Today, I want to talk about something that’s been on my mind for quite some time.

As someone who works daily with robotic arms and AI algorithms, I constantly feel a significant gap between what we see on social media and the actual reality of robotics.

Let me begin with a simple question:

Has the era of robotic arms come to an end?

If you’ve spent any time browsing social media — especially YouTube — the answer might seem obvious. Everyone’s talking about humanoid robots. These robots walk, dance, cook, and lift boxes. It feels like we’ve finally entered the age of general-purpose machines. Names like Tesla are often mentioned, and it’s hard not to be amazed by Boston Dynamics doing backflips or Sanctuary AI folding laundry.

I won’t dive too deep into humanoids here, since I’ve already covered that topic in detail in Episode 25 of the Robo Tik podcast.

So, let’s get back to our question:

Is research and development on robotic arms slowing down or becoming obsolete?

If you stay with me until the end of this article, I’ll try to answer that clearly.

Robotic Arms Are Not Obsolete — They Are Foundational

The reality is, robotic arms are far from obsolete. They remain the backbone of the robotics industry. Just because they don’t go viral doesn’t mean they’ve lost relevance.

Let’s go back in time for a moment. The story of robotic arms begins in the 1950s.

In 1961, the first industrial robotic arm — Unimate — was installed at a General Motors factory. It had a simple job: move hot die-cast metal pieces from one location to another. And it did that job flawlessly — no breaks, no fatigue, no complaints.

That moment was historic. It marked the beginning of automation as we know it today.

In the following decades — especially in the 1970s and 1980s — countries like Japan and Germany became global leaders in deploying robotic arms in automotive and electronics industries.

By the 1990s, robotic arms had become a standard fixture in industrial manufacturing. They were no longer futuristic tools — they were infrastructure.

And here’s a statistic that may surprise you:

As of 2024, there are over 3.9 million industrial robots operating globally — and more than 75% of them are robotic arms.

That’s not a niche — that’s the majority.

While humanoids dominate headlines, robotic arms are getting the real work done.

Why Are Robotic Arms Still So Widely Used?

Because they’re excellent at what they’re designed for.

They offer micron-level precision, they’re modular (meaning tools and grippers can easily be swapped), and they’re incredibly efficient.

For instance, a robotic arm like the Meca500 can repeat movements with accuracy under 5 microns — far beyond the capability of a human hand.

These arms are used across:

  • Laboratory automation
  • Delicate surgical procedures
  • Electronics assembly
  • Food and pharmaceutical packaging

They’re not general-purpose machines like humanoids aspire to be — they’re task-optimized, which is exactly what most industries need.

In pharmaceutical labs, for example — an industry I personally collaborate with — robotic arms are transforming day-to-day workflows. From pH measurements to sample mixing and tube handling, these environments are extremely sensitive and high-stakes.

You don’t want a dancing robot in your cleanroom — you want a reliable arm that can repeat the same movement thousands of times, with zero deviation.

Why Don’t Robotic Arms Go Viral?

It’s simple — they’re not flashy.

You rarely see robotic arms trending on Instagram or YouTube because they aren’t built to impress visually. A humanoid robot, on the other hand, grabs attention instantly — it looks like us, moves like us, and taps into something deep in our psychology. Curiosity. Imagination. Even fear.

Humanoids feel like they’re straight out of a sci-fi movie — and people love that.

And you know what? That’s okay!

I’m also excited by the progress in general-purpose robotics. The advancements in locomotion, language interaction, and AI-based planning are truly impressive.

But let’s be honest: Most of the humanoid robot demos we see today are either:

  • Teleoperated
  • Heavily scripted
  • Running in tightly controlled environments

A video showing a robot slowly walking and lifting a small box might look cool — but it’s not something you can plug into a factory and expect real-world performance.

Most humanoid robots today can only carry 10 to 20 kilograms, walk slower than humans, and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

They have high power consumption, evolving safety standards, and their practical use is still very limited.

Why Are Companies Investing So Heavily in Humanoids?

Because they’re chasing a long-term dream:

General-purpose labor — robots that can do anything a human can do. In a warehouse, at home, or even on Mars.

That dream is worth billions. And big companies love billion-dollar dreams.

They’re betting on the future — just like they did with self-driving cars.

And I respect that. But dreams take time.

Meanwhile, robotic arms are already: Here, Proven, Deployed

Even the companies building humanoid robots use robotic arms as their core infrastructure.

Tesla, BMW, Amazon — their production lines are full of robotic arms, not humanoids.

Not because they’re behind — but because they know what works.

What’s Next for Robotic Arms?

Now here’s what truly excites me.

We’re moving beyond hard-coded pick-and-place commands. The next frontier is making arms:

  • Smarter
  • More interactive
  • More adaptable

We’re talking about robotic arms that learn from:

  • Joystick demonstrations
  • Human corrections
  • Vision inputs
  • Even natural language instructions

These capabilities are advancing rapidly, thanks to the progress in AI.

This is where I focus much of my own research — enabling robotic arms to learn intuitively and safely from non-programmer humans, using real-time interaction and feedback.

Final Thoughts: Collaboration, Not Competition

So, what does the future look like?

It’s not a battle between robotic arms and humanoids — it’s a collaboration.

Even humanoids will still need arms — and those arms will carry over 60 years of engineering wisdom:

Precision. Efficiency. Reliability. And now… intelligence.

In fact, the future of robotics may lie in mobile manipulators — robots with wheels or legs carrying a smart, capable arm that interacts with the world.

So no — the age of the robotic arm isn’t over.

It’s evolving.

And while social media chases the wow factor, the real revolution is still being led by robotic arms —

One pick, one place, one precise motion at a time.

If you found this insightful or inspiring, please share it with someone who loves robotics as much as we do.

Stay curious. Stay critical.

And keep building the future.