Most humanoid robots share a single design assumption: that the human body is the template worth copying. Two legs, two arms, upright posture. The logic is intuitive. Factories, vehicles, and buildings were built for people, so machines that fit through the same doors and operate the same tools should slot right in. But the human body is not optimized for dangerous work. Bipedal robots are inherently unstable, requiring constant active computation just to remain upright. Lose power on a two-legged system and it topples. Put one on uneven terrain and the control problem multiplies. The robotics industry has responded with...