Bridging the Chasm: Human-Controlled Robotics, Embodied Dexterity, and the Ethical Landscape of Remote Presence

Dr Stephen Hart

Abstract: Robotics is undergoing a period of rapid transformation, marked by significant advancements in the physical capabilities of humanoid robots. These machines are increasingly mimicking human movement, dexterity, and sensory perception. However, the development of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) – AI possessing human-like cognitive abilities – lags considerably behind these mechanical achievements. This disparity suggests a prolonged era where highly dexterous robots operate primarily with Artificial Narrow Intelligence (ANI), excelling at specific tasks but lacking general understanding or autonomy. This paper argues that Human-Controlled Robotics (HCR), leveraging human intellect and judgment to operate these physically capable machines remotely, represents a crucial bridging paradigm between ANI and the distant prospect of AGI. Focusing particularly on healthcare applications, such as telepresence surgery and remote patient care facilitated by humanoid platforms, we explore the profound potential of HCR to enhance access, efficiency, and expertise distribution. However, this paradigm shift introduces complex ethical challenges, especially concerning the use of remotely located skilled professionals, potentially from lower-income nations. This article delves into the ethical dimensions of HCR, examining issues of fair compensation, potential exploitation, accountability, patient safety, and the very nature of human interaction mediated by robotic avatars. It calls for proactive ethical frameworks and global governance structures to navigate the responsible deployment of this transformative technology.

Keywords: Human-Controlled Robotics, Humanoid Robots, Artificial Narrow Intelligence, Artificial General Intelligence, Teleoperation, Robotic Surgery, Remote Healthcare, Ethics, Global Labour, Fair Wages, Telepresence, Human-Robot Interaction.

1. Introduction: The Dawn of Dexterous Machines and the Intelligence Gap

The field of robotics, particularly humanoid robotics, stands at a point of transformation. Decades of research in materials science, actuation, sensing, and control theory are converging to produce machines with increasingly human-like physical attributes.

The advances and development of humanoid robotics is hotly contested by predominantly private corporations (and the equivalent in China). Consequently, many of these advances are difficult to independently verify due to commercial in confidence arrangements and intellectual property protections. Currently we need to monitor developments through news and social media releases from these corporations and apply a healthy dose of scepticism. Whilst humanoids can be seen grasping, walking, dancing and even doing acrobatics and playing football, most of these glimpses are still coming from highly controlled laboratory environments. Where there are public appearances, generally the advanced humanoids are under heavy supervision and control of human minders.

In the recent Beijing half marathon, where 21 humanoids competed in their own race alongside humans, only four of the 21 robotic runners completed the race (Financial Review, 2025), despite the heavy presence of human support teams.

Advances continue however, and we should expect to see more humanoids in factories towards the end of 2025 and into the immediate future. The controlling interest purchase of Boston Dynamics by Hyundai Motor Group opens the door to Hyundai developing smart factories operated by humanoids in addition to the further deployment of Boston Dynamics ‘Spot’ robot dog and ‘Stretch’ robot designed for warehouse facilities and distribution centres (Boston Dynamics, 2021). BMW has reported that they are currently successfully testing the ‘Figure 02’ humanoid robot from the California-based company Figure at the BMW Group Plant Spartanburg in South Carolina, US, in a real production environment (BMW, 2024).

The momentum, investment and progress of humanoids with increasingly human-like physical attributes is undeniable and we can anticipate an acceleration of implementation into more applications and environments. The business case economics alone are compelling enough to drive implementation with estimates of ownership costs of humanoids being estimated as low as $5 USD/hour (strategy& PWC, 2024).

However, this rapid progress in physical embodiment starkly contrasts with the current state of Artificial Intelligence (AI). While Artificial Narrow Intelligence (ANI) has achieved superhuman performance in specific, well-defined domains it fundamentally lacks the general-purpose reasoning, common sense, adaptability, and consciousness that characterise human intelligence, or the hypothetical Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). Many researchers believe we are still decades, if not centuries, away from achieving AGI (McKinsey & Company, 2024). Others claim it may never be achieved (Forbes, 2024).

