Evolution of robots in the past decade

Robotics, as the term suggests is the study of robots which has been taking sharp turns in the past years and the curious research in this field has led to some extraordinary conclusions. One substantial reason for such fast development in the field of robotics is the parallel development in the field of computers. If we compare with the past decades, today we are equipped with multiple times faster processors and huge storage. Ten years ago, the fastest computer has half a GB RAM and now an average student's computer has a 3 GB. Today's scientists are able to combine a series of GPUs to make super computers in just a few thousand dollars. Super computers and just a concept unimaginably gave birth to the first legged robots followed by some more refined humanoid robots, practically costing millions of dollars but the research was priceless. The research of today is what is going to define the future of robots, and humans too.

Robot

1. Greatest decade in robotics 2001-10 (Genesis and growth)

Greatest decade in robotics 2001-10

There is no doubt that the years of this decade (2001-10) have proved to be the greatest years in the study and development of robotics. The first series of humanoid robots to be recognized in the 90s were the Honda's ASIMO capable of locomotive abilities. But that's not it; we have various fully functional humanoid robots such as HUBO, Wabian-2R, REEM-B, Hoap 3 etc. The latest in this field is the recent introduction of the running humanoid robot developed by Toyota. New faster, more capable robots are being evolved from their ancestors with the development in their behavior modifications and equipment. The Sonar sensors have now been replaced by laser sensors with much more accuracy and precision. But the most unexpected development of this decade was the development of exoskeletons which is likely to aid both military and civilian applications.

2. Cultural evolution of robots

Cultural revolution of robots

Robots: Evolution of a cultural icon is an exhibition of paintings, sculptures and works from 20 great artists on robots, defined as the tin men with human similarities. The initial phase of the development of robots was more like developing a machine which will be someday capable of doing the physical toil of human beings. But now, robotics is being developed with focus on creating machines that resemble humans with arms and legs and locomotive abilities. The evolution of robots is directly proportional to the human culture and sentiments. The tin machines are someday going to be robot pets, robot maids and may be a robot best friend too.

3. Various trends in robotics

various trends in robotics

The development in robotics will always be parallel to the developments in computing, software applications, telecommunications and electronics. The trends in robotics have been changing because of considerable development in these fields. The fact that we can miniaturize processors capable of working at great speeds has given us mobile computing which has directly increased the "brain" of the robots. Growth in internet technology and web based applications has given these "intelligent machines" abilities like remote monitoring and user-friendliness. The development in electronics has greatly influenced the industrial robots. Next in line is the development of robots with out-doors navigation abilities, sensor less control and much more.

4. What is humanoid robotics?

What are humanoid robotics

Humanoid robots are those machines which can imitate human behavior and human abilities like bipedal movement, speech, gesture, vision etc. The abilities of a humanoid robot are designed precisely so that these smart machines could perform and imitate basic human tasks of sensing, controlling, planning and actuating. The conclusion being that the most skilled humanoid robot will be able to act, react, understand and reason just like a human being does. It's not the qualities that are being embedded in a robot but it is the character of a human being. The aim of humanoid robotics is to embed learning and adaptive capabilities in a machine. It will be curious to see how the smartest being on earth tries to create an equally smarter machine.

5. Robots taking over the world

Robots taking over the world

a) In removing mines and bombs

When we say robots taking over the world, we actually mean robots taking over the labor responsibilities of the world. The aim is not to replace politicians with robots, (we can only wish for that) but replacing manual labor with functional robots that will be capable of drilling mines and much more. Roomba is a well known cleaning robot for a start. The newest addition is the Bomb Squad Robots, machines that are designed to deal with the danger and save human lives. A robot with wheels and a claw like hand is not what it is but a machine that can follow the instructions of a technician who will control the robot far away from the impact area.

b) Best friend in space

TRACLabs Inc. under the shadow of NASA is developing the software needed to make the robots work far away from human land under human instructions. The aim is to develop machines that can perform a set of operations and give the summary back to their operators. Robots in space is a great challenge because it not only involves constant robot-human interaction but also co-op work.

c) Great industrial usage

The largest electronic producer in the world Foxconn has planned to replace 1 million human workers with 1 million robots. This is definitely a landmark in robotics where the robots are being designed to take the human labor toil. A controlled development is what is required; we don't want the unemployment to rise any further.

6. Future of Robots

Future of robots

The future of robots lies in the research and decision making of today. Further development in robotics requires accurate object recognition ability, controlled locomotion, advanced learning and adaptive abilities, etc. Robots can be of great use to the human race lifting ultra heavy objects and risk their life for saving us. Military robotics is something to be be worried about. When robots enter the advanced stage of development, it will be just like acquiring and developing nuclear weapons which all the countries will do for their self-defense. We don't need another arms race. In the future, robotics can be a great gift of science if developed with controlled outcome.