Back in the 1980’s, Honda began a robotics project to create a humanoid robot capable of helping people in their homes. There had been attempts to do so before that, but Honda’s project, now known as ASIMO, has become synonymous with our new technological age. It took the engineers twenty years to get from the basic prototype, which could barely keep itself upright, to the helpful little robot we see today which can walk up stairs and run across rooms. Even during my own, short lifetime, I’m amazed at how far robots are coming along. Extrapolate that progress over many centuries and the possibilities are endless. Or are they?

Traditional robotics is very limited with current technologies due to size and power requirements and the recent development of nano technology means we may be able to extend the advancement of robotics a little further but what after we have perfected that route? The only obvious way to go (looking from an early 21st century viewpoint) is to ditch metal, wires and servos for cells, ligaments and neurones. It’s possible that someday in the distant future, we could create beings, entirely new life-forms in our own image, or create wonderfully weird and strange animals and insects, built from artificial cells. It is conceivable that in the future, scientists would be able to sketch down an idea for an animal or some other creature and have it built for them from scratch. We could populate entire worlds (exoplanets) with life designed and created entirely by humans to study.

We are currently witnessing the birth of this new science. Thanks to the Human Genome Project, humankind now has the power to read human DNA, and even manipulate it. A group of scientists in the U.S have recently announced the creation of the first artificially controlled cell, that is, a cell who’s DNA has been artificially created. This cell itself is natural, as we don’t have the technology to construct cells from scratch yet, but it can be programmed to do whatever we want it to do. By “coding” the DNA, in a similar way that a programmer would write computer software, in a specific manner and inserting the DNA into the cell we can make it become whatever we want and have it behave however we choose. Eventually, this technology would allow us to build new limbs, even new designs of limbs to suit particular environments. We could build more sensitive ears or eyes, giving us super-human abilities. This is all science fiction at the moment though.

We use robotics technology to over-come our biological deficiencies. While it’s true our robotics technology has allowed us to build a multitude of cybernetic improvements such as robotic arms, hands etc, we only use robotics because we are not sophisticated enough to do it biologically yet. In a way, robotics is merely a temporary technological branch which will eventually disappear, or transcend into something else. This process might be accelerated by the fact that once our robots are sufficiently intelligent and creative enough (a quality generally overlooked by roboticists) to design and build themselves, robots might reach the same technological bottlenecks we will eventually reach and use biology to over-come their own deficiencies in exactly the same way we use robotics to over-come ours.

And so it would seem that intelligent life creates intelligent life. It’s like a continuous cycle. Maybe its written in our DNA that we will continue the cycle and create a new race of intelligent beings. Once we have created intelligent life and left our planet and made our way into the galaxies, will our creations also go on to create intelligent life, and then will that creation also do the same and then so on for eternity? What is humankind’s place in this cycle? How certain are we that we are the start of the cycle? Our future biological robots will be able to look back at Hondas ASIMO the same way we look at our cave-dwelling ancestors. I wonder, if we are also robots, would the beings that created us even recognise us anymore? Would we recognise our own future creations?

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Role of robotic nurses

Though the name suggests otherwise, robotic nurses are not meant to be a substitute for professional nurses, but are simply meant to add to the number of caregivers available. This technology is developed keeping in mind the care required by elderly people and those suffering from mobility issues on a daily basis.

With the improvement in healthcare and medical services, the average life span of individuals is increasing, and this demographic shift calls for an improvement and expansion of the present care giving force struggling to meet the demands of society. There has to be a solution that suits all- proper care provided to those who need it without the extra burden on healthcare. With the rising cost of healthcare, the thought of having robotic nurses in homes and hospitals is both an exciting and a comforting proposition.

The expected duties that robotic nurses are being trained to perform include:

- Live in the homes of elderly people and help with chores like opening the refrigerator or other appliances, and fetching small objects for them
- Reminding patients to take their medicines, visit the doctor, or even take their meals on time
- Reducing need for contact with doctors by connecting them with professional caregivers via the internet
- Provide much needed social interaction

Technology involved

Research is underway in many places all over the world to make advances in robotics technology. Many of these projects are at the testing stage to maximize and optimize the functions performed by robotic nurses. These robots are equipped with a PC and Wi-Fi system that help it to connect and communicate with others, camera and stereo systems, speech recognition software, and sensors to help it move around the house.