These pessimistic views are contrasted by Epoch AI’s (Epoch AI, 2024) probability of Transformational AI (TAI) currently sitting at 57% by 2030. Epoch AI’s definition of TAI is that AI deployed widely, would precipitate a change comparable to the industrial revolution - which does not necessarily require attainment of AGI.

Therefore, the most probable near-to-medium term scenario involves the proliferation of physically adept humanoid robots operating with sophisticated ANI. These "ANI Humanoids" will be powerful tools capable of executing complex physical tasks under specific instructions or within constrained environments, but they will lack the autonomous judgment, adaptability, and ethical compass required for unsupervised operation in dynamic, unpredictable human settings.

It is within this context that Human-Controlled Robotics (HCR) emerges not merely as a transitional technology, but as a powerful and potentially enduring paradigm. HCR, encompassing teleoperation, telepresence, and shared control systems, leverages the unique strengths of both humans and machines: the robot provides the physical presence, strength, precision, or access to hazardous environments, while the human provides the high-level cognition, decision-making, adaptability, and ethical judgment (Sheridan, 1992; Goodrich & Schultz, 2007).

2. Human Control as the Enabling Paradigm: From Teleoperation to Embodied Presence

Human-Controlled Robotics, broadly defined as systems where a human operator directs the actions of a remote robot, has a long history, initially driven by the need to operate in hazardous or inaccessible environments such as deep sea exploration, space missions (e.g., the Canadarm), and nuclear decommissioning (Sheridan, 1992). The core principle involves mapping human operator inputs (e.g., joystick movements, hand gestures, voice commands) to robot actions, often with sensory feedback (visual, haptic) transmitted back to the operator to create a sense of telepresence.

2.1 Robotic Surgery: Precision and Presence at a Distance

One of the most successful and transformative applications of HCR is in the field of minimally invasive surgery. Systems like the da Vinci robotic surgical system (Intuitive, 2025) exemplify these approaches and Intuitive (2025) report over 14 million procedures have been performed.

Surgeons operate not directly on the patient, but from an ergonomic console, often located in the same operating room but physically separate from the patient bedside The console provides a magnified, high-definition 3D view of the surgical site, and the surgeon's hand, wrist, and finger movements are translated into precise, scaled movements of miniaturised instruments inserted into the patient through small incisions (Camarillo et al., 2004) or, in the case of Intuitive’s da Vinci SP, a single incision (Intuitive, 2025).

While most robotic surgeries currently involve the surgeon being in the same room, the underlying technology enables remote surgery (telesurgery), where the surgeon is geographically separated from the patient, potentially by hundreds or thousands of miles. The first complete transatlantic telesurgery, the "Lindbergh Operation," was performed in 2001, with surgeons in New York operating on a patient in Strasbourg, France, using a dedicated high-bandwidth fiber optic connection (Marescaux et al., 2002).

The primary technical barrier to widespread telesurgery has been network latency – the delay between the surgeon's command and the robot's action, and the return of sensory feedback. In the example cited by Marescaux et al. (2002), the mean time lag for transmission during the procedure was 155ms, modern communications can have latrency as low as 1-5ms for Fibre Optic and <10ms for 5G (Seidor, 2025). China’s recent announcement of a 10G network with specifications of up to 9,834 Megabits per second (Mbps) upload speeds around 1,008 Mbps, and network latency as low as 3 milliseconds (The Economic Times, 2025) would appear to diminish all concerns of latency.

3. Human-Controlled Humanoids as a Bridge

The convergence of dexterous ANI humanoids and mature HCR technologies opens up possibilities beyond highly specialized tasks like surgery. Imagine a scenario where physically capable humanoid robots, equipped with sophisticated sensors (cameras, microphones, tactile sensors, potentially even basic diagnostic tools like stethoscopes or temperature sensors), act as physical avatars for healthcare professionals located elsewhere. This moves beyond the fixed-installation model of surgical robots towards mobile platforms capable of navigating hospitals, clinics, or even homes.

