Originally posted October 1, 2010
iDream…
October 1, 2010
Okay, in the spirit of awesomeness (which seems to be the theme this week here at ScienceGeist), let’s talk about robots, Rosie!
Image credit: Hanna-Barbera
Robotic technology has long been of interest to us mere mortals. Whether it’s driven by a military goal of replacing humans in battle, the surgical goal of replacing lost limbs with intelligent prosthetics (see a SjD previous article) or the more philosophical goal of creating machines in our likeness, scientists, artists, four-star generals and four-year olds alike have all dreamed of creating autonomous, artificial “life”.
As with many of our coolest technologies, robotics have their roots in science-fiction. I’d like to believe (for better or worse) that if you can dream of it, with enough time and money, you can achieve it! As a point in case, the term “robot” is credited to Czech playwright, Karel Capek, in 1921 and “robotics” to Sci-Fi god, Isaac Asimov, in 1941 (not to mention writer William Gibson’s 1984 Neuromancer series coining the term “cyberspace” and being oft credited with the kernel of the internet itself).
Many advancements in robotics have been made during the last century (think automobile assembly lines and mass food packaging), but some of the “more futuristic” and awe inspiring developments have come about in the last decade.
I will point to a few that have caught my eye and captivated my imagination. This is our first post with embedded video, so hopefully it won’t slow down the site too much. If the videos do not load properly, please forgive us and follow the associated YouTube links.
In 1998, when I was first granted the right to VOTE, FlexPicker was launched. This “delta robot” (or parallel robot) originally found its home in the the food industry, but nowadays, works in many consumer goods production and electronics handling.
or click here to watch
More recently, the Adept Quattro s650HS has been heralded the “world’s fastest robot”. See it battle the Wii here.
Fast forward to 2004… the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) was authorized by the U.S. Congress to grant a $1 million prize for winning a long-distance autonomous driving competition. This resulted in the unsuccessful DARPA Grand Challenge 2004 and subsequently successful 2005 event. I was fortunate to be a brand-new grad student at Caltech and went to Primm, Nevada to witness the 2005 event firsthand. This was a TRIP: a completely driverless race through the desert terrain, fueled by nerdy passion! Two Caltech-affiliated teams participated: Alice, from Team Caltech and Golem2 from UCLA/Caltech. Alice didn’t fare so well, but Golem2 made it 22 miles before a software bug sent it racing headlong into the wild at 60 mph. Standford’s vehicle (appropriately named Stanely) ultimately won the challenge, but it was great to be there nonetheless. DARPA has continued to fund the field of robotics with their 2007 Urban Challenge and their 2010 Autonomous Robotic Manipulation (ARM) program. Man, I wish I’d taken video…
That very same year, Boston Dynamics developed BigDog, a “rough-terrain robot that walks, runs, climbs and carries heavy loads”.
Moments of interest at 33sec, 53sec and 2.56min
Or click here to watch
If you’re more of the romantic type, check out BigDog taking a stroll on the beach: You can watch it here!
And if BigDog didn’t strike your fancy, try this instead: PETMAN, also from Boston Dynamics, a biped robot prototype with dynamic balance capabilities.
Moment of interest: 24 sec
Watch him walk here!
In February, 2010, Boston Dynamics was awarded a $32 million DARPA grant to develop the next generation of BigDog, “capable of carrying 400 pounds, travel at least 20 miles and automatically follow a human leader”.
And finally, for those of you with a more refined palate, Toyota Motor Company finally caught up to Honda and Sony when they unveiled the musical side of robotics in 2007.
These robots RULE! But their existence does raise some important questions:
-Do we want the Defense Agency controlling this technology?
-In our currently unstable economy, do we want these “bots” displacing human workers?
-Or can this field create new jobs and foster the drive for “higher education”?
-Will any robot ever truly create a masterpiece even close to the greatness of Bach or Beethoven?
-What types of policy will address these issues?
I don’t think there is any one good answer to these questions and I think that the debate will rage on for the foreseeable future. I will say that despite my reluctance to endorse any technology that directly puts a man out of work these days, I do support the idea of replacing young men and women in combat with autonomous machinery if it saves lives and brings my cousin, Ned, home sooner!
Furthermore, I fully support the ensuing epic battles between puppies and robots…
Hopefully the robots won’t kill me in my sleep tonight and I’ll live to post another day…
Cheers
~gk