The future of robotic technology is as interesting as robots are bound to be boring; eventually. Sounds contradictory? Think again.

Today, the latest robotic technology is well covered in the news to the point of overdoing it. A huge buzz is generated every time someone comes up with a robot that, say, can fetch you a drink, shake your hand, be your pet, or what have you. And what’s so exciting about robots, in fact or in fiction?

The Media Buzz Over Robotic Technology Developments

Well, first of all, they’re unfamiliar enough for most people that robot fiction can get away with just about everything, no matter how absurd. And that brings us to the other thing: robotic technology is still very young. Like a young toddler receives attention for everything it does the first time: speaking, walking, running, trying to trip the person who taught it to walk, and so on, so it is with the latest robotic technology. So, with every new development and emerging possibility, robots are becoming more and more a part of everyday life, till one day robots become as commonplace as the household telephone. Come to think of it, maybe your friendly household telephone ITSELF would be a robot. After all, the world of robotic technology as we know it today is undergoing not just a vertical evolution but a lateral one as well. Not only are robots being invented and reinvented to perform various daily tasks, there are several devices that are fast approaching a level where it would not be wrong to call them robots.

Harking Back to the Past: The Acceptance of Technological Evolution

Coming back to the topic, take any technology that has emerged within the past 100 years and changed the way we live as an analogous reference point. At the turn of the 20^th Century, air travel was still only slightly better than hot air balloons (the first Zeppelin took off in 1900) and the television still about half a century away. Although long distance communication through the telegraph was pretty much ubiquitous, what used to pass for tech press in the day were very excited about something called radio communication. Cut to today, none of these technologies even merits major coverage: flying once inspired epics and innumerable flights of fancy (forgive the pun) but even round-the-world flights are no longer press fodder, and while nobody could even imagine seeing images on a screen being broadcast from thousands of miles away, the television is such an essential part of the household that it is more a source background noise now. And that, ladies and gentlemen reading this robotics blog, is how the robotic technology of the future ought to look like: unremarkable, barely notice-worthy and boring.

Robotic Technology in Popular Culture Its Real-World Perceptions

Granted, robots have captured imaginations quite differently, in the sense that the notion of man creating a being in his image has long being an element of fantastical literature (Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein for one), along with the potentially disastrous consequences. Robotic technology, in both fact and fiction, has been a culmination of this long-standing fascination. As such, most laypersons have a concept of robots as androids or humanoids capable of making decisions. No wonder then, that humanoid robots becoming a part of society (Bicentennial Man, AI) is a common tech-related motif in popular culture. And that is second only to the long-enduring paranoid notion of robotic technology becoming intelligent enough to take autonomous decisions in contradiction of standing orders, turning against its creators and even trying to eliminate humanity (Terminator franchise and I, Robot being examples). For lack of a better term, we could call this fear an extension of what Asimov called ‘the Frankenstein complex’.

What Lies Ahead

As robots become more and more commonplace, the common man would come to see how robots aren’t just walking man-like contraptions but that the term can be applied device that can be programmed to go about mechanical tasks in a way that gives it reasonable decision freedom within a specific frame. Already, homes are welcoming robotic vacuum cleaners, pets and the like.

A car’s cruise control, or aircraft’s auto pilot system can equally well be regarded as products of robotic technology if they’re capable of not only maintaining speed (and altitude in planes) but also capable of taking contingency decisions. Already, inroads are being made in that direction. The military is funding research in robotic technology towards invention of armed robotic vehicles, both aerial and ground-based, which could act and engage (or not) based on situational awareness independently, with the scope for remote human intervention.

All that, however, would not serve to make the presence of robotic technology in our daily lives felt as profoundly as robotic gadgets specifically designed for the home. The true revolution in the world of robotics would be for robots to become mundane everyday devices that we’d be as familiar with as we are with. Till that time comes, its going to be a fun ride. The future in boring. The future is interesting. We’ll leave you with that thought, but stay tuned because we’ll be back soon enough with more on the marvels of robotic technology.