3.1 Beyond Surgery: DAWN Avatar Robot Café

The concept of HCR to provide services beyond surgery is already a reality. The DAWN Avatar Robot Cafe is a permanent experimental cafe operated by OryLab Inc that has been operating since 2018, where people who have difficulty going out for various reasons remotely operate avatar robots ‘OriHime’ and ‘OriHime-D’ from their homes and hospitals to provide services (DAWN 2025). Their aim is to achieve a new form of social participation through the use of technology whereby their ‘pilots’ operate the robots remotely to serve customers who are physically in the cafe.

Diners are greeted by a remotely controlled robot, another remotely controlled robot takes them to their table and takes their order – engaging them in friendly chat about their day – and a third robot brings them their order (Independent, 2025). This approach is not only addressing Japan’s workforce shortages, with a rapidly ageing population and declining birth rate, but also allows disabled people, or people who are unable to leave their homes, greater access to the workplace, potentially tapping into a hugely underutilised section of the population.

It's not difficult to see how this proof of concept can be rapidly expanded towards the introduction of much more advanced humanoids and robotics in a variety of applications.

3.2 Potential Interfaces: From Consoles to Neural Links

The control interfaces for such systems could range from current console-based systems (similar to surgical robots) or VR/AR setups providing immersive telepresence (providing visual and auditory feedback, mapping head and hand movements) to more advanced future possibilities. Technologies like Neuralink and other brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) offer the long-term prospect of more direct and intuitive control, potentially translating neural signals directly into robotic actions (Neuralink, 2025). BCIs could offer unprecedented levels of intuitive control and sensory feedback, blurring the lines between operator and avatar.

4. The Ethical Crucible: Labour, Equity, and Responsibility in Remote Robotic Healthcare

While the potential benefits of HCR in healthcare are significant, the deployment of this technology, particularly scenarios involving remote operation of humanoid robots by professionals in different locations (especially across national borders), raises profound ethical questions that demand careful consideration.

4.1 The Core Dilemma: The Global Remote Workforce

Perhaps the most pressing ethical issue revolves around the potential emergence of a global workforce operating healthcare robots remotely, often from lower-income countries providing services in higher-income countries. This scenario presents both opportunities and significant risks:

• Comparison to Physical Migration: Traditionally, addressing skill shortages in high-income countries has involved recruiting healthcare professionals from overseas. HCR offers a potential alternative: professionals could remain in their home countries, contributing remotely.

  • Potential Benefits: Workers stay connected to their families, communities, and cultures. Reduced personal upheaval compared to emigration.

  • Potential Drawbacks: Lack of physical integration into the healthcare team and culture where the service is provided. Potential for isolation. Creation of a distinct, potentially lower-status, class of "remote workers."

• The Wage Question: Local Rates vs. Service Location Rates: This is a central ethical flashpoint. If a nurse in Country A (lower average wages) remotely operates a robot providing care in Country B (higher average wages), what constitutes fair compensation?

  • Argument for Local Wages: Paying based on the operator's local cost of living and prevailing wages might be seen as economically rational by the employing institution in Country B. It reflects the operator's economic reality.

  • Argument for Service Location Wages (or equivalent): Paying significantly less than a local nurse in Country B for performing essentially the same tasks (mediated by the robot) raises serious concerns about exploitation. It could be perceived as leveraging global economic inequalities for cheaper labour.

  • Ethical Implications: Paying local (lower) wages could institutionalize a form of "digital colonialism," where high-income countries extract skilled labour value from lower-income countries without offering commensurate compensation or the benefits of physical presence (like pathways to citizenship or full participation in the local economy). Conversely, paying service location wages could potentially distort local economies in Country A, though it aligns better with principles of equal pay for equal work.

    
    

4.2 Broader Ethical Considerations in HCR Healthcare

Ensuring patient safety and trust is paramount in Human-Controlled Robotics (HCR). Patients need assurance of remote operator competence and system reliability, as technical failures or network latency could have severe consequences. Building patient rapport through a robotic interface presents unique challenges, alongside significant concerns about securing sensitive health data transmitted across networks, potentially internationally.

Determining liability for errors is complex, potentially involving the remote operator, local institution, technology manufacturer, or network provider, especially in cross-border situations. Clear accountability frameworks are essential.

