THIS GENERATION MAY BE THE FIRST TO GROW UP THINKING HUMANOID ROBOTS ARE NORMAL.
And that's a much bigger deal than it sounds.
Look at the adults.
Phones out.
Cameras recording.
Everyone watching the machine because it's unusual.
Now look at the kid.
He just interacts with it.
That's the transition.
Adults today compare humanoids to science fiction.
Children growing up with them may compare them to:
smartphones,
tablets,
smart speakers,
or any other technology that's simply always been there.
And markets change completely when technology stops feeling like technology.
The smartphone didn't become enormous because people remained fascinated by touchscreens.
It became enormous when nobody thought twice about using one.
Humanoid robots could eventually cross the same line.
One generation asks:
“Why would I want a robot in my house?”
The next might ask:
“Why wouldn't you have one?”
The biggest shift in robotics might not happen inside the machine.
It might happen inside the people growing up around them.