Humanoids need real-world training. Google, Mercedes-backed $5.5 bn startup built a Robot Park to do it

For years, humanoid robots have impressed audiences with staged demonstrations. Now, companies are changing their focus to something far more important that is teaching robots to perform everyday tasks repeatedly in real-world environments. Apptronik, a Texas-based robotics startup backed by Google and Mercedes, believes the key to making humanoids useful lies in giving them a place to learn.