In the science fiction fantasies of many people, robots are viewed as machines resembling humans. The reality of robots is very different: Robots are machines which can perform complex tasks automatically. With automation in manufacturing and other industries, robots are taking over repetitious jobs once done by humans. While robots can replicate human actions, most do not resemble humans. The Robot Revolution, a special exhibit at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) in Portland, Oregon, displayed several humanoid robots.
With regard to etymology, robot is a relatively recent addition to English, entering the language in 1923 from the English translation of a play by Czech writer Karel Capek (1890-1938). Robot is from the Czech robotnik meaning “forced worker.” It is related to the Old Czech rabu meaning “slave” which is from the Old Slavic *orbu- which is from the Proto-Indo-European *orbh- meaning “pass from one status to another.” While robot was popularized in Karel Capek’s play, the word was actually coined by his brother Josef Capek with whom he often collaborated.
Shown above is Murata Boy, a robot from Kyoto, Japan.
Shown above is Murata Girl.
Emotions
One of the ways humans communicate among themselves is through their ability to make and understand emotions through facial expressions. Some robots are attempting to mimic this. According to the display:
“You have dozens of muscles in your face that you use to express a few basic emotions and communicate other, more subtle messages. Researchers have analyzed the way humans express their emotions and are using these cues to program robots that simulate humanlike emotions.”
Hands
One of the things that makes humans different from other apes is the hand. Humans, unlike other apes, have an opposable thumb which gives them a precision grip. In their book The Dawn of Human Culture, Richard Klein with Blake Edgar write:
“The human hand promotes a precision grip that is well suited for opening a jar, writing with a pencil, or flaking stone.”
With regard to fingers, Chip Walter, in his book Thumbs, Toes, and Tears and Other Traits that Make Us Human, reports:
“The fingers of our hands actually have no muscles. They operate by remote control, like marionettes. A web of tendons, anchored in the palm, midforearm, and as far north as the shoulder are the strings that make your digits dance.”
This gripper, modeled after the human hand, has nine motors, 20 joints, and elastic finger tips. This was developed for robots that work with people.
Shown above is a robotic version of the human arm. While the human arm has 7 degrees of freedom, this robotic arm has only 6.
Charli
Charli (Cognitive Humanoid Autonomous Robot with Learning Intelligence) was developed by the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech.
