> Regarding this point: "Despite some impressive lab demonstrations we have not actually seen any improvement in widely deployed robotic hands or end effectors in the last 40 years" : Yes. Manipulation in unstructured environments is still very poor. Brooks' startup in that area, Rethink Robotics, failed on this problem.
(I worked at Rethink Robotics)
Rethink Robotics was not working on the problem that Brooks is complaining about here. Today’s robots are still using parallel electric fingers or vacuum suction cups, which are much poorer than even the most primitive claws in the animal kingdom. That’s the problem.
Many robot hands have been built. These are rather nice.[1] But they're usually used for teleoperators, not computer-controlled. Usefully controlling them in unstructured situations is still hard.
(I worked at Rethink Robotics)
Rethink Robotics was not working on the problem that Brooks is complaining about here. Today’s robots are still using parallel electric fingers or vacuum suction cups, which are much poorer than even the most primitive claws in the animal kingdom. That’s the problem.