Human and Humanoids: Toward Human-Robot Coexistence
Location: Grand Ballroom E-K
Time: October 5, 2026 | 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Purpose of the Panel
This panel will examine how increasingly capable humanoid robots may share workplaces, public spaces, and everyday environments with people. The discussion will connect current technical realities with industrial deployment, social and assistive applications, human factors, and the longer-term question of meaningful human-robot coexistence.
The goal is a conversation rather than four sequential presentations. For each topic, the moderator may invite one or two panelists to respond first and then ask the others to react, challenge, or extend the discussion.
Panelists
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Chris Kudla - Humanoid robotics industry; development of the MC1 social humanoid robot |
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Jason Panella - United Robotics Group Americas; deployment of service and humanoid robotics in healthcare, life sciences, higher education, and other real-world settings |
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Adrian Stoica - NASA-JPL Emeritus; autonomy, robotics, space systems, and humanoid applications |
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Yan Wu - A*STAR Institute of Advanced Intelligence and Computing, Singapore; embodied AI, dexterous manipulation, robot learning, and service/assistive robotics |
Panel Flow - 90 Minutes
| Time | Segment | Format |
| 10:30-10:35 | Opening and framing | Moderator welcome, purpose, and brief introductions |
| 10:35-10:43 | Opening perspectives | About 2 minutes per panelist |
| 10:43-11:33 | Five discussion topics | About 10 minutes per topic; selected first respondents followed by reactions |
| 11:33-11:52 | Audience Q&A | Moderator-directed questions and discussion |
| 11:52-11:58 | Closing round | About 60-75 seconds per panelist |
| 11:58-12:00 | Moderator close | Synthesis and thanks |
Five Main Discussion Questions
1. Where are humanoid robots genuinely useful today, and where is there still a significant gap between impressive demonstrations and reliable real-world deployment?
Discussion focus: Current capabilities versus hype; reliability; generalization; manipulation; mobility; recovery from failure; and operation outside controlled environments.
2. Which human tasks should humanoid robots take over, and which should remain primarily human?
Discussion focus: Manufacturing, hazardous and repetitive work, healthcare, education, entertainment, accessibility, social interaction, judgment, creativity, responsibility, and the difference between replacing tasks and replacing people.
3. What are the most important technical breakthroughs needed before humanoids can work alongside people safely and autonomously in everyday environments?
Discussion focus: Embodied AI, dexterous manipulation, perception, energy and battery life, actuation, learning and adaptation, common-sense behavior, fault recovery, self-maintenance, and systems integration.
4. What will it take for people not merely to tolerate humanoid robots, but to trust them and want to work or live alongside them?
Discussion focus: Safety, predictability, transparency, communication of intent, social behavior, human-aware design, privacy, accessibility, cultural expectations, and appropriate levels of autonomy.
5. If humanoids become widely capable over the next decade, what should successful human-robot coexistence actually look like - and what should industry, academia, educators, and policymakers be doing now to get there?
Discussion focus: Workforce transition, education and reskilling, deployment strategy, standards, responsibility, social benefit, and the conditions for a desirable human-robot future.
Opening Perspective Round
Prompt: 'From your perspective, where are humanoids today, and what is the single biggest opportunity you see?'
Please plan for approximately 2 minutes.
Closing Round
Prompt: 'Imagine we meet again at IEEE SMC in 2036. What is one development that would make you say human-humanoid coexistence has succeeded - and one outcome you would hope we have avoided?'
Please plan for approximately 60-75 seconds.
Discussion Style
● Please respond from your own industry, deployment, research, or systems perspective; differences of opinion are welcome.
● The moderator may direct different questions to different panelists first in order to keep the discussion interactive.
● Short, concrete examples are encouraged, particularly examples that distinguish laboratory capability from deployment reality.
● The panel will reserve roughly 19 minutes for audience questions.
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