HCR also risks dehumanizing care, potentially diminishing the crucial roles of empathy and human connection. There is concern the focus might shift from compassionate interaction to technical proficiency, and the appearance of robots could alienate some patients.

While potentially increasing access to specialists, HCR could exacerbate health inequalities if deployment favours affluent areas or if required digital infrastructure is lacking in underserved regions. Furthermore, the use of remote operators raises concerns about potential job displacement for local healthcare professionals due to cost efficiencies, necessitating attention to socio-economic impacts.

5. Navigating the Future: Policy, Regulation, and Responsible Innovation

The era of dexterous ANI humanoids operated under human control is dawning, offering transformative potential, particularly in extending the reach and capabilities of healthcare professionals. However, the ethical challenges, especially those surrounding global labour practices, accountability, safety, and the potential dehumanization of care, are substantial and require proactive engagement.

Moving forward responsibly requires a multi-pronged approach:

1. Development of Robust Ethical Frameworks: Ethicists, policymakers, technologists, healthcare professionals, patient advocacy groups, and international bodies need to collaborate now to develop clear ethical guidelines for the development and deployment of HCR in healthcare. These frameworks must address fair wages, working conditions, liability, data governance, and patient rights in the context of remote robotic operation (Floridi et al., 2018; European Commission's High-Level Expert Group on AI, 2019). Floridi et al’s (2019) principles of beneficence, non-maleficence, justice, explicability, and respect for autonomy must be adapted to this new technological context.

   
   

2. International Governance and Standards: Given the inherently transnational nature of remote operation, international agreements are crucial for regulating cross-border HCR, including standards for training, certification, licensure, data sharing protocols, and mechanisms for adjudicating liability. Bodies like the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) could play key roles.

   
   

3. Human-Centric Design and Implementation: Technology development should prioritize not only technical performance but also user experience (for both operator and patient) and ethical considerations from the outset (Value Sensitive Design) (Friedman et al., 2013). Systems should be designed to enhance, not replace, human connection where possible, and to ensure transparency and trustworthiness. Interfaces should minimize cognitive load and facilitate situational awareness for the operator.

   
   

4. Empirical Research: More research is needed to understand the practical feasibility, safety, efficacy, cost-effectiveness, and user acceptance of various HCR applications in healthcare. Crucially, empirical studies are needed to investigate the socio-economic impacts, including effects on labour markets, global health equity, and the quality of the patient-provider relationship.

   
   

5. Public Dialogue and Education: Open discussion about the capabilities, limitations, and societal implications of HCR is essential to build public understanding and trust, and to ensure that deployment aligns with societal values.

6. Conclusion

The divergence between rapidly advancing robotic dexterity and the slower pace of AGI development positions Human-Controlled Robotics as a key enabling technology for the coming decades. By coupling human intelligence with sophisticated robotic bodies, HCR systems, particularly those involving humanoid platforms, promise to extend human capabilities in unprecedented ways, with healthcare being a prime domain for transformation. Remote surgery and the prospect of remote nursing and consultations via robotic avatars offer compelling solutions to challenges of access, cost, and workforce distribution.

However, this technological potential is inextricably linked to profound ethical challenges. The scenario of skilled professionals operating robots across international borders, particularly from lower- to higher-income countries, forces a confrontation with complex issues of global labour justice, fair compensation, potential exploitation, and the definition of "presence" in care. Alongside these labour concerns, issues of safety, liability, data security, potential dehumanization, and equitable access demand careful scrutiny and proactive governance.

The path forward requires more than just technological innovation; it demands ethical foresight, robust regulatory frameworks, international cooperation, and a commitment to human-centric values. As we build machines capable of acting as our remote hands and eyes, we must ensure they are deployed in ways that enhance human well-being, promote global equity, and uphold the dignity of both the operators controlling them and the individuals receiving their care. The challenge lies in harnessing the power of HCR to bridge geographical and physical barriers without deepening existing societal and economic divides.

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Interested in exploring this topic further? Contact us for a thought provoking presentation at your next gathering stephen@roboethics.com.au

This article has been written with the assistance of AI. This is an opinion piece and is not professional or legal advice.