In any discussion of the latest robotic technology, whenever there’s a mention of the origins of robotics, everybody thinks of Isaac Asimov. Fair enough, the science-fiction writer coined the term, and we are pretty certain without him, the things we know today as robots would be known by far less exciting (and definitely lengthier) names. However, it is quite ironic that the man who is actually the father of robotic technology is hardly known except within the closed community of robotic technology developers and the geeks who follow them closely. Outside of these, even the people who have heard of George Devol, who passed away on the 18^th of August this year aged 99, associate him more with the auto industry rather than as the man who revolutionized the world of robotics as we know it today.

The Early Years: A Prelude to Robotic Technology

Devol was born in 1912 in Louisville, Kentucky, to an affluent family. A boyhood fascination with all things electrical and mechanical, as well as exposure to fantastic comic books and science-fiction stories planted the seeds of the inspiration that drove Devol. And so, in retrospect, it is hardly surprising that George Devol built the real-life digitally programmed robotic arm that has since been used on car assembly lines and in similar industrial roles.

That, however, was no bolt out of the blue. At Riordan Prep, he got some practical experience on top of his classroom lessons by helping construct some buildings and running the school’s electric light plant. He was never an exceptional student, but he would devour any reading material he could get related to mechanics, and was especially interested in the applications of vacuum tubes as control devices. Devol decided to forgo a college education in favor of gaining more know-how working at various electronics companies before founding United Cinephone in 1932. His initial business interest was to produce variable area recording directly onto film for the new sound motion pictures (“talkies”), an emerging form of entertainment after the silent film era.  Faced with stiff competition from companies already established in this line of work, like RCA and Western Electric, he decided to explore other possibilities. At this point, he felt the boyhood fascination with reemerging “what else can we do with all these photocells and vacuum tubes?”

Innovations and Inventions Galore

Devol decided that United Cinephone needed inventions in order to sell its photoelectric switches. He invented his first significant contraption while still in his 20s: the automatically opening door that was billed by the advertisers of the day as ‘the Phantom Doorman’, and which is so commonplace nowadays. The New York World’s Fair of 1939 had another of his early inventions in attendance. Actually it was his invention that was helping gauge the attendance to the event. The device was a photoelectric entrance counter, which automatically counted visitors and replaced the turnstile.

In the 40s decade, Devol invented a rather rudimentary version of what we’d go on to know as the microwave owen. This coin-operated contraption was named the ‘Speedy Weeny’ and it cooked and dispensed hot dogs, initially in New York’s Grand Central Station.

The Word’s First Robotic Technology Manufacturing Company

He invented the robotic arm, initially named ‘programmed article-handling device’ in 1954. It wasn’t until he met eventual life-long friend and business partner Joseph Engelberger two years later that things begun to take shape. Over discussions of Isaac Asimov and his fictional robotic technology, Devol revlealed to his new friend that he’d invented a robotic arm two years ago. Himself an engineer, Engelberger quickly warmed to the idea as Devol elaborated on the concept.

United Cinephone had long been sold off, and after Engelberger had rechristened this invention ‘Unimate’, he set up ‘Unimation’ with Devol, based in Danbury, Connecticut. This was, by all indications, the world’s first company for development and manufacture of robotic technology.

In his later years, Devol ran a robotic technology consulting company in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He continued to explore new technologies to ‘improve’ robotic behavior before retiring to Connecticut. He was inducted in the US National Inventors Hall of Fame in early 2011 .

The man who has been hailed as the ‘Father of Robotic Technology’ on more than one occasion, and who preferred to describe himself as the ‘perpetual Don Quixote’ had one lifelong regret. He’d forever lament the fact that Japanese industrialists not only appreciated his robotic arm quicker than the American stalwarts but also cashed in on it in a big way. Nevertheless, George Devol never let that get him down, and spent the better part of his 99 years transforming ideas into concrete robotic technology products. His robotic arm is still used across industries, working on the same principles, but updated to keep in sync with the latest robotic technology.

Journals concerning the latest robotic technology and science fiction books alike have speculated about the feasibility and ethics of weaponizing military robots. As of now, futuristic forms of autonomous robots are still just that: futuristic. However, the truth is that weaponized military robots—missile-launching unmanned combat aircrafts, machinegun-toting remote-controlled combat ground vehicles, and mine-planting unmanned maritime underwater vehicles—are already a reality.

