Because of stairs, etc.
Because of stairs, etc.
Right now when it's time to carry that heavy desk, couch, piano, etc. through doorways, halls, up/down stairs, etc., two really strong people do it manually.
Imagine if they showed up with a robot that could do it. In addition to walking, it would need to understand gripping and balancing heavy objects and how to orient and maneuver 3D objects through tight 3D spaces, but I bet those things are understood well enough.
Unusual physical strength, or powered mechanical aids, are mostly only used with unusual items. Ex, most "gunsafes" are more properly Residential Security Containers, and aren't all that heavy (~200lbs) and can be moved around, including up stairs, by two average adults. Real safes weigh more like 600lbs and are much more rare, partly due to the difficulty and expense involved in moving them anywhere remotely tricky. I have heard of powered stair climbers being used to lift such things up a flight of stairs.
I think unfortunately the main reason the iBot did not originally succeed is that it was too expensive.
And, if anything went wrong halfway up the stairs, you'd be going down ass-over-teakettle strapped to something metal weighing more than you.
All those things could be improved on. Maybe Mobius will succeed.
But maybe it would
1. allow them to stand
2. allow them to use stairs
I just asked if we could strap people to these things to let them climb stairs, lol