In a World Controlled by Smart Devices, Are Robots Our Future?
It’s a little scary and a lot exciting that “living, breathing” humanoid robots may live and breathe among us sooner than we think.. The once-imaginary machines depicted as impossibly futuristic in every sci-fi movie ever, have actually arrived in 21st century life. Although they can’t quite blend in with humans just yet, they are dominating human lives in many ways, and the technological advances in robotics are coming almost too fast to keep up with. Not only are they helping us to learn and be more productive, robots are also taking over human tasks like fighting fires, exploring space, and performing surgery. So how did we get from the world of I, Robot to real life robotic personal assistants?
The species we know as “robots” was officially born with the mechanical developments that accompanied the Industrial Revolution, but their evolution started over 4000 years ago. The ancient Greeks dreamed of having artificial servants and companions, and Leonardo da Vinci himself drew up designs for a mechanical knight that could sit up and move its limbs and jaw to spare human lives in battle. The word “robot” appeared for the first time in the 1920s, and Isaac Asimov coined the term “robotics” in the 1940s, and research on artificial intelligence (AI) began about a decade later. Robots and other humanoid creatures also became a mainstay in pop culture and pulpy sci-fi stories around that time. The first and most famous was the namesake of Mary Shelley’s 1818 Frankenstein, but it certainly didn’t stop there. Since the mid-20th century, robots have persisted in futuristic storytelling with even mildly fretful or annoying creatures such as C3PO or the B-9 from Lost in Space (“Danger Will Robinson!”) which have developed quite the following of their own.
Today, thanks to better and more efficient power, new materials, cheaper parts, 3D printing, and advancements in algorithms that enable robots to “learn” more, building robots has never been easier, even for the n00b-est of novices. Now robots of all forms are infiltrating our everyday lives through self-driving vehicles and automated home networks, and even helping us cut down on doctor visits by reminding us to take our medications. Chances are, those shoes you got from that major online retailer were retrieved, boxed, shipped, and possibly even delivered by one of “them” — i.e a robot.
Around every corner is a robotic device helping us with tasks we didn’t even know we needed help with. uArm Swift, for example, is a tabletop robot arm that can draw, paint, perform laser engraving — or even just hand you a soda or stir your coffee when raising your own arm is just too exhausting. You can program it as soon as you turn it on to mimic the motions you want it to make with your own arm. Read: no advanced coding degree required. If you want to go a step further, you can hire (buy) a personal assistant robot, like Moorebot. This AI co-worker can not only greet customers, take inventory and answer questions in a shop but also organize your calendar, create videos, and send you reminders.
While robots are making our work lives more efficient, they are also maximizing our time at home. In the age of Alexa and Google OK, it seems like there’s a robot or smart device on every countertop. Knocki, a wireless (and kind of mind-blowing) disc, turns any household surface into a smart switch that can turn lights and appliances on and off, adjust your thermostat, set alarms, and control your stereo system — all with a series of taps and gestures.
Similarly, Switch Bots will turn devices in your home and office on and off so you never have to rush home to turn the dryer off or the dishwasher on. Basically, you can live in your house without ever really living there. But what good is a smart home if it’s vulnerable to unsavory characters and illicit activities? Fear not, there is a robot for that too! Robelf can talk, tell stories, take voice commands, teach lessons, make phone calls, and most importantly, patrol the exterior of your house to make sure no one unwelcome can enter.
As they are keeping the outside of our homes safe, robots are keeping everyone inside them happy too. No matter where they are, pull your parents up to the dinner table, and thanks to Ohmni, it’ll feel like they never left. They can even help you become a better version of yourself, especially if that means becoming a whiz at table tennis. Trainerbot for example, attaches to a table and will serve you with any kind of tennis table shot, at any angle, to any spot on the table again and again to help you perfect your returns.
And if you ever decide to leave your safe, peaceful, and supportive home, you’ll have a robot companion to take with you as you travel. COWAROBOT R1 is a hands-free, autonomous smart suitcase that navigates through busy airports, train stations, and city streets so you don’t even have to lug it along. The sturdy bag can avoid obstacles and climb slopes up to 15 degrees. It also can “catch up” to you like a wayward toddler if you get more than a few steps ahead.
Let us not forget that what drew us to robots in the first place wasn’t just their functionality, but how cool, fun, and educational they can be. They are transforming how kids learn inside and outside of the classroom. The wild-haired, tongue-wagging — and wi-fi-enabled — robot known as Professor Einstein sits on a table and uses speech recognition to chat with you about math, science, history, and more. He’s engaging, able to make about 50 different gestures (including the tongue-wagging), and can download apps from the cloud to help with your topic of choice. He can even manage your calendar, link to your tablet, and play interactive educational games.
Kids in particular are using robots to learn more and learn better — like how to build and understand robots themselves. Tinkerbots lets budding young inventors, ages six and up, learn about robotics and related technologies by using the product’s components to conceive, create, and assemble a wide variety of toys — and it’s all about as simple as snapping together Lego blocks.
The mechanically inclined will also love Marty the Robot, another wi-fi-enabled educational toy that kids can build (and build, and build upon), and program to walk, turn, dance, or kick a ball; or Ziro, a snap-together robotics kit that lets enthusiasts create their own robots, vehicles, and toys from pre-made plastic and cardboard collections, then control them with hand gestures using the Ziro smart glove and a smartphone app.
More and more researchers are feverishly developing AI-based robots, with the holy grail being humanoid creations (the “living, breathing” kind) that could be all but indistinguishable from actual humans in their ability to function, learn, and evolve. But these innovations don’t need to look like a person to qualify as a robot, and many products that more closely resemble Wall-E than Optimus Prime are performing both simple and complex tasks that make our busy lives more manageable, reliable, and fun. With new technological advancements debuting all the time, we can expect to see countless other examples on Indiegogo of how robots will influence virtually every corner of our culture and society. Stay tuned!