Latest Robotic Technology: The Possible Roles of Military Robots

In the current scenario, the actual deployment of force—launching a missile, firing at a target, deploying a mine—is done by human operators remotely controlling unmanned vehicle systems, whether terrestrial, aerial or naval. But as robotic technology advances and makes truly autonomous robots possible, will we or won’t we allow military robots the ability to acquire targets and take suitable offensive or defensive decisions on their own? Although artificial intelligence systems are still in a relatively nascent stage to make that a possibility in the near future, there are also some ethical and legal areas of concern that we must address in order to ascertain the practical and moral viability of developing  armed military robots for use in  warfare in an autonomous role. There are possibilities that include unintentional weapon discharge, incorrect target bias, and the possibility of the opposition compromising weapon systems controls.

Why Greater Autonomy for Military Robots is Important (and Why We Need to be Careful)

Pentagon representatives and researchers working on military projects have often asserted that using armed robots while maintaining a remote human controller works on one level: it limits loss of human life. However, it fails to reach another objective that military robots should achieve; that of cost cutting. Not only do you deploy a costly piece of hardware, but by having a human operate it, you must spend on paying this operator too. Several theories of operation, some on the lines of Rules of Engagement (RoE) that apply to human soldiers, have been suggested that could allow autonomous armed military robots to operate on the battlefield with other manned and unmanned systems. One of these concepts is to develop autonomous armed military robots that they can automatically identify, target, and neutralize or destroy the weapons used by adversaries, but not the people using the weapons.

This runs the risk of leading to a situation where a robot not targeting human opposition leading to damage to self or other military robots and/ or loss of life on the side of humans. In this way, it would appear that the laws of robotics is unbroken, as the robot eliminated human threats to self and human soldiers on the same side as the military robots mentioned. The twisted part, however, is that in order to avoid harming self or other humans through inaction, the military robots must deliberately break the first law to begin with, that robots would not harm human beings. Researchers in this regard propose a fall-back option that faced with such a situation, the robot may be taken over by human operators, thus changing it from intelligent robot status to a mere unmanned fighting vehicle, albeit temporarily. Another proposal is to arm military robots with lethal weaponry for destroying structures and opposing unmanned military robots, while also equipping them with non-lethal incapacitating weapons for use on human targets.

The machines could be designed with various quickly programmable levels of autonomy so that they can switch among operational modes in accordance with the situation at hand.

Exploring New Possibilities: Artificial Intelligence ‘Ethical Codes’ for Military Robots

Researchers have been looking at ways to imbue robots with a sense of “ethics” and even an artificial “conscience” so that they adhere to international conventions of warfare. That also opens the possibility of military robots being the perfect enforcers and observers of whether these conventions are being followed by human soldiers.

Only time and further advances in the latest robotic technology would tell what course these possibilities would take. For now, even in the most elementary of forms, military robots are heavily in use.

In yet another useful application of the latest robotic technology to industrial safety, scientists have developed prototypes of industrial robots designed to climb the inside of pipes for cleaning purposes. Industrial pipe systems are inaccessible and narrow. The pipes can be vertical and have junctions. Just as challenging, leakage points in the water system must be located, the condition of oil and gas pipelines must be checked and ventilation systems need to be cleaned.

For most of the part, industrial robots built on current robotic technology are not that clever. They cannot climb or navigate in vertical pipes – and very few have active joints.

Cybernetics and optical measurement scientists at SINTEF have been working on a solution, and the answer seems to be close with the progressing development of their special line of industrial robots.

Industrial Robots that Navigate by light and image

With experience and knowledge acquired with snake robots Anna Konda and AiKo as a starting point, a team is now developing an intelligent pipe inspection robot on wheels that will be able to climb, navigate intersections and at any given time know its location in the pipe system.

These industrial robots will be able to move in pipes of various diameters, right down to 20 cm. Cybernetics scientists are developing the propulsion system while a team of optics scientists is working on the new robot’s visual system.

