I do wonder what practical applications an android would actually have in the Real World, when four+ legged robots are more stable on rough terrain (Altas is amazing, but even so . . . ), and heavy-lifting robots would have to be physically bulkier than the human form. Cheaper and more efficient to use robots purpose-built to do one job extremely well (look at car plant robots) than an all-rounder that can do several things not-so-well.
What advantages would a human-shaped robot have other than being more aesthetically pleasing on they eye, as in Humans (really annoyed that got ‘pulled’ just as Human-android hybrids were on the horizon).
The best I could come up with was Space Colonisation, and even that Argument is shaky verging on abysmal: Androids don’t need air or food or water, so that will save some weight/free up some weight and in Rocketry, weight is everything. Space travel is also dangerous – better a few ‘droids then a few humans if it all goes t. u. Once the sturdy ‘builder-bots’ have finished construction and the Explorer-bots have checked out the area, the androids could check that the new Colony was truly human-friendly by doing everything a human would do in ‘real time’. . . Yadda yadda yadda – You know, just like half the Sci-Fi movies we’ve ever seen. 🙂
Can anyone else think of reasons why an android would be better than a dedicated robot, beyond looking nice?