Future of robotic nurses

Scientists predict a surge of robotic nurses by the year 2010. A few robots were already introduced to be tested to see how they are better in helping patients with mobility issues.

For example, the robot El-E, developed by the Center for Healthcare Robotics in the Health Systems Institute at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, is designed to aid people with everyday tasks such as fetching small objects around the house. Pearl Nursebot developed in collaboration by four schools in the United States- University of Michigan, Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon and Stanford is undergoing field testing at the Longwood Retirement Community in Oakmont, Pa. RIBA, developed by researchers at Japan’s Institute of Physical and Chemical Research it is designed to help nurses lift and carry patients weighing up to 61 Kgs.

Shawn Riley
HealthTechnica.com
http://www.healthtechnica.com

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The Asimo Robot developed by Honda.

Interestingly, the name “Asimo”, is very similar to the name “Asimov”. Asimov, being the last name of the Russia born science fiction writer, Issac Asimov. He was well known for his science fiction writings. The robots in his writings always obey the three laws that he has come up with (Taken from Wikipedia):

Three Laws of Robotics are a set of three rules written by Isaac Asimov, which almost all positronic robots appearing in his fiction must obey. Introduced in his 1942 short story “Runaround”, although foreshadowed in a few earlier stories, the Laws state the following:

1) A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

2) A robot must obey any orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.

3) A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

The Asimo has come a long way, overcoming various obstacles such as walking up a staircase while maintaining its balance. Showcases of its abilities has awed many robotic fanatics, but at the same time has caused many people to be uncomfortable with the rapid development of robotics.

Workers are afraid of being replaced by robots and automations. People are worried that one day, with advanced artificial intelligence, robots might overrun the world, as depicted in the “Terminator” series.

Lack of knowledge breeds doubt. Doubt in turn gives birth to fear. Scientists and engineers are facing moral issues while trying to push robotic technology to the next envelope.

As such engineers and scientists have to tackle the emotional aspect of people before they can assimilate such technology into daily lives.

Mr. Zeng Han Jun is currently with the Building and Construction Authority of Singapore. His previous experience includes engineering role in the Land Transport Authority of Singapore and business management role in Chan & Partners Consulting Group. He is an avid reader on the subjects of technology, Chinese classics and history. He is also a prolific writer on several topics. His blog can be found at http://www.techkonsult.wordpress.com.

This article is currently being protected by Singapore and International Copyright Laws. However please feel free to republish this article, provided that you attribute this article to its original author. We appreciate your kind gesture. For any inquiries, please email us at prema@technologist.com.

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Realistically, of course, building a robot is not an easy task. It takes a great bit of planning and ingenuity. And while no one should expect to end up bringing to life their own personal Terminator or Transformer, one may at least be able to put together a functioning electronic wonder that wouldn’t look too shabby standing next to the likes of an R2D2.

To figure out how to build a robot, it is important that one knows what its purpose will be. It could be something as simple as a mouse-like miniature mecha on wheels or as elaborate as a rip-roaring competition-worthy battle-bot. It also helps to keep abreast on the trends of both amateur and professional robotics projects from all over the world. One would surely glean valuable information as well as anticipate the difficulties they would encounter as they begin construction of their robot.

Knowing what the robot’s function will be makes it easier to come up with a design suitable for the planned objective and to determine what components will be needed to enable it to perform its designated task effectively. One should also take their finances into consideration. If one opts to assemble a simple small robot, it is possible to make do with cheaper materials. But larger more sophisticated machines would certainly require higher-grade and much more expensive materials, so one must be well-funded if one opts for something more complex.

Once done with the robot’s body, it’s time to work on its power system. One should take into account the type of batteries to be used and come up with an efficient method for recharging. The next step is to pick the drive system appropriate for the robot’s given task. If one decides to use micro controllers, the most effective options to go with are either Basic Stamp or AVR chips. If one chooses a computerized drive system, one should be aware of the programs and components applicable to the robot’s function.

The last step is installing the sensors, which are basically the robot’s eyes and ears. Once the robot is complete, all that is left is to test it. See if the chassis holds up, if the power and drive systems keep it running efficiently and if the sensors keep it from stumbling blindly. Should anything go wrong, it would be wise to consult an expert robot builder for help. If all goes well, one may pat themselves with a mechanical hand on the back for having learned how to build a robot.