“We are currently developing the vision system that will enable the robot to navigate,” says Jens Thielemann at SINTEF ICT. “In the meantime, we are using the lego robot Mindstormer to collect the data to train the vision system. This lego robot has a camera attached and moves around the pipe following a pre-programmed map. The next step will be to utilise the vision system as input to control the actual snake robot we are going to develop.”

The camera that will provide the new robot’s vision is an off the shelf time-of-flight camera that provides a bathymetric chart of the pipe system using inflected light.

“Combined with our algorithms, the robot will be able to navigate and move forward on its own,” says Thielemann. “The robot knows when a left or right turn is approaching and also contains a built-in path description detailing what tasks it should carry out in different situations.

Industrial Robots: Functioning as a Train

“Given our previous work on snake robots, we have become good at controlling mechanisms that are linked,” says a scientist.

“We now want to develop a model of industrial robots with 10-11 joint modules, each with an identical pair of wheels cast in plastic. The weight must be well distributed between the joints. For example, can we put the camera and accelerator motor in two different joint modules? These industrial robots will function as a train when operating horizontally. Such industrial robots already exist, but we want to develop a robot that can climb too.”

The scientists have designed several versions of these pipe inspection industrial robots and have tested different solutions in order to make the new robot both mobile and compact. They have now come up with a design they have faith in.

Twisting upwards

When one of these industrial robots enters a vertical pipe, it lifts its head in the pipe and meets the pipe wall. It can then either move sideways with its abdomen against the pipe and twist itself upwards or it can topple backwards, attach itself to the pipe wall, in the same way as we would put our feet against a shaft wall to hold on, and then roll upwards.

The scientists emphasise that the project for these new industrial robots is at the design stage. In June, two of the 11 joint modules will be tested to verify the concept and they hope to demonstrate a prototype model by the end of the year. This comprises just phase one of an industrial development, but the enthusiastic scientists are confident of succeeding in the foreseeable future. The final version of this line of industrial robots will be constructed of aluminum and is planned to be 1.5 m long.

That would be all for now. Keep reading this blog for regular updates on industrial robots, as well as general robot world news about the latest robotic technology.

ReconRobotics, Inc, a leading manufacturer of military utility micro-robot kits, announced today that it has been awarded a $4.8 million contract from the U.S. Army Rapid Equipping Force for 315 Recon Scout XT micro-robot kits and an equal number of SearchStickTM devices. The SearchStick enables warfighters to convert any Recon Scout Throwbot into a pole camera, which warfighters can use to see over compound walls, onto rooftops and into culverts. ReconRobotics plans to complete deliveries of these micro-robot systems by October 31, 2011.

Robot World News: Micro-Robot Systems for Better Combat Performance

The U.S. Army has ordered another 315 Recon Scout XT kits for dismounted fire teams. These 1-lb personal robots protect soldiers by providing immediate situational awareness and greater standoff distance during close quarter combat.

“The era of the personal robot has arrived for U.S. troops and, like the ballistic vest and night vision goggles, our Recon Scout XTs will save many lives,” said Ernest Langdon, Director of Military Programs for ReconRobotics. “We are extremely proud that the U.S. military has chosen ReconRobotics to help protect our warfighters as they conduct dismounted operations in theatre.”

Recon Scout XT micro-robot systems are deployed at the fire-team level – i.e., one micro-robot for each four- to six-man fire team – to maximize situational awareness and engagement distance during route- and compound-clearing operations. More than 2,000 of the company’s Recon Scout systems have been deployed by the U.S. military and international friendly forces, and by hundreds of law enforcement agencies, worldwide. Warfighters use the Recon Scout system to determine the layout of the enclosed spaces, identify potential IEDs and the fix the location of friendly, indigenous or enemy personnel.

The company’s Recon Scout XT weighs just 1.2lbs (540g), and yet it can be deployed in five seconds and thrown up to 120 feet (36m). Highly regarded for its simplicity and durability, the XT can be controlled with a single button and can be recharged in the field using standard 5590 or 2590 batteries.

