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Advances, challenges, and opportunities for legged robots
Jonas Frey1,2,3, Matías Mattamala4, Hae-Won Park5
1ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Science Robotics
|July 29, 2026
Summary
Legged robots, including humanoid and quadrupedal systems, offer revolutionary potential. This review assesses their current capabilities, challenges, and future societal impacts for widespread adoption.
Area of Science:
- Robotics and Artificial Intelligence
- Human-Robot Interaction
- Societal Impact of Technology
Background:
- Humanoid and quadrupedal robots are advancing rapidly.
- These legged robots have transformative potential across various sectors.
- Understanding their capabilities and challenges is crucial for future development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To comprehensively assess the current state of humanoid and quadrupedal robot technology.
- To identify key advancements and persistent challenges in legged robot development.
- To explore the future trajectory, including societal and ethical implications.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of current robotic systems.
- Analysis of hardware, locomotion, autonomy, data, and application domains.
- Exploration of ethical, economic, policy, and societal factors.
Main Results:
- Significant progress in legged robot hardware and locomotion capabilities.
- Identification of critical open challenges in autonomy and data integration.
- Analysis of diverse applications ranging from industry to scientific discovery.
Conclusions:
- Legged robots are poised for widespread adoption with further advancements.
- Addressing challenges in autonomy and data is key to unlocking new use cases.
- Future development requires careful consideration of ethical, economic, and societal factors.
