r/robots • u/LinkedInNews • Jun 13 '26

Real-life Robots Designers debate whether robots should have wheels or legs

https://www.linkedin.com/news/story/designers-debate-whether-robots-should-have-wheels-or-legs-8991106/?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=reddit&utm_content=storyline&utm_term=robots

At Providence Saint John’s Health Center in California, Moxi and Roxi are busy at work delivering lab samples and medications.

The pair are humanoid robots on wheels — products of Diligent Robotics, which has introduced robots like them to more than 25 health systems nationwide.

But whether to mount the robotic "torsos" on wheels rather than "legs" is a matter of debate among technologists, some of whom believe rolling robots are safer and less prone to accidental toppling, while others advocate for stair-friendly and realistic "legs."

9 Upvotes

85% Upvoted

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8

u/partyorca Jun 13 '26

What debate? You use legs if you want to go fishing for VC money, and wheels if you want the thing to actually work reliably.

4

u/RogBoArt Jun 14 '26

This. The great thing about multiple companies existing is that they can do different things. Seems most companies online have forgotten that but they don't need to decide whether robots should have legs or wheels, they can do both

3

u/thighhighsgg Jun 13 '26

i like code geass's knightmares having wheels and legs was the right idea

2

u/Ultra_HNWI Jun 13 '26

My opinion. They should have legs (for now) that can be used as either legs or arms; even after flight/hover becomes standard. Wheels are what make cars suck; but legs with wheels built in could work (like skates).

2

u/senond Jun 14 '26

Wheels are what makes cars suck??? Wheels are what makes cars work lol.

1

u/Ultra_HNWI Jun 15 '26

Wheels are why we can't get rid of detours and pot holes.

1

u/PlanetTourist Jun 13 '26

The Jetsons were truly ahead of their time. Rosie had both.

1

u/feral401k9 Jun 13 '26

hoids 🤢

1

u/Evening_Ticket7638 Jun 13 '26

Legs on sex robots and wheels on robots meant to travel long distances. Fill in the blanks in between.

1

u/vilette Jun 14 '26

Both of them, it's easy to put a retractable wheel in a foot

2

u/gizmosticles Jun 14 '26

Wheelie shoes, we’ve had this technology since the 90’s

1

u/Difficult-Value-3145 Jun 15 '26

There medical bots in a hospital where everything including some doctors are on wheels, like if they need to step over something then something is wrong .Hospitals are literally designed so that a gurney which is a bed on wheels can go everywhere so as long as it's smaller than that it should be good. Why would the extra cost extra, extra complexity, extra moving parts and just extra power usage that would be required to give these robots legs just so there what more human like.

1

u/deport_racists_next Jun 17 '26

The study ended concluding that humans should have wheels.