ReconRobotics, Inc: Micro-Robot Systems for Military Use

ReconRobotics is the world leader in tactical, micro-robot systems. The company’s Recon Scout Throwbot micro-robot system saves lives by providing immediate situational awareness and greater standoff distance to warfighters and law enforcement personnel. These capabilities protect personnel from hidden threats, enhance mission planning and execution, and minimize collateral damage. The company was formed in 2006 to commercialize robotics technology developed at the University of Minnesota Distributed Robotics Laboratory under funding from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). ReconRobotics is based in Edina, Minnesota, USA and markets its military robot products including the mentioned micro-robot systems through a distribution network in 33 countries.

If the way latest robotic technology can be misunderstood, under-appreciated and negatively perceived needed a showcase, the movie “I, Robot” would be the perfect candidate. It relies on slapdash pseudo-science and a general sense of paranoia that artificial (non-carbon based) intelligent life forms and robotic technology in general seem to invoke in human minds. But it goes no deeper than a mere comic book treatment of the important subjects that it broaches regarding robotic technology and human psychological responses to it. I, Robot is just another – and relatively inferior – entry is a long line of far better movies, such as “Blade Runner” and “Artificial Intelligence”.

The Roots of Robotic Technology Paranoia

It was Sigmund Freud who once said, long before robotic technology had really made a splash, that we have an eerie reaction to the inanimate. This is probably because at some sub-conscious level, we acknowledge that – pretensions and layers of philosophizing aside – we are little else but repetitive machines, no doubt equipped with an awareness of the self and an ability to reflect, but machines all the same.

Popular culture motifs and paraphernalia provide an ample study of this paranoia. Take Hollywood for instance: villains have changed over the years from Nazis, to communists, and even aliens. A common theme running through most of these, a connecting thread, if you will, is the machine and its ability to wreak havoc. In some instances, the machine is a more direct threat in the shape of hostile robotic technology (Terminator series, I, Robot) while in others, it is a human (or alien) villain who has control over destructive machinery; the ultimate fear is that of machines.

The Laws that Govern Futuristic Robotic Technology

This paranoia was exactly the reason for the late Sci-Fi writer, robotic technology innovator and scientist Isaac Asimov to postulate the Three Laws of Robotics that govern behavior of intelligent robotic technology systems. These are:

• A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
• A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
• A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws.

There’s no doubting that Asimov was a genius and a visionary: some of his short stories are an uncanny prediction of the way our modern lives have become so gadget dependent. However, the lack of consistency among these laws, and hence their mutual incompatibility when considered together has been noted by many.

To begin with, the laws do not originate from any coherent worldview or milieu. To be correctly implemented and to avoid their misinterpretation in a potentially hazardous way, the robotic technology devices that are programmed in accordance with these laws must additionally be outfitted with reasonably all-inclusive models of the physical universe and of human society.

Without such contexts, these robotic technology laws soon lead to intractable paradoxes. What is, for example, a robot to do when one human threatens another’s life and, saving the threatened life is impossible without killing the threat? Whether the robot chooses to act or to remain inactive, it is in violation of the first law. Also, all the three laws, if implemented perfectly, would preclude effective military use of robots, which is being touted as a major future application for robotic technology.

These and more of the flaws in these laws, as well as a discussion of the future of robotics shall be touched upon in the series of posts on futuristic robotic technology on this robotics blog.

Microsoft Robotics Developer Studio (Microsoft RDS, MRDS) is a Windows-based environment for robot control and simulation. It is aimed at academic, hobbyist, and commercial developers and handles a wide variety of robot hardware.

It is our pleasure to introduce the “social robot”, developed at the University of Southern California, representing the latest robotic technology and a cynosure of robot world news.

The New Invasion : Robotic Technology

Unpalatable as it may be to many, a great invasion is imminent in near future: robotic technology is all set to invade our homes and lives in a big way.

From being your housekeeper to babysitting and nannying your kids, to being the nurse for the elderly, robotic technology experts are certain that the era of robots turning from museum and laboratory experiments to  ubiquitous  household objects is visiting us real soon, just as the home computer invasion happened to us a while back. In fact, experts say that given the endless applications of robotic technology to essentially replicate menial human effort, robots could end up having a much larger impact on our lives, becoming as commonplace as a kitchen food processor or a dishwasher. In fact, it would more be a case of evolution of existing devices, so its just as likely that your food processors and dishwashers of the future would be products of robotic technology.

