A humanoid is something that has the basic shape or appearance of a human but isn't actually human. The word combines “human” with the suffix “-oid,” which means “resembling” or “like.”

Robots designed to look like people are humanoid: they might have a head, two arms, two legs, and a torso arranged like ours, even though they're made of metal and circuits. In science fiction, aliens are often depicted as humanoid because it's easier for us to relate to creatures that look somewhat like us. Many aliens in stories like Star Wars are humanoid, even though they may have different skin colors, extra fingers, or unusual features.

Scientists use the word humanoid to describe certain ancient relatives of humans too. Early species like Homo habilis were primates that walked upright and had human-like features, though their brains were smaller and their bodies were different from modern humans.

When engineers build humanoid robots, they're trying to create machines that can move through human spaces and use human tools. A humanoid robot might climb stairs, open doors, or pick up objects because its body is shaped roughly like ours. The word helps us distinguish between robots that look like people and robots that look like rolling boxes or mechanical arms.