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People may want help from robots at home, but they do not necessarily want a six-foot humanoid to provide it. A 2025 University of Washington study found that participants generally preferred special-purpose robots for household assistance, even though humanoids were considered useful and acceptable in some situations.
That distinction matters for homeowners, builders, designers and accessibility professionals. A human-shaped robot may fit a house designed for people, but that does not mean it is the safest, most private, most practical or most desirable choice for every room or task.
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What the survey actually found
The study, Attitudes towards Humanoid Robots for In-Home Assistance, was authored by Basia Radka, Evolone Layne and Maya Cakmak of the University of Washington. It was presented at the IEEE International Conference on Robot and Human Interactive Communication (RO-MAN 2025).
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteIt involved 76 participants from the United States and the United Kingdom across two questionnaire studies. Participants evaluated hypothetical household-assistance scenarios using images, including speculative and AI-generated images, as well as images of three humanoids marketed for household use: Neo from 1X Technologies, Figure 02 from Figure and Optimus from Tesla.
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This was not a live home trial or a product-performance test. Participants were asked to assume favorable conditions, including extensive safety testing, regulatory approval, insurance coverage and reliable operation. The study therefore measures attitudes under hypothetical conditions—not actual purchasing behavior or long-term acceptance.
The paper is available through the University of Washington Human-Centered Robotics Lab, the primary PDF, PubMed and PubMed Central.
Eight household tasks were compared
The questionnaires covered:
- Eating or feeding assistance
- Dressing assistance
- Medication management
- Navigation
- Going up or down stairs
- Cooking
- Vacuuming
- Laundry
The scenarios varied in physical proximity, interaction and risk. Some special-purpose alternatives represented existing products; others were speculative research concepts. That comparison is important because a humanoid can appear attractive when the alternative is imaginary, immature or unavailable.
Acceptable is not the same as preferred
The survey’s most important nuance is the difference between several questions:
- Acceptable: Could a person tolerate or imagine using it?
- Useful: Could it help with a task?
- Preferred: Would someone choose it over another option?
- Desirable: Would someone actively want it at home?
- Purchasable: Would someone spend their own money on it?
The study most directly addresses acceptability, usefulness and preference. It does not establish consumer demand, willingness to pay, normal retail availability or reliable operation in occupied homes.
A more defensible summary is: people may want assistance, but the humanoid shape is not automatically the preferred way to deliver it.
Where specialized robots had the advantage
Participants generally viewed special-purpose devices as safer, less intrusive, more private and more comfortable around family members. A machine designed for one predictable task can also be smaller, easier to understand and simpler to evaluate.
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| Task | Likely preference pattern | Why the design matters |
|---|---|---|
| Vacuuming | Specialized robot | A narrow, repetitive function can be handled without a large moving body in the home. |
| Laundry folding | Humanoid more acceptable | General-purpose reach and manipulation may be useful, while the physical risk is relatively low. |
| Medication management | Specialized device | Predictable dispensing, privacy and accuracy may matter more than flexible movement. |
| Stairs | Purpose-built accessibility equipment | Carrying a person creates serious consequences if balance, grip, power or navigation fails. |
| Dressing | Mixed | A humanoid may offer flexibility, but close physical contact raises concerns about dignity, consent and injury. |
| Cooking | Cautious or mixed | Knives, hot surfaces, spills and changing conditions increase the consequences of mistakes. |
| Feeding | Mixed to negative | The task involves close bodily interaction and a vulnerable user. |
| Navigation | Task-dependent | Reliability and safe movement may matter more than humanlike appearance. |
The risk pattern is clearer than any simple pro- or anti-humanoid conclusion. Folding laundry or carrying a light object is easier to imagine than lifting someone down a staircase. Positive reactions to low-risk chores should not be transferred automatically to caregiving or mobility assistance.
Why humanoids still appeal
Humanoids have a genuine design argument: homes are built around human bodies. They contain human-height worktops, door handles, shelves, stairs, clothing, appliances and hand tools. A robot with human-compatible reach and posture might handle a wider range of objects than a collection of specialized machines.
Participants also saw value in the possibility of one general-purpose system handling several jobs. A single robot could, in principle, vacuum, carry laundry, fetch objects and manipulate household items without requiring a separate device for every task.
But compatibility with a human-built environment is not the same as suitability for every human home. A tall robot still needs turning space, stable flooring, safe charging, clear paths and room to recover from errors. Narrow corridors, clutter, pets, children, rugs, thresholds and wet floors can make a human-sized body difficult to operate safely.
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Why the humanoid form can create new problems
Safety and failure recovery
Participants raised concerns about robots tripping, tipping over, glitching, losing power or mishandling hot surfaces and sharp objects. A failure involving a vacuum cleaner is not equivalent to a failure involving medication, feeding, dressing or physical support.
For a home robot, credible safety evidence should include independent testing, emergency-stop controls, collision-force limits, safe behavior after power or network loss, battery safeguards and clear procedures for a fallen or immobilized machine. A company’s safety statement is not the same as independent certification or validation.
Privacy and cybersecurity
Humanoids may use cameras, microphones, mapping systems and cloud services. Participants worried about video and audio being uploaded, remote access by a company or unknown third party, hacking and surveillance in bedrooms, bathrooms or caregiving spaces.
These are not risks created exclusively by humanoids. They also apply to smart speakers, cameras and other connected devices. The humanoid body may simply make the sensor and network risks more visible—and more unsettling.