Robots have long fired-up our imagination because, out of all other sci-fi concepts, it is the one that is the most attainable in reality. At the moment, we have learned how to build a robot that may be much simpler than the colossal automatons that have graced the movie screens. But as technology develops and our knowledge of it broadens, we may yet learn how to bring to life our dream machines exactly as we dream them.

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Another one of the experiments tested telepathic communication between two individuals by way of implants. In the 70s, researchers felt that robotic arms would be a vital asset to the workplace. Little did they know, humans would consider fusing themselves with this technology to become super-human cyborgs!

Starting in 1975, robotic arms have been used for industrial purposes. In some cases, they do the work more quickly, more accurately and more efficiently than human workers ever could. Yet in other instances, they simply perform work that is too monotonous, dangerous or undesirable for men and women.

In the US auto industry, for example, there is one robotic arm for every ten workers. Industrial robots lift heavy objects, handle chemicals, and paint and assemble parts. Rather than replace jobs, the robotic system is intended to free up more creative, fulfilling work for people instead. After all, the Czech word “robota” translates to “drudgery work.”

Using a modified robotic arm, Dr. Alon Wolf and Dr. Howie Choset have developed a machine that can perform minimally-invasive surgery with great accuracy. The invention is called the “CardioARM” and has been designed for abdominal surgery, heart bypass surgery and mouth surgery, but can also be used to perform a laparoscopy, colonoscopy, and arthroscopy.

The CardioARM is operated by a joystick and can navigate through the body to the problem areas. The flexible tele-operated probe is programmed to remember pathways and it can take tools into regions that surgeons would otherwise have to slice into. “Tools in operation rooms are not flexible. The CardioARM is flexible enough for remote and hard to reach anatomies,” explains Dr. Wolf. “The heart is a good example… now we don’t have to cut the person open.”

Robotic arm technology has rapidly improved over the span of just thirty years. But what is the end goal of robotics technology? Is it to build robots that can work as our slaves? Is it to find minimally-invasive, infallible methods of performing surgery? Is it to treat injuries? Is it to teach? Or is it to become super-humans? There are a number of ways to approach this science, making it impossible to tell just what the future of robotic development holds.

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The Junior FIRST LEGO league is for 6-9 year olds. The FIRST LEGO league targets younger children ages 9-14, while the FIRST Robotics Competition helps high school age students. The FIRST Tech Challenge provides more affordable robotics technology to high school students. More than 137,000 kids participated in last year’s program, spanning across 42 countries from Germany and the UK to Turkey and Israel.

FIRST Robotics founder Dean Kamen is an inventor, physicist, engineer and entrepreneur. He is perhaps best known for inventing the Segway Human Transporter, an environmentally friendly short distance travel solution. He’s also developed the HomeChoice portable dialysis machine (Baxter Healthcare) and the Independence IBOT 4000 mobile robot system (Johnson & Johnson).

He’s currently working on a water purification system that promises to provide clean drinking water to 1.1 billion people around the world. For his efforts, he’s received the Heinz Award in Technology, the National Medal of Technology presented by President Clinton (2000) and the Lemelson-MIT Prize (2002), among others.

For 2009, the FIRST Robotics Competition will be called “Lunacy” to celebrate the 40th anniversary of our moon landing and will be held in Atlanta April 16-18. This year’s autonomous robots will be restricted by size and weight (no more than 5 ft tall, no wider than 38 inches, no deeper than 28 inches and no heavier than 150 lbs) and must be able to pick up orbit balls (2-point moon rocks, empty cells and 15-point super cells) and transfer them into a trailer hitched to their opponent’s robot in just two minutes and fifteen seconds.

While 80-90% of the teams participating this year will be returning from previous years, there are 300 rookie teams joining as well. Of course, even given the charitable contributions, each team will likely need to come up with $9,000 – $10,000 to cover meals, transportation, lodging, food, robot parts and lab fees.

The Baby Boomers grew up fascinated by the Space Race and the emergence of heroic astronauts as role models. Today’s youth are more into computers. Even so, television shows like “Mythbusters,” “Build It Bigger” and battling robot competitions are trying to intrigue young people to look to physics, engineering and technology.

However, hands-on learning with robot design events like FIRST Robotics may be what really helps seal the deal. Andy Bell, a product manager at National Instruments, explained, “Working with colleges and universities enabled us to help educators shift from lecture-based learning to hands-on learning. Through our partnership with Lego, we saw an opportunity to do the same with an even younger audience… and do so in a very engaging and entertaining way.”

