Planet of the bipeds
The two-legged robot is ubiquitous, addictive and transformative
The biped’s first steps came on warm July week in Palo Alto in 2037, when engineers from Apple introduced the iWalk to a loud applause. 5’10”, with the ability to walk and move like a human, the biped “would change everything”, as the company promised. 5 years later, this was a rare case of little tech hyperbole, with the biped being the defining technology of the last decade.
With over 1 billion Bipeds now sold, from dozens of companies including Samsung, Honda, Dyson, General Motors, Amazon & BYD, bipeds are the faster selling machine in human history – outpacing the smartphone and home computer. In the developed world, there 2.7 bipeds per household, more than cars owned per family. 80% of the world population interfaces with a biped “at least three times a day,” per a Pew Research study. 50% of the population spend over 75% of “their waking hours” in the same room as a biped.
Even with 1 billon sold, it's still early days. As pervasive as light or Internet, and as convenient of the smartphone, the Biped is the rare revolutionary technology that is poised to turn form a life enriching technology to a platform that reshapes industries, societies and relationships - in a way that overworked parents and nurses looking for a few extra hours of help cannot begin to imagine.
Biped benefits
The transformative power of bipeds comes from their balance and “emotions”.
Balance makes the biped the first truly mobile computing device. Because battery weights and costs have have fallen, the biped is able to constantly be mobile & available. Since 2035, the cost of 1 kWH of battery story has dropped 10x, now under $40 per kWh. Your phone may have a world of information but Bipeds can get you that Tylenol when have a fever or make you dinner. That is the power unlocked by balance.
“Emotions”, as they are marketed, take the vast growth in general intelligence and voice communication – dating back twenty years to Siri, Alexa and Chat GPT - and make the interactions more natural. Humans process a bipeds's hand gestures, smiles and virtual eyebrows much faster than words. That is the power of emotions.
The combination of balance and emotion mean that interactions can reach a new level of professional and personal connectivity. Factories and automated home functions (such as laundry) are a clear benefit of a Biped. While early, bipeds have also shown the ability to do more traditionally “human” work; night feeding babies, changing diapers and elder care are all tasks that biped will likely help with.
As with all technologies, this future is part bright and part scary. Those who gifted a biped to elderly parents speak of how the machines help keep their loved ones at home, cooking dinner and helping manage the house, and the extreme guilt they feel they are not the ones helping. “Biped Guilt” was indeed one of the fastest growing searches this year.
The greatest concerns are around security. Simply put, your phone or Alexa cannot attack you. At worst, on the Internet, hackers can steal your information. With bipeds, hackers could conceivably turn a 600 lb. robot into a serious, physical threat. GCHQ, Britain’s signals-intelligence agency, posted a video of remotely controlling a biped to pick up a kitchen knife and walk out a door, a video that likely spooked the over 10M people who watched it.
The way forward
While security fears are real, three benefits have led to 1 billion bipeds sold.
First, bipeds are undeniably convenient. There is not a single person alive who can’t use an extra set of hands around the house. From laundry, to cooking, to putting groceries in the fridge, to changing light bulbs, to watering plants, bipeds reduce hours of household work. Rarely has a device saved so many hours of drudgery.
Second, they are affordable. The lowest cost bipeds are around $900, roughly the same cost of a high-end smart phone. The actual cost for most buyers is $650, with several governments and companies offering subsidies to household and business buyers, giddy with the thought of productivity gains. Per one study from the University of Washington, every 1 biped per 10 people increases the rate of growth of GDP-per-person by more than one percentage point—through extra work hours and reduced time and cost of elderly and childcare. Roughly 80% of buyers are also eligible to finance a biped over a two-year period – with no money upfront.
Finally, the security measures in place have made most people feel the risk is worth it. The most obvious is the physical override lever on the bipeds back – a constant reminder that the user is in full control. The intelligent mute voice command, inability for the biped to make a fist, and the local processing of data (meaning no personal data is shared to a cloud) are also features Apple and other biped makers market heavily Like automobiles, reasonable regulation is also helping.
By their nature, groundbreaking products change the way we live. With a billion bipeds now with us, societies will have to define new norms, induvials will have to decide where they are okay getting and giving help, and governments will have to continue to define what is too risky for society. But in five years, what is increasingly clear is bipeds have changed the world—and they have hardly begun.
Analogy from 2005 Economist article "Planet of the Phones." Writing & Images with help from GPT 4, Midjourney V 5.1