A humanoid robot is a robot with its body shape built to resemble the human body.
The design may be for functional purposes, such as interacting with human tools and environments, for experimental
purposes, such as the study of al locomotion, or for other purposes. In general, humanoid robots have a torso, a head,
two arms, and two legs, though some forms of humanoid robots may model only part of the body, for example, from the waist
up.
Some humanoid robots also have heads designed to replicate human facial features such as eyes and mouths.
Androids are humanoid robots built to aesthetically resemble humans.
Purpose of robots
Humanoid robots are now used as research tools in several scientific areas.
Researchers study the human body structure and behavior (biomechanics) to build humanoid robots.
On the other side, the attempt to simulate the human body leads to a better understanding of it.
Human cognition is a field of study which is focused on how humans learn from sensory information in order to acquire
perceptual and motor skills.
This knowledge is used to develop computational models of human behavior and it has been improving over time.
It has been suggested that very advanced robotics will facilitate the enhancement of ordinary humans.
