> Overselling is a dangerous strategy that can be counterproductive. Both companies and researchers publish videos of robots doing tasks, but sometimes they fail to point out the limitations of the technology or that those results were achieved in lab conditions.

This. Autonomous vehicles are the most obvious example of the overselling of robotics with the inevitable extending of the timelines that were promised a few years ago. The more we learn the less likely it seems we'll get AVs anytime soon, although anyone actually working in the area knew this already.

People were selling the idea of AV production systems that can solve hard robotics problems that havn't been solved in research in the most benign conditions. This was all driven by hype and money and it doesn't seem like there was much of a downside to those overpromising. Unless this changes and people are held accountable for their overselling then we'll keep seeing this behavior.

It has a genuine negative impact on anyone trying to do something that is actually possible and useful as their pitch will seem underwhelming compared to all the noise being generated by the people overpromising.