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You can use Wi-Fi to manipulate Spykee from your P.C.

Spykee is a sophisticated, build-it-yourself robot that acts as your own rolling, talking spy. However, more than just being a sneaky surveillance robot, there is much more to this little amazing Wi-Fi friendly robot. It is your own remote control spy!

Spykee is many things in one. It is a webcam, VOIP phone, a digital music player for an MP3 as well as a fully functional, able to climb the stairs RC robot. Do you know that it is even able to scrub your back while you are in the bathtub? So , you got me! It can’t do that but would anyone really care when they’re sitting at a computer listening and watching to your housemates by way of Spyke’s built-in camera and microphone?

To increase its incredible surveillance skills, this little robot has motion sensors that are able to detect intruders and surroundings; if anything moves, Spykee immediately activates an alarm on your computer or else it will send you a picture of the supposed scene by email. Isn’t this impressive? It’s just like something you would see on Mission Impossible. When the battery is beginning to run low, Spyke will even automatically scuttle back to its recharging station.

The biggest surprise is that this mind-boggling triumph of technology is produced by Meccano. Talk about one enormous leap for gadget-kind! The main thing that has not varied is the satisfying feeling you experience when your all-knowing, all-seeing, do-it-all droid is assembled. Versatility is still #1 because you are able to make three different robots out of all 210 Meccano parts in the box.

Hurry up and get your robot in-a-box now! Here are a few things you should know about Spykee:

o Spy robot. Spykee is able to be controlled within your home network using only a WiFi connection. All you have to do is to install some software on you Mac or PC and you will be able to remotely sent commands to it. The sound and video from Spykee’s webcam will be transmitted to your computer.

o Telepresence. Now that you know that it has a WiFi connection, you know that it will easily connect to the Internet. This is able to open up many new possibilities for the robot; you will now be able to remotely control your robot from any place in this world by way of the Internet.

o Digital music player. This robot has a 2W loudspeaker. All you have to do is send MP3 music to Spykee and you will be able to enjoy your music.

o VOIP phone. You are now able to use this robot together with MSN, Skype, or GoogleTalk to chat with your friends! Due to the fact that Spykee is mobile, you are able to speak with your friend from any room in your house.

There are so many more things that Spykee is able to do but you should really experience them for yourself. Get your little Spykee Spy Robot [http://spykeespyrobot.blogspot.com/] today and take a step up in the world of technology.

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This is the current breakdown of possible replacements.

* Instead of a Rescue Worker try Enryu! This giant robot moves around in all-terrain, including snow, with a hand that looks like the jaws of life. It has far more tools and strength to aid in rescue than man.

* Instead of your girlfriend try Repilee Q1. Looks like a woman, talks like a woman, moves like a woman, and has long hair. Good enough.

* Instead of your best friend try Robocco Asahi. This little R2-D2-esque bot is all about the beer. It stores chilled beer until the red button is pushed. This activates the process of opening a beer can and pouring it into a mug better than your favorite bartender, less foam and no spillage.

* Instead of your cat try Yume Neko Smile. This little guy rsponds to human touch, as well as human abuse. Petting it will make him pur. Rubbing the belly gives it an even deeper pur. You can grab it by the back of the neck and its little body goes limp. Beware of the tail though. If you pull it the cat lets out a banshee hiss and makes a nasty face. When just sitting around, the eyes blink automatically and its little bitty mouth makes a suckling motion just to make it ‘cute’ in general.

* Instead of your shrink try Domo. Domo’s schtick is that it has eyes that closely replicate human’s. Domo has voice recognition and responds to touch. When you speak, Domo looks at you as if it was listening. without the human hassle of talking back. Domo is your go-to guy for smiling and nodding.

Do not think that you yourself are exluded! Within your home, even you can be eliminated. Instead of you try the Honda Asimo. Asimo looks and moves like a real man in a big space suit. This sturdy guy can go forward, backward, up stairs, down stairs, and even run at 4 mph. Asimo aslo can recognize gestures, moving objects, environment, sounds, and faces. He takes direction from people. The point is to help in the home so he has been built to the specifications of doorknobs, electrical outlets, etc. to better perform household duties.

