The Skeuomorphic Trap in Robotics

When the internet was in its infancy, UI design went through a phase called skeuomorphism, where digital buttons were made to look like physical plastic and trash cans looked like real metal bins. We did this because we didn’t know how else to interface with a new medium—we tried to replicate what we knew from the physical world.

Robotics is currently in its “skeuomorphic phase.” We are obsessed with human-mirroring—designing machines with two arms, two legs, and a head simply because that is our biological blueprint. While this has merit in environments built specifically for humans, it shouldn’t be the only way to design robots.

What is Robomorphic Design?

By robotic embodiment, I’m referring to giving intelligence a physical “body.” However, a “body” in the academic sense is simply the toolset that allows a “brain” to perform tasks.

I am proposing a shift toward Robomorphic Design:

• Native Functionality: Designing a robot’s shape based on the physics of its task rather than the aesthetics of a living organism.
• Beyond Biology: If a robot needs to move in all directions, it doesn’t need legs that move forward; it needs omnidirectional wheels or multi-axis joints that no biological creature possesses.

The Current Research Draft

I have published a base draft of my thoughts on this topic:
Beyond the Human Blueprint: Toward Robomorphic Design in Autonomous Systems

This paper is currently a Work in Progress (WIP). I am sharing it in its early state to invite open peer review and collaborative refinement.

While much of modern robotics is aimed at mirroring human tasks—see the Olympic-style capabilities of modern humanoids—we must ask: Is the human form the most efficient way to solve this problem, or is it just the most familiar one?

Invitation for Revision

As this is a living research log, I am actively looking for thoughts on:

1. The Efficiency Gap: Where does human-mirroring actively hinder robotic performance?
2. Standardization: How do we classify these non-biological designs in a way that the industry can standardize?

If you have thoughts or want to build on the ideas in the preprint, please reach out.

Status: Active Draft / WIP
Reference: DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.32588.07049

My deepest gratitude to Mr. Krishna, whose constancy forms the foundation upon which all my work, including this, quietly rests. Salutations to the Goddess who dwells in all beings in the form of intelligence. I bow to her again and again.