A humanoid (; from English human and -oid "resembling") is a non-human entity with human form or characteristics. The earliest recorded use of the term, in 1870, referred to indigenous peoples in areas colonized by Europeans. By the 20th century, the term came to describe fossils which were morphologically similar, but not identical, to those of the human skeleton.

Although this usage was common in the sciences for much of the 20th century, it is now considered rare. More generally, the term can refer to anything with distinctly human characteristics or adaptations, such as possessing opposable anterior forelimb-appendages (i.e. thumbs), visible spectrum-binocular vision (i.e. having two eyes), or biomechanic plantigrade-bipedalism (i.e. the ability to walk on heels and metatarsals in an upright position). Humanoids may also include human-animal hybrids (where each cell has partly human and partly animal genetic contents) and human-animal chimeras (where some cells are human and some cells are animal in origin). Science fiction media frequently present sentient extraterrestrial lifeforms as humanoid as a byproduct of convergent evolution.

In theoretical convergent evolution

Although there are no known humanoid species outside the genus Homo, the theory of convergent evolution speculates that different species may evolve similar traits, and in the case of a humanoid these traits may include intelligence and bipedalism and other humanoid skeletal changes,  as a result of similar evolutionary pressures. American psychologist and Dinosaur intelligence theorist Harry Jerison suggested the possibility of sapient dinosaurs. In a 1978 presentation at the American Psychological Association, he speculated that dromiceiomimus could have evolved into a highly intelligent species like human beings. In his book, Wonderful Life, Stephen Jay Gould argues if the tape of life were re-wound and played back, life would have taken a very different course. Simon Conway Morris counters this argument, arguing that convergence is a dominant force in evolution and that since the same environmental and physical constraints act on all life, there is an "optimum" body plan that life will inevitably evolve toward, with evolution bound to stumble upon intelligence, a trait of primates, crows, and dolphins, at some point.

In 1982, Dale Russell, curator of vertebrate fossils at the National Museum of Canada in Ottawa, conjectured a possible evolutionary path that might have been taken by the dinosaur Troodon had it not perished in the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event 66 million years ago, suggesting that it could have evolved into intelligent beings similar in body plan to humans, becoming a humanoid of dinosaur origin. Over geologic time, Russell noted that there had been a steady increase in the encephalization quotient or EQ (the relative brain weight when compared to other species with the same body weight) among the dinosaurs. Russell had discovered the first Troodontid skull, and noted that, while its EQ was low compared to humans, it was six times higher than that of other dinosaurs. If the trend in Troodon evolution had continued to the present, its brain case could by now measure 1,100 cm3; comparable to that of a human. Troodontids had semi-manipulative fingers, able to grasp and hold objects to a certain degree, and binocular vision.

Russell proposed that this "Dinosauroid", like most dinosaurs of the troodontid family, would have had large eyes and three fingers on each hand, one of which would have been partially opposed. As with most modern reptiles (and birds), he conceived of its genitalia as internal. Russell speculated that it would have required a navel, as a placenta aids the development of a large brain case. However, it would not have possessed mammary glands and would have fed its young, as birds do, on regurgitated food. He speculated that its language would have sounded somewhat like bird song.

Russell's thought experiment has been met with criticism from other paleontologists since the 1980s, many of whom point out that his Dinosauroid is overly anthropomorphic. Gregory S. Paul (1988) and Thomas R. Holtz, Jr., consider it "suspiciously human" (Paul, 1988) and Darren Naish has argued that a large-brained, highly intelligent troodontid would retain a more standard theropod body plan, with a horizontal posture and long tail, and would probably manipulate objects with the snout and feet in the manner of a bird, rather than with human-like "hands".

In robotics

A humanoid robot is a robot that is based on the general structure of a human, such as a robot that walks on two legs and has an upper torso, or a robot that has two arms, two legs and a head. A humanoid robot does not necessarily look convincingly like a real person, for example, the ASIMO humanoid robot has a helmet instead of a face.

An android (male) or gynoid (female) is a humanoid robot designed to look as much like a real person as possible, although these words are frequently perceived to be synonymous with a humanoid.

While there are many humanoid robots in fictional stories, some real humanoid robots have been developed since the 1990s, and some real human-looking android robots have been developed since 2002.

Similarly to robots, virtual avatars may also be called humanoid when resembling humans.

In mythology

Deities are often imagined in human shape (also known as "anthropotheism"), sometimes as hybrids (especially the gods of Ancient Egyptian religion). 
A fragment by the Greek poet Xenophanes describes this tendency, 

In animism in general, the spirits innate in certain objects (like the Greek nymphs) are typically depicted in human shape, e.g. spirits of trees (Dryads), of the woodlands (the hybrid fauns), of wells or waterways (Nereids, Necks), etc.

In science fiction

With regard to extraterrestrials in fiction, the term humanoid is most commonly used to refer to alien beings with a body plan that is generally like that of a human, including upright stance and bipedalism, as well as intelligence.