Combine all Asimo’s features with a new home-grown innovation in robotics and we have the potential of some I-Robot type robots. At USC they have a robot that exists in a computer with some startling advances in robotech. This humanoid robot looks human-ish with different muscular features accentuated making him look like a bad samurai caricature. Its eyes are cameras. This robot has the ability to learn face movement of people and over time watches what it finds ‘interesting’. That sounds like some qualitative thought processes going on. This can be defined as ‘will’, although not quite ‘free will’.

This is the scorecard of bio-life versus man-made robot capabilities at the current time. However, keep your head up for future technologies. Although we would all like help, we are still all on the fence on how far we want those ‘helping’ capabilities to go. Fret not though because by the time human capabilities are performed by robots, we will have already lost control and become part of Earth’s own history, alongside the dinosaurs.

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There are many example of robotics use today, in toys and industry. Their function determines their appearance. For example, a robot that was designed for wielding car parts would not need arms and legs. We can classify robots into two categories – industrial and domestic.

Where are robots used? Another one of those robotics discussion questions.

Industrial robots

There are many robots in industry today doing jobs too repetitive or too dangerous for a human to do. These include continuous welding for steel pipes, welding car components in an assembly line, bomb disposal, and clearing of toxic waste to name a few.

Domestic robots

Many people want a robot that is bipedal, can walk and talk, as well as look human. We are rapidly advancing on this with the bipedal robots from Honda, Sony, and other Japanese companies with R&D in electronics. We aren’t quite at that stage yet, but here are a few robot toys that are showing us that with a bit more development, we can build our ‘dream robot’

Furby

Who can forget the fluffball of fun? When first released in 1998, it revolutionised toys with its ability to interact with its ‘owners’ with speech and automated movement.

Aibo

Aibo is the robotic pet dog created by Sony Corp. While most people see Aibo as an interactive toy, it is in essence a robot, as it is controlled by a computer chip. Aibo is also used for research into artificial intelligence as it is cheaper than conventional research robots.

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I haven’t seen a robot drive a car down the highway. If there was such a robot, I would want one. Then I could sit in the back of my conversion van and watch television or a VCR tape like Sahara starring Humphrey Bogart.

No robot cleans my house beeping me to raise my feet. No robot cooks me lunch. No robot brings me my graham crackers and milk. My wife still does all of that.

Shoveling snow should be a snap for a robot. My local hardware store is fresh out.

At Christmas time we usually see a robot at Radio Shack. It can move a round but not do much useful. I haven’t been able to buy a robot to polish my car. (Actually, I never polish my car either. I think the dirt forms a protective layer.)

I went to the Robot Store to see what was available http://www.robotstore.com/catalog/list.asp?cid=61.

There I found that I could buy a robotic bug for about fifty bucks.

I considered the CYBUG Scarab Artificial Lifeform Kit #3-466. If I bought two bugs I could add the CYBUG Predator/Prey Instinct Add-on Kit #3-501 for about thirty-three bucks. My total would be $132.85. Now I would have hunter and hunted action.

I decided to take a look at the butterflies. I could get a Monarch, a Swallowtail, or a Ulysses for thirty bucks.

Then the queen ant caught my eye. You can buy a set of solar wings for her. The total would be about seventy bucks.

The inch-worm robot (which everybody loves) cost one hundred eighty bucks. Pretty pricey for something you’re going to squish if you step on it.

Honda has a humanoid robot. See this handsome critter at http://world.honda.com/ASIMO/. There is a lot of stuff on this site but it was slow. I didn’t see much of what was offered.

I learned at http://world.honda.com/news/2006/c060126ASIMO/ that “ASIMO made a guest appearance at this year’s Digital Lifestyle Day (DLD06) in Munich, Germany, on January 23 – 24. DLD06 is one of Europe’s most influential technology forums and is organized by Hubert Burda Media.”

ASIMO gets around.

You can learn ASIMO’s capabilities at [http://asimo.honda.com/docs/News/newsarticle_0048.asp]. He can hold your hand and walk along your side. He now has a basket to put stuff in. You can watch him climb stairs and do other things at [http://asimo.honda.com/inside_asimo_movies.asp].

I’ve decided to make an appointment with ASIMO so I could chat with him (or it or her). I sent an email to him at Honda.com. I got an immediate answer that said,
”Hi! I’m not in right now. It’s time for my hot bath and polish. Please contact me later.” It was signed, “Your faithful robot, ASIMO.”

Well, people are serving ASIMO and not the opposite. I’ll check back in a year or two.

The End

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