Humanoids, Stand Up! Featured Pattern: P0935 June 2016
Abstracts in this Pattern:
Boston Dynamics, part of Alphabet's (Mountain View, California) Google X division, recently released a video that highlights the capabilities of the new version of its Atlas humanoid robot. The video shows the 180-pound, 5-foot-9-inch-tall robot walking over uneven snow-covered terrain, walking through doors, and using its two arms to lift boxes off the floor and place them on shelves. The video also shows how the Atlas can stand up after an operator knocks it over. The Atlas provides a strong example of how quickly humanoid robots are advancing.
Because humanoid robots mimic human anatomy, developers can adapt them to function in and interact with existing human environments rather than adapt existing human environments to suit the robots. The Joint Robotics Laboratory (Tsukuba, Japan)—a partnership between the National Center for Scientific Research (Paris, France) and the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (Tokyo, Japan)—recently partnered with aerospace company Airbus Group (Leiden, Netherlands) to collaborate on a four-year research project. The goal of the project is to develop robotics technologies that will enable humanoid robots to perform strenuous and dangerous tasks in aircraft manufacturing so human workers can focus on high-skill tasks. Industrial robots such as those in use in auto manufacturing have not become common in aircraft manufacturing for several reasons—for example, they lack the mobility necessary to use stairs and ladders, navigate around obstacles on the ground, and work in confined spaces. The research will focus on developing technologies that will enable humanoid robots to interact with challenging work environments much as human workers do.
SRI International (Menlo Park, California) and Yamaha Motor Company (Iwata, Japan) are collaborating to develop Motobot—an autonomous motorcycle-riding humanoid robot. Motobot will ride an unmodified motorcycle in the same way humans do. The goal of the project is "to aid development of future motorcycles, improve motorcycle safety, and push the limits of what is possible in design and performance."
The Development of this Pattern
Data Points
- SC-2016-05-04-090
Boston Dynamics, part of Alphabet's Google X division, recently released a video that highlights the capabilities of the new version of its Atlas humanoid robot. - SC-2016-05-04-028
The Joint Robotics Laboratory recently partnered with aerospace company Airbus Group to develop robotics technologies that will enable humanoid robots to perform strenuous and dangerous tasks in aircraft manufacturing. - SC-2016-05-04-019
SRI International and Yamaha Motor Company are collaborating to develop Motobot—an autonomous motorcycle-riding humanoid robot.
Implications
Humanoids, Stand Up!
Humanoid robots are advancing and becoming increasingly capable of mimicking human movements.
Previous Alerts
- SoC116 — Emotions, Faces, and Robots (June 2005)
If robots are to succeed in the consumer marketplace, developers will have to move past the notion that humanoid features provide no real benefit. - P0084 — Robotics Becomes Humane (July 2010)
New research and application areas potentially establish somewhat humane robots, which could accelerate adoption of such technologies. - SoC483 — Beyond the Uncanny Valley (January 2011)
Human interactions with androids—humanlike robots—are still speculative. Whether robotic applications will be able to overcome the uncanny valley successfully or whether they remain novelties will have an impact on their commercial-development path in a wide range of application areas. - SoC607 — Robotics: Up Close and Personal (September 2012)
This Signal of Change highlights recent developments indicating that interactions between robots and humans will not only proliferate but also become more intimate and personal. - P0575 — Robots with Personality (December 2013)
Workers can form strong relationships with robot colleagues. - P0660 — Technology and Personification (July 2014)
While technologies' capability to mimic human traits advances, ethical and commercial questions arise. - SoC786 — Social Robots (March 2015)
Robot developers are pairing novel electromechanical designs with advances in artificial intelligence, data analysis and sharing, and environmental-sensing systems to create a new generation of robots that engage with people in human-dominated environments. - P0814 — Anthropomorphizing Social Robots (August 2015)
Designers of social robots should be wary of people''s anthropomorphizing their creations.