From performing household chores, to entertaining and educating our children, to looking after the elderly, robotic technology experts say we will soon be welcoming their creations into our homes and workplaces.

Researchers believe we are on the cusp of a robotic technology revolution that will mirror the explosive growth of the computer revolution from the 1980s onwards.

They are developing new laws for robot behaviour, and designing new ways for humans and robots to interact.

“I think robotic technology will change who we are, just as eyeglasses and fire changed who we were before,” says Rodney Brookes, robotics entrepreneur and former director of the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, the hub of robotic technology R&D in MIT.

Human Robots: Robotic Technology Meets Science Fiction

Commercially available robots are already beginning to perform everyday tasks like vacuuming our floors.

The latest prototypes from Japan are able to help the elderly to get out of bed or get up after a fall. They can also remind them when to take medication, or even help wash their hair.

“Current robotic technology is not focused on human like robots. For example they are things like automated beds and wheelchairs,” says celebrated roboticist Prof Hiroshi Ishiguro, director of the Intelligent Robotics Laboratory at Osaka University, Japan. He believes the time is coming when robots start looking less like machines, and more like us.

“Everything is becoming automatic, and that means everything is a robot. People want to have a better interface.”

“Elderly people don’t like using a computer interface, but they can talk with a robot,” says Prof Ishiguro.

“In the near future we are going to use more human-like robots, I really think so.”

Prof Maja Mataric at the University of Southern California, one of the leading proponents of social caring robots, agrees. “I’m very excited about the fact that today in robotics we have machines that are sophisticated enough to be put together with people in a daily life setting,” she says.

“A major point to keep in mind is that people will need human-machine interaction in the future.”

Human robots are a big answer to the problem of: “who will take care of everyone?” While people have always been the best equipped for the job and would continue to be so, there just aren’t enough people to meet the sheer numbers required. That’s where robotic technology steps in. We’ll be back soon with more robot world news and information on robotic technology, keep watching this space.

One of the most enduring themes in science fiction is the use of military robots for conventional warfare. However, it isn’t entirely fiction any more. Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have been working closely with the US Military in trying to understand their needs and expectations that robotic devices would be required to fulfill; and on a broader perspective, how would the latest robotic technology and military robots figure in the future war doctrine of defense forces across the world. The same researchers report that the senior leadership in the military foresees—and desires—that about 30% of the overall strength of the Army be comprised of military robot forces within the decade. Of course, the visions that this information inspires are not quite what the top brass have in mind: you can blame Hollywood for your leaps of imagination.

Military Robots: Scope and  Application

The scope for military use of robots ranges from self-driving vehicles to the more conventional conception of a robot. The Pentagon, however, is more comfortable with the term ‘autonomous systems’ rather than robots.

That may sound like the machines in question would have an ability to make decisions within a given purview—as has been the case with human soldiers and commanders over centuries—but the truth is far from it in the current scenario. Military robots, for now, are being only seen as a means to eliminate physical hazards as far as possible; maybe even put hitherto undoable tasks within reach. Hence, although military robots are expected to replace humans in terms of numbers, or reduce the number of human soldiers if you look at it another way, they’re simply another tool or weapon that would ultimately be manned by humans remotely. This way, the standard military chain of command remains intact, with human decision making capabilities still being the essence of strategy. Thus, a fighter jet or surveillance plane can be remotely piloted or a tank be remotely crewed. Thus, humans are always in control, but with no danger whatsoever to human lives from enemy fire or other possible mishaps. Part of this has already been implemented, with the US military using unmanned aerial vehicles being used in the eye-in-the-sky role as well as weaponized platforms; they call them ‘drones’.

Developing Military Robots that Act Intelligently

This would still not be the same as totally control, as is the case in current-day fighter planes and battle tanks. Humans would only be making strategic decisions and relaying them to the autonomous system via the appropriate apparatus. The researchers are aiming to build a robotics platform that can act intelligently, carrying out a task once ordered to while keeping the human operator involved, and with enough control to effect a ‘graceful intervention’ if required. Requiring a development thought process from the ground up, such an approach would ensure that military robots, while not a patch on their Hollywood counterparts, would be more than mere remote-controlled toys.