The incredible running robot
- Thread starter RAMA
- Start date
Pretty cool! They've made some pretty big strides in robotics over the last several years, it seems, in terms of having robots mimic human/animal methods of locomotion. Reminds me a bit of the BigDog robots.
Clever but not really amazing - can it run free, without the pole, without falling down? That would be a remarkable advance.
Yeah, I don't think it can.
I saw another robot a while back that "ran" without the benefit of a supporting boom, and I think it was faster. But it's "running" was more like bouncing on a couple of spring-loaded sticks. It had some gyros in it so it was self-balancing but it looked very unstable and I don't think it could stop easily.
One advantage this robot appears to have is its ability to quickly and stably change speeds. I hope they advance it to a point where it can move completely autonomously without external support. That would really be impressive.
I saw another robot a while back that "ran" without the benefit of a supporting boom, and I think it was faster. But it's "running" was more like bouncing on a couple of spring-loaded sticks. It had some gyros in it so it was self-balancing but it looked very unstable and I don't think it could stop easily.
One advantage this robot appears to have is its ability to quickly and stably change speeds. I hope they advance it to a point where it can move completely autonomously without external support. That would really be impressive.
It seems there is such a thing released each quarter that is better than its predecessor and can do more stuff.. the rate of improvement is astonishing and one should not confuse the look of a lab experiment piece that looks clunky with the polished look of a marketed consumer product.
I think there's a real possibility we will see "I Robot" style robots within our lifetime (it may still be 20-30 years or more but it'll come).
I think there's a real possibility we will see "I Robot" style robots within our lifetime (it may still be 20-30 years or more but it'll come).
CaptainJack
Lieutenant Commander
They keep getting better and better. And I do believe that we will see Terminator style robots in the next 20 years. They might not want to kill us, but they will be fully functional.
So when we have a machine that can pick up an egg and run in circles attached with a pole with it while wielding a sledgehammer we'll have...what?
An expensive toy with no practical use whatsoever.
That's all a humanoid robot will ever be. Machines, by their nature, tend to be specialized. There are millions of industrial robots right now and they do their jobs very well -- we're all familiar with the robots that weld and paint car bodies. But a machine that looks, walks (and runs) and talks like a human? What would it be good for?
It's pretty obvious that Sojourner's talking about more than just integration of an enumerated list. He's talking about a machine that adapts to the demands put on it. A machine that is capable of climbing stairs, navigating difficult terrain, and handling eggs not because it is programmed to do those precise things, but because it is programmed to learn how to do those things. And by extrapolation, anything else.
That's quite an extrapolation.
You'll get no argument from me on that point.
But I do disagree with the notion that there's no practical use for such things. I can imagine walkingchairs for the handicapped so they don't need ramps to climb curbs or stairs ... they could even jaywalk just like anyone else. Or telepresence avatars that could walk through crowds and allow virtual tourism. Can't afford a trip to Tokyo? Just rent an avatar for a few hours (and if you can spoof your IP address, you might even be able to use the avatar to rob a bank). How about infantry drones? The typical GI Joe of tomorrow is actually a couch potato directing his remotely-operated bipedal vehicle to actually engage the enemy.
But I do disagree with the notion that there's no practical use for such things. I can imagine walkingchairs for the handicapped so they don't need ramps to climb curbs or stairs ... they could even jaywalk just like anyone else. Or telepresence avatars that could walk through crowds and allow virtual tourism. Can't afford a trip to Tokyo? Just rent an avatar for a few hours (and if you can spoof your IP address, you might even be able to use the avatar to rob a bank). How about infantry drones? The typical GI Joe of tomorrow is actually a couch potato directing his remotely-operated bipedal vehicle to actually engage the enemy.
That's quite a failure of imagination if you can't see them as anything more than toys.
A useful device, yes. But specialized, and not the same thing as a humanoid robot.
Okay, give some examples of practical uses for a robot that looks and moves more or less like a human being. I’m listening.
One idea that’s been a staple of science fiction for decades, the notion of humanlike robots as domestic servants, is patently absurd. A robot maid pushing a vacuum cleaner? Why not make the vacuum cleaner itself a robot?
^Fire fighters. garbage men. servants. A robot that can empty the vacuum cleaning robot. One that can unload the groceries from the car and put them away, without breaking the eggs. Pretty much any time I don't want to have to purchase a new specialized device to get a job done. Any piece of manual labor.
Yes, sometimes specialized devices like a vacuumbot are more efficient for the job, but one device that can do many jobs? Yes, please.
It's pretty much the same argument as for smart phones. I would rather have a phone that can take pictures, read email, give directions, surf the net, calculator....
In fact, single tasking devices are a sign that the technology hasn't caught up enough for a multi-tasker to take it's place on a reasonable level.
It'll be much easier to design tools that both a robot and human can use efficiently than it will to roboticize everything. In fact, it helps keep us humans in the loop instead of finding one day that we'll need a robot around just to get anything done.
I walk with a cane due to a permanently injured foot. Damn right I'd like a robot servant with 2 (or more) good hands to help with things.
Yes, sometimes specialized devices like a vacuumbot are more efficient for the job, but one device that can do many jobs? Yes, please.
It's pretty much the same argument as for smart phones. I would rather have a phone that can take pictures, read email, give directions, surf the net, calculator....
In fact, single tasking devices are a sign that the technology hasn't caught up enough for a multi-tasker to take it's place on a reasonable level.
It'll be much easier to design tools that both a robot and human can use efficiently than it will to roboticize everything. In fact, it helps keep us humans in the loop instead of finding one day that we'll need a robot around just to get anything done.
I walk with a cane due to a permanently injured foot. Damn right I'd like a robot servant with 2 (or more) good hands to help with things.
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Scotpens, we live in a world that has been shaped for the humanoid form. Doorways, stairs, cupboards, counters, desks, appliances, etc. have been designed for the comfort of human beings. Any robot that has maximum utility to humans will necessarily have to be adapted to the human shape. Why have a Roomba and robotic lawnmower when you can get a human-shaped machine that can operate normal appliances that cost less?
One thing that a machine that looks, walks and talks like a human would be good for is loading the machines that weld car bodies together. You are talking of the final lines where the finished body moves down a line with robots on either side welding it. However, before you get that whole body put together you have to pick out hundreds of small, medium and large parts and load them