Robot Technology development started in the 1950s and today is a mature technology. Robots have already taken over human roles in the manufacturing industry. The manufacturing defects, accidents, and worker injuries are reduced to the minimum using the robotic technology.
Robots are also used in the healthcare industry. A robot acts as the surgeons to perform micro cuts and operations beyond the capability of the humans. The traditional robots were designed for the static environment. Nowadays, the focus has shifted towards the mobile robots. Robots have the access to environments that are considered inaccessible to the humans. The new robots can perform a wide array of tasks.
In-home robots to help with everything from washing to cleaning, childcare to companionship have been the stuff of sci-fi for many years. Home assistants can talk to you, control your electronic systems, and of course help out with the chores. Some of the famous In-home robots that can be knocking on your door any minute:
- Asus Zenbo: The robot offers help around the house. The cost of the Asus Zenbo is $599 which is same as the price of a Smartphone. The designed is very simple and it is nothing but a smarthome assistant. Zenbo can drive itself all around your place, it has a number of cameras which guides and avoids hitting objects. It also has a touchscreen face which allows it to emote, while speakers and microphone allow it to voice commands and have a chat. It will control the gizmos in your home, keep an eye on older people and alert the doctors in case of an accident. Asus Zenbo can also dance and sing a song for entertainment purpose.
- Softbank Pepper: Everyone must have heard about C-3PO. Pepper is basically like a C-3PO. A human look on the wheels with a camera and sensor-filled head. It also has a touchscreen on the chest and independent articulate arms are a top feature of the Pepper. It costs around $1800 with a very much human-like structure. Pepper is capable of holding conversations, reading emotions and entertaining you. The only disadvantage is that it is restricted to Japan only. It is very helpful for daily chores and it is also placed in the stores of Japan. Softbank is calling this robot as a shopping assistant from the future.
- Roomba robots: When it comes to autonomous robotic vacuum cleaners, Roomba robots are the best. All the magic is of the intelligent sensors that guide the robot around your house. All the models are disc-shaped. The cleaning mechanism is distributed in three levels, each more efficient than the previous. The robot makes 60 decisions every second. The Roomba is powered by a removable NiMH battery, which is charged from an adapter. They are fast, efficient, stronger, and performance oriented vacuum cleaners. They can be accessed through a mobile application. If you are interested in robot vacuum cleaner, here is a good article about roomba comparison models, I hope it will be useful for you.
- Jibo: The “world’s first social robot”, Jibo is a small, tabletop bot costing $750. It is 30cm tall and is fixed to a single spot. The head and body rotate independently, which is nice. It can talk and emote using the screen, and it has camera and microphones for entertainment purposes, taking family portraits, and keep older people on track via remainders and emergency alerts. It can act as a companion to the bachelors.
What would your ideal robot be like?
One that makes the bed, tell stories, can make a perfect cocktail or just a companion? There are some mentioned above and research is in progress. A robot is one that is capable of providing useful assistance in a socially accepted manner. The first and most important task of a robot is to assist the humans. Robot companions are developed to assist the older people, disabled people, and the children. Robots can work in the house, care homes, and hospitals.
Nowadays, there are robots that can cook. Yes, that is correct. This chef robot was developed by the Moley Robotics in the year 2015. It is believed that the robot can cook up to 2000 delicious and different meals. A robotic seal named Paro developed to comfort the old peoples.
Paro provides emotional support to comfort the old people. Sometimes, people get attached to the robots that are not meant for companionship. We can now develop more intelligent robots using the artificial intelligence technology.
The traditional robots were pre-programmed and they will reply only to such queries. But nowadays, the robots are more and more independent and they can make their own decisions. Robots learn using AI technology and then respond to the queries in the same fashion. The decisions made are quite simple.
Movement and navigation techniques are implemented fine. Complexity will increase as the time goes by. It is said that robots are capable of understanding and recognize people’s speech and expressions.
How can you forget Robotic Cars?
The robotic cars that can drive through deserts to electronic eyes that perform the duty of lifeguards in swimming pools and fitness robots that help people eliminate fat cells. The Robots are programmed to perform specific repetitive functions. A robot is developed to tutor the children in the schools.
Asking students to sing and teaching them the proper techniques is one of the tasks of the robot. The vacuum cleaner robots are the most emerging robots in the personal or daily life of a person. The robots help the old people in many ways assisting them, improving their quality of life, and reducing their health problems. A human-like robot is just an idea which is very far. It is more like a science fiction dream. Robot technology will increase the quality of lives, whether it is for our loved ones or making the business more efficient. Education and awareness are the powerful possibilities. A robot can speak in very loud voice and can be very interactive with the students. And robots can be used in the entertainment industry as well.
Conclusion: Predicting the future, particularly where technology is involved, is a difficult task, but some clear trends emerged during this long discussion. Under the trending topic, the use of exoskeletons to provide mobility and strength was a good idea.
You can wear a robot and they are called as Exoskeletons. These are not based on the traditional robot, but they have all the necessary parts (sensors, actuators and the ability to be programmed to automate a task) to be considered one. Future exoskeletons will make their own decisions, able to anticipate situations and will respond more intelligently. This is based on the artificial intelligence which is the most trending topic of the 21st Century.