Let’s check in on the robots, shall we?

In the era of AI’s rapid advancement, it seems wise to keep a close eye on the robots growing ever smarter — and stronger — all around us.

Something about keeping your enemies close, right?

Well, the robots have been busy. They’re learning new tasks and opening the doors to our homes, grocery stores, and spas alike. Here’s the latest:

• Massage robots
  • Would you trust a robot to rub your back? Aescape thinks so. The company’s robo-masseurs provide massages devoid of any awkward human interaction. Guests just slip into one of the company’s proprietary outfits (designed to reduce friction and help the robot’s sensors scan the body) and control the pressure of the robotic arms via a tablet.
  • Aescape's robot massage is already available at the Lotte New York Palace hotel and costs $75 for 30 minutes. The company is shipping 200 robots to hotels and gyms this year and ramping up production in 2025.
• Home robots
  • MIT researchers are testing the use of simulations for training robots in our homes. Their method uses an iPhone to scan part of a home, then uploads it into a simulation where the robot can practice a household task thousands or millions of times in the time it would take to do it once IRL.
• Frozen food robots
  • Startup Chef Robotics is programming robotic arms to quickly and accurately pack frozen meal portions — a task that’s previously been done by (human) hand.

That’s not all…

Elon Musk recently wrote that Tesla will have “genuinely useful” humanoid robots working in “low production” in its factories next year, as well as “high production” robots available for other companies in 2026.

Maybe we should be worried about these bots — we’d be thrilled if our performance review included the words “genuinely useful” and “high production.”