10 facts about home humanoids you might not know

Being able to order a humanoid does not mean it can run your home by itself.

One of the biggest differences between humanoids is how clearly the manufacturer explains which tasks are autonomous and which still need human help.

Published prices already range from five-figure purchases to monthly subscriptions, but reliable autonomous help around the home is still much harder to find.

For most buyers, reliable tasks, safety, privacy and easy setup will matter more than headline figures such as weight, payload or runtime.

A humanoid may eventually do many jobs, but a specialist robot can still be better at one job such as floor cleaning because it is cheaper and far more mature.

Privacy matters enormously for home humanoids because cameras, microphones, internet connections and remote support may all be part of how the robot works.

The most exciting video is not always the best evidence. What matters is whether the task can be repeated reliably, how much the robot does by itself and whether the test reflects a normal home.

A useful way to judge value will be how much reliable work a humanoid can do by itself for the money, not just its purchase price.

The most useful home setup may not be one robot doing everything. It could be a humanoid working alongside specialist robots such as a vacuum, mower or security robot.

The company people trust most may not have the flashiest demonstration. It may simply be the one that is clearest about what its robot can and cannot do.