Humanoid robots: photo and technology

Over the past decades, industrial cybernetic devices have practically displaced people from dangerous, monotonous and heavy industries. In the near future, the expansion of service androids is projected. Humanoid robots will relieve the average person of routine domestic affairs, will take care of the elderly, educating children with developmental features.

First prototypes

In 1639, more than two-hundred-year isolation of Japan from the rest of the world began. Trade in the port of Nagasaki was allowed to a few merchants from Holland and China, which allowed the unique Japanese culture to develop its own way without any external influence. It was for this period that the dawn of the dolls "Karakuri" came.

In fact, these are the first humanoid robots with a clock mechanism, although some exotic models were driven by steam, water or sand. Dolls entertained the people during the mass festivities, enjoyed immense popularity in wealthy homes.

It was considered indecent to be interested in the internal arrangement of the "Karakuri", and the appearance was paid no less attention than the drive mechanism.

Technology and Psychology

Japanese humanoid robots set a common vector of development for developers of cybernetic devices around the world. The main difficulty in creating anthropomorphic systems is the need for multidisciplinary research. Not only engineers and programmers, mathematicians and physicists, but also psychologists, sociologists, historians, should act in an agreed and harmonious regime.

Man is unthinkable without feelings. So for the complex model, in addition to "hardware" and software, the third component of the anthropomorphic system - emotions is very important. Studies in this area are engaged in special sciences, closely related to the humanities - social robotics and robopsychology.

Humanoid robots, in addition to the ability to imitate the simplest mechanical movements, must have artificial intelligence, the functions of self-learning and adaptation.

What can an android?

Humanoid robots master new specialties and skills, interact interactively with a person. The most impressive achievements are in the following professions:

• Secretary. Android meets visitors, talks about the services or products of the company.
• Waiter. The robot accepts the order (verbally or via a touch screen), transfers information to the kitchen, delivers meals and calculates the customer (and does not require a tip!). Robokafe is very popular in South Korea.
• Guide. Guide. Details about the exhibition, exhibits.
• Teacher. The teacher. It is very useful for children studying remotely, under the individual program.
• Cosmonaut. At least, there are two acting copies: the Japanese KIROBO and the American ROBONAUT 2. And if the first is intended only for communication with crew members (photographing, messaging), the latter is capable of autonomously performing complex technical tasks in open space.

Anthropomorphic warrior

Favorite creature of science fiction becomes reality. Military specialty robots have long and successfully mastered in the United States. However, it is still an issue of automated combat systems that have proved themselves well during operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Such devices successfully cope with reconnaissance and engineering tasks.

Combat humanoid robots because of extremely high cost exist in single copies as exhibition samples. For example, a manned android METHOD1, demonstrated by Korean developers. Shogohod can move his hands and move, imitating the movements of the operator. A huge humanoid robot has a height of 4 meters and a weight of 1.5 tons.

More modest size is the Russian android, but it has much more functionality: shooting from the gun, controlling the ATV, providing medical assistance. The robot is a version of the earlier model SAR-401 (NGO "Android Technologies"), adapted for military tasks, created for the needs of Roskosmos corporation.

Japanese traditions

Ishiguru Hiroshi, a professor at the University of Japan's Osaka City and the Institute of Advanced Technology in Kyoto, received worldwide recognition in 2006, presenting his exact cybernetic copy, the HI-1 dzhemineoid (Geminoid HI-1), to the public. A huge number of sensors and servomotors allows the anthropomorph to simulate not only gestures, but also facial expressions of the prototype. The subsequent models (HI-2; F; HI-4; Q1) were even more realistic. In fact, the most humanoid robots are the puppets operated by the operator via the wireless interface.

According to the professor, external similarity is much easier to achieve than teaching the android to think like a person and make decisions independently. Created by Ishiguru Hiroshi, robotic football players only schematically remind a person, but they find the ball and, after evaluating the position of the gate, send it exactly to the target. "Iron" team Ishiguru - five-time world champions in robot football.

Charming humanoid from the Middle Kingdom

This beautiful creature is called Jia Jia. Loose black hair streams through the traditional Chinese dress. She with a smile will support a simple dialogue, knows how to navigate in space and even flirts with men. Has its fans around the world, who dubbed her "robot goddess."

Jia Jia - the first Chinese android, created by the engineers of the University of Science and Technology (Hefei, PRC). The development of the model and special operational support took about three years, and it is still far from perfect. Project Manager Chen Xiaoping is confident that the followers of the "goddess" have a great future. Robots with advanced artificial intelligence are eagerly waiting in medical institutions, nursing homes, restaurants for simple work.

European humanoid robots

In the Old World, humanoid systems are created and improved within the framework of the ROBOSKIN project. The most famous CASPAR and iCub models are small in size. The first was developed at the University of Hertfordshire (UK) and is designed to communicate and teach children in a playful form. The response of CASPAR to touch, due to artificial skin with sensitive sensors, can be different and depends on the strength of the tactile contact. With a light tickling, the robot expresses satisfaction, with a strong jolt, complaining of pain.

The body of the robot iCub (Italian Institute of Technology, Genoa) has 53 degrees of freedom, and the android is endowed with machine touch. Outwardly resembles a child 4 - 5 years. Can creep, manipulate objects, navigate the terrain.

The state order of the USA

The humanoid PETMAN (author of the project R.Pleter, Boston Dinamics) does not express any emotions at all for the simple reason that he has no head. It was created by order of the government for testing and testing the quality of protective suits. The robot has the parameters of the average man: with an increase of 1.75 m, his weight is 80 kg. PETMAN reacts to physical activity. Walking and running lead to increased respiration, increased body temperature and even sweating.

The robot is able to perform simple exercises: to squeeze from the floor, squat, creep, etc. As a propulsor is still used a hydraulic drive and a system of cable-ropes. The developers promise that in the near future they will create an anthropoid robot with autonomous power supply.

In 2014, two new ATLAS and CHEETAH models were introduced, with greater functionality and mobility, but still tied to an external power source.

Is the revolution coming?

Professor Masha Vardi (computational engineering, Rice University, Houston, USA) argues that there are no limits to automation and machines will eventually become much smarter and more perfect than humans. Every year more and more popular, if not to say love, human robots are used all over the world. Photos and videos on the Web are gaining millions of views, and meanwhile the upcoming expansion of robots can significantly increase the proportion of the unemployed. In the risk group, occupations and positions that can be converted into binary code: communication operators and checkpoints, cashiers, etc.

And the top 5 best humanoid robots confirm this:

1. GEMINOID-F - Girl-robot (Japan). An anthropomorphic specimen of Professor Ishiguro. He is able to talk, smile, express a mimic a whole palette of emotions and even sing. He played several roles in the theater.
2. ASIMO - android (Honda, Japan). In the arsenal - running, overcoming staircases, playing football. Has a complex system of machine vision and a distributed sensor network. Is able to open the bottle and pour the contents over the glasses.
3. Ro-Boy is a humanoid (Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, Switzerland), all details of which are created by 3D printing.
4. FACE (Italy) is the most emotional of European robots. 32 drives make the muscles of the body and face very mobile.
5. ALICE (Neurobotics, Russia) is the most realistic android of Russia. 8 drive mechanisms, is controlled from the gamepad.