Before considering any connected home robot, ask:
- Which sensors are active, and when?
- Is processing local or cloud-based?
- What data is retained, for how long and by whom?
- Can users delete recordings and logs?
- Is remote assistance mandatory?
- What happens when the internet fails?
- Can guests, children and caregiving areas have separate privacy controls?
Psychological discomfort
Some participants described humanoid designs as creepy, unsettling, bulky or unnecessary. Designs that look almost human without behaving like a person can create an uncomfortable mismatch. The black face masks seen on several current humanoids were also associated in the reported discussion with a feeling of being watched.
Appearance is only one factor, however. Safety, space, reliability, service, maintenance and price may ultimately influence adoption more than whether a robot looks human.
Space and building layout
A humanoid needs room to walk, turn, stop and charge. It may create collision risks in narrow homes and complicate access to kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms and stairs. It may also require furniture to be moved or charging equipment to be installed.
For construction and renovation projects, “designed for a human environment” should not be mistaken for “works well in every home.” If robotic assistance becomes a design consideration, useful features could include clear circulation routes, level transitions, robust flooring, accessible controls, secure charging locations and layouts that allow a machine to be stopped or removed without blocking an exit.
One generalist or several specialists?
A humanoid promises breadth, but breadth can mean more hardware, more software, more maintenance and more failure modes. Several specialized devices may be costly and less flexible, yet a failure in one usually does not remove every form of assistance.
The right comparison is often not “humanoid versus nothing.” It may be:
- A robot vacuum plus a cleaner
- A medication dispenser plus caregiver check-ins
- Meal delivery plus appliance automation
- A stairlift or transfer aid plus mobility support
- A feeding-assistance device
- Home-health services or human care
For a person who needs a dependable solution today, a dedicated product or human service may be a better fit than a promotional demonstration of a general-purpose robot.
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What the images of current humanoids do—and do not—show
The study showed images of Neo, Figure 02 and Optimus. Participants generally rated the robots positively in household-task contexts and considered them reasonably suited to homes.
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The evidence reviewed does not establish that any of these robots was a normal U.S. consumer-retail product with a publicly confirmed purchase price. Readers should not assume that a prototype, internal development program, pilot, preorder or future production target equals ordinary home availability.
Special considerations for older adults and disabled users
The study focused heavily on household assistance and older-adult care. Preferences may differ for busy families, people with disabilities, caregivers and general consumers.
People who depend on assistance may assess risk differently from someone imagining a future product. Important questions include:
- Does the robot increase independence or replace human contact?
- Can the user summon help if it fails?
- Can a person disengage from or escape the robot?
- Does the system preserve dignity and consent during dressing, feeding and bathing?
- Who is liable if assistance causes injury?
An informal panel of six people with motor limitations at the 2025 HRI Physical Caregiving Robots Workshop reportedly did not express a desire for a humanoid. That was separate from the 76-person questionnaire and is not a statistically representative survey, but it reinforces the need to include people with lived experience in assistive-robot design.
A practical checklist for evaluating a home humanoid
Capability
- Can it perform the desired task without teleoperation?
- Can it recover from dropped objects, blocked routes, spills and changed furniture?
- Can it operate safely around children, pets and multiple household members?
- Can it handle knives, hot pans, medications and fragile objects?
Safety
- Is there independent testing?
- What happens during power, battery or network failure?
- How are collision forces limited?
- Is there an obvious emergency stop?
- What happens if the robot falls?
- Who carries liability and what insurance applies?
Privacy
- Where are video, audio and movement maps processed?
- Who can access them?
- Can users delete records?
- Is remote operation disclosed to everyone in the home?
Practical fit
- What are the robot’s height, weight, noise level and turning radius?
- Can it cross thresholds, rugs and wet floors?
- Can it use stairs?
- Where will it charge and be stored?
- Can the home remain usable if the robot is stopped or removed?
Total cost
Consider the robot or lease fee, subscriptions, installation, remote-operator charges, repairs, replacement batteries, insurance, cloud storage, home modifications and human support when the system fails.
How strong is the evidence?
This is a useful early human-centered investigation, but it is not a market forecast. The sample was small, limited to two countries and based on questionnaires and images rather than long-term deployments. Some scenarios used AI-generated images. Participants were instructed to assume unusually favorable safety, regulatory, insurance and reliability conditions.
The study did not measure willingness to pay, failure rates, maintenance burden, privacy policies, operating costs or actual household performance. Nor can it establish global consumer preferences. Its strongest contribution is identifying the conditions under which people might accept a humanoid—and the reasons they may still choose something smaller and more specialized.
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The result challenges the assumption that the future home must be designed around a human-shaped machine. Future households may use a mixture of compact, wheeled, wall-mounted, under-furniture or task-specific devices instead.
For builders and renovators, the more durable lesson is to design for flexibility rather than a particular robot. Maintain clear accessible routes, provide convenient power and charging locations, avoid unnecessary thresholds, plan for safe movement around kitchens and bathrooms, and ensure that assistive equipment does not compromise exits or human caregivers’ ability to work.
A humanoid may eventually be valuable for flexible tasks that justify its size and complexity. But the survey suggests that manufacturers must prove safety, privacy, reliability and value task by task. Human shape alone is not a reason to bring a machine into someone’s home.
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