In much of science fiction, humanoid aliens are abundant. One explanation is that authors use the only example of intelligent life that they know, humans. In live-action television and films, using humanoid aliens makes it easier to cast human actors to portray alien characters. A study by the zoologist Sam Levin suggests that aliens might indeed resemble humans, given that they are presumably subject to natural selection. Levin argues that this can be expected to produce a hierarchy of cooperating systems that make up any organism. Luis Villazon points out that animals that move necessarily have a front and a back; as with animals on Earth, sense organs tend to gather at the front as they encounter stimuli there, forming a head. Legs reduce friction, and with legs, bilateral symmetry makes coordination easier. Sentient organisms will, Villazon argues, likely use tools, in which case they need hands and at least two other limbs to stand on. In short, a generally humanoid shape is likely, though octopus- or starfish-like bodies are also possible. An opposing view is given by Mike Wall, who argues that intelligent extraterrestrials able to contact Humans would most likely have reached a phase allowing them to develop themselves into machines.

Several in-universe explanations have been offered for the abundance of humanoids. One of the more common is that the humanoids in the story have evolved on an Earth-like planet or natural satellite, totally independently from Humans on Earth. However, some works have offered alternative explanations:

In Star Trek, the explanation is given that a primordial humanoid civilization, the Ancient humanoids, seeded the Milky Way Galaxy with genetically-engineered cells to guide the evolution of life on a multitude of worlds toward a humanoid form. In the television series Stargate SG-1, the Jaffa are explained as being a hundred-thousand year offshoot of humanity bred by the Goa'uld to suit their purposes, hence their almost-human appearance and physiology, while many other "alien" characters are actually the descendants of human-slaves who were removed from Earth by the Goa'uld. Any humans isolated on multiple planets after 100k+ years of adaptations would most certainly seem "alien" to Earthlings. Similarly, in its spin-off show Stargate Atlantis, the explanation offered for the humanoid appearance of the Wraith is that the Wraith evolved from a parasite which incorporated human DNA into its own genome after feeding on humans, giving the Wraith their present form.

In ufology
In the field of ufology, humanoid refers to any of the claimed extraterrestrials which abduct human victims, such as the Greys, the Reptilians, Nordics, and Martians.

In fantasy

In fantasy settings the term humanoid is used to refer to a human-like fantastical creature, such as a dwarf, elf, gnome, halfling, goblin, troll, orc or an ogre, and Bigfoot. In some cases, such as older versions of the game Dungeons & Dragons, a distinction is made between demi-humans, which are relatively similar to humans, and humanoids, which exhibit larger differences from humans. Animals that are humanoid are also shown in fantasy. Humanoids are also used in some old horror movies, for example in Creature From the Black Lagoon, made in 1954 by Jack Arnold.

See also
Primate
Anthropomorphism
Hominid (term)
Human disguise
Panspermia
Race (fantasy)
Robotics

Lists
Lists of humanoids
List of avian humanoids
List of piscine and amphibian humanoids
List of reptilian humanoids
List of humanoid aliens

References

External links
Robot Info (Directory of Robotics news, books, videos, magazines, forums and products).
Humanoid Robot Video
Humanoid Robots in America

 
1870s neologisms
휴머노이드(, 인간형 로봇)란, 인간의 형태를 모습으로 한 로봇을 의미한다. 형태뿐만 아니라, 인간과 같은 인식기능, 운동기능을 구현하기 위해서는, 로봇기술의 총체적 발전이 궁극을 이루어야 하기 때문에 가장 고난도의 지능형 로봇이라 할 수 있다. 한국에서 개발한 초기 단계의 컴봇은 휴보이다. 컴봇은 컴퓨터와 로봇을 결합한 것이다. 이렇게 하면 컴퓨터는 사람처럼 움직일 수 있는 몸을 가지게 된다. 사고 능력을 가진 컴봇은 학습이 가능하며, 병렬 계산을 통해 일반적인 사고를 인간보다 더 빨리 처리할 수 있다. 예를 들어 체스 시합 중에 게임의 규칙이 바뀌어도 그에 대해 유연하게 대처할 수 있다는 것을 의미한다. 현재 이족보행을 위주로 연구되고 있으나, 상반신을 이용한 균형잡기, 굴곡이 있는 바닥을 감지하여 안정된 보행 기능 등이 좀 더 보강되어야 하며, 가사노동 등 인간의 다양한 작업을 수행하는 동작제어에 관한 연구로 발전할 것으로 보인다.

휴머노이드의 정의 
인간의 형태를 모습으로 한 로봇을 의미한다.

