🤖 Should Robots Wear Pants?

Fashion is one of the main channels of non-verbal communication between people. Through clothing, we instantly read a person's social group, cultural background, wealth, and lifestyle. Our brain picks up these signals faster than words.

But humanoid robots are gradually moving from laboratories into our social spaces and homes. That means we'll be noticing them more often, notes engineer Irvin Cardenas.

So, do we need fashion for robots?

⚙️ Cardenas believes that soon there will be dedicated tailors for robots—just like how the growth of the auto industry in the 20th century created entirely new design fields. After all, regular human clothes don't work for robots, just like they don't work for dogs. We need to consider the specific features of each model, the placement of sensors, motors, and everything else. The design should also be readable not only by people but also by other robots.

🔍 A robot's appearance shapes how people relate to it and what they expect from it. An android in a medical coat is expected to be efficient, precise, and reliable. A humanoid in a delivery jacket can be let onto your porch. And if you dress a robot in a police uniform, people will be more likely to obey it. So giving machines these human "privileges" like clothing can be convenient—but also dangerous, explains Cardenas.

What do you think, should robots wear clothes?

❤️ — Yes, of course
🔥 — No, clothes are only for humans

@hiaimediaen