I, Robot?

A New Zealand comedy duo called “Flight of the Conchords” debuted a song entitled “Robots.” Although the song technically takes place in the year 2000, one of the key lyrics is “the humans are dead”. Note: they are humans pretending to be robots reflecting on what humankind forced them to do.

The idea of robots and robotics has been around for over 2,000 years, when Archytus of Tarentum built a mechanical bird. The idea of having a machine do a task for your own benefit sounds great Of course laziness isn’t always bad, as it created flush toilets and other inventions that have been very, very helpful to the perpetuation of humankind.  Songs like “Robots”, stories like I, Robot by Isaac Asimov, and even movies like “Wall-e” offer very apocalyptic, though entertaining, views of humankind’s robotic future. However, this fear of technology seems to be pushed to the wayside as more and more robots are pushed into our lives everyday.  

As humankind progresses, more and more people approve of the technological advancements being done in the field of robotics. The incentives that robotics bring to the table are innumerable, yet they can be a little scary. Dissenters of these robots are looked at as neo-Luddites. Is there truly a fear behind robotics? Let’s examine a few current projects and find out the usefulness or purpose behind these new robots.

Robot #1: “Big Dog”

Big Dog is a rough-terrain robot that was built by Boston Dynamics and funded by Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA). 3 feet long, 2.5 feet high and weighing at 240 pounds, this robotic quadruped can carry up to 340 pounds, walk at 4 mph and go up a 35-degree incline. More than that it can walk in about any terrain and set the land record for legged vehicles. The pros of the Big Dog are vast: it can carry supplies for military into battle or on long treks and commercially it is essentially a less smelly pack mule. Who doesn’t want a robot that can carry everything for them? Now, what are the cons? The first obstacle is production. Being that Big Dog isn’t a completed project and the fact that its being developed for the military indicates that it will take some time to get it out commercially if it ever does. Another thing is that it’s large and cumbersome. Since the Big Dog clocks in at 4 mph, it essentially becomes a target of it own. No doubt that it’s very cool and would do well commercially (at the right price), who knows if it will ever even make into military use.

 

Robot #2: “ASIMO”

This humanoid robot is being produced by Honda and has prototypes that tour the world. According to ASIMO’s history, the idea for a compact humanoid robot began in 1986 where engineers literally worked from the feet up. Honda states that their goal is to “Design a robot that can duplicate the complexities of human motion and genuinely help people.” No doubt ASIMO is a cutie, as he is designed to look like an astronaut, but what are the pros and cons?

Pros: While there isn’t any explicit purpose for the ASIMO, it seems like a really cool toy. Perhaps it will evolve into the robot of the I, Robot film, as in the loyal companion who makes life easier for humans. Which is awesome.

Cons: There is no purpose to this type of robotics and perpetuates the laziness of humankind. These robots remind me of the robots of the movie “Wall-e”, used for entertainment or other very simple tasks.

Robot #3: iRobot Create

From the creators of the first cleaning robot, Roomba, comes Create, a programmable robot made specifically for educators and students. While it doesn’t seem as cool or practical as the above robots, it does something the other two can’t: Create allows for innovation from anyone. It’s relatively cheap ($219), it’s already commercialized (you can buy it online), and its built specifically for students or “aspiring roboticists.” How is this revolutionary? Well, it allows for future robotics to be created! It allows for a platform to create and use 3^rd party programs and attachments. Learning the basics of robotics can help the next generation create for the future. What are the cons of a pre-built platform? Besides taking away the supposed fun in building a mobile robot platform, which could arguably take away from some of the creative process and basic understanding of robotics, if its put in the wrong hands…

In the end, robots really are becoming more and more of our human condition. There of course will be many more applications for robots in the future that we can’t fathom, and no doubt our lives will become easier, in a sense. We’ll just have to see what the future holds and what is created in the coming years.