is improving at a snail&#x27;s pace in comparison. Solving robotics is now a hardware problem, not a software problem. When the hardware is ready, the software will be comparatively easy to develop. Without the right hardware, you can&#x27;t develop the appropriate software.<p>OpenAI is right to ignore robotics for now. It&#x27;s a job for companies with a hardware focus, for at least the next decade.