역사 
세계 최초의 로봇은 일본에서 만들었으며 그 로봇의 이름은 '와봇-1'이다. 이 로봇은 간단한 회화를 할 수 있으며, 천천히 걸을 수도 있다. 그리고 그 다음엔 일본에서 '와봇-2'라는 로봇을 만들었으며 전자오르간을 연주할 수 있다. 1996년에는 일본에서 'P2'라는 로봇을 만들었다. 이 로봇은 세계 최초로 자연스럽게 걸을 수 있다. 1999년에는 대한민국에서 최초로 휴머노이드 로봇을 만들었는데 그 이름은 '센토'이다. 머리는 사람, 몸통은 말의 모양을 가진 휴머노이드로 어린이 지능 정도의 지능을 가지고 있으며, 1kg 정도의 물건을 들 수 있다. 2000년에는 일본이 최초로 계단을 오르내리는 '아시모'를 만들었다. '아시모'는 끊임없는 방향전환이 가능하고 뛸 수 있었다. 2001년에는 대한민국에서 최초로 사람 몸통을 한 로봇인 '아미'가 개발되었다. 이후 2004년에는 대한민국 최초로 두 발로 걷는 '휴보'가 개발되었고 '알버트 휴보'로 진화하면서 다른 휴머노이드 로봇보다 관절모터가 많았다. 아인슈타인의 얼굴을 달고 있으며, 웃음, 슬픔, 화남 등 여러 표정을 지을 수 있다. 그 후 2009년에는 휴보에서 발전된 휴보2가 나왔고, 뛸 수 있게 되었다.

개발된 역사 
 와봇-1 1971년에 일본이 만든 로봇.
 와봇-2 1984년에 일본이 만든 로봇.
 P2는 1997년 일본 혼다사가 만든 세계최초로 계단을 오르내리는 이족보행로봇이다.
센토는 1999년 대한민국 KAIST에서 개발된 4족보행 로봇이다.
아시모는 2000년 일본 혼다사가 만든 시속 9km의 보행과 주행이 가능한 로봇이다.
아미 2001년에 한국이 만든 로봇.
 휴보(Hubo)는 2004년 대한민국 KAIST에서 개발된 로봇이다.
 알버트 휴보 2005년 대한민국 KAIST에서 휴보를 진화시킨 로봇이다.
 휴보2(Hubo2)는 2009년 대한민국 KAIST에서 개발했으며 대한민국 최초의 뛸 수 있는 로봇이다.(시속3.6km)

휴머노이드를 소재로 한 작품

영화 
  바이센테니얼 맨

휴머노이드가 비중있게 나오는 작품

영화 
  아이, 로봇

관련사례 
밴디트(bandit)는 미국 사우스캘리포니아대(USC)에서 자폐증을 치료하기 위해 개발된 휴머노이드 로봇이다. 초기 실험결과에서 5~9세의 자폐아 14명을 대상으로 한 실험에서 자폐아들은 평균 5분동안 밴디트와 상호작용을 했다. 또한 실험이후 상당수 아이들에게서 사회성과 언어력 향상이 나타났다. 이유는 명확히 밝혀지지 않았지만 전문가들은 로봇의 단순한 행동 패턴에서 원인을 찾는다. 돌발상황에 대한 대처능력이 없는 자폐아들은 그런 환경에 처해지는 것을 꺼려 세상과의 문을 닫아버리는데 일정한 규칙에 따라 행동하는 로봇은 그만큼 예측도 쉬워 한층 편안하게 상호작용함으로써 자폐증을 치료하는데 효과적이라고 보고 있다. 연구팀은 인공지능, 기계시각, 신호처리기술 등 현대 로봇기술을 총동원해 자폐아의 불안감을 해소시키는 섬세한 대응능력까지 확보할 방침이다.

휴보(HUBO)는 한국에서 개발한 로봇으로 휴머노이드(Humanoid)와 로봇(Robot)의 합성어이다. 2004년 12월 한국과학기술원(KAIST) 기계공학과 오준호 교수팀이 개발한 인간형 로봇이다. 이 로봇은 키 120cm, 몸무게 55kg이고, 35cm의 보폭으로 1분에 65걸음(시속 1.25km)을 걸을 수 있다. 2002년 1월 인간형 로봇 개발을 시작하여, 2002년 8월 국내 첫 인간형 로봇인 KHR-1의 몸체를 만들고, 2003년 1월에는 KHR-1을 걷게 하였다. 이어 2003년 12월 KHR-2의 몸체를 제작하였고, 2004년 8월 KHR-2는 줄을 끊고 걷기 시작했다. 이 KHR-2를 발전시켜 내놓은 모델이 휴보이다. 41개의 전동기(모터)를 갖고 있어 몸을 자연스럽게 움직일 수 있으며, 균형도 잡을 수 있으며, 따로 움직이는 손가락으로 ‘가위 바위 보’도 할 수 있다. 인간과 블루스도 출 수 있으며, 손목에 실리는 힘을 감지하여 악수할 때 적당한 힘으로 손을 아래위로 흔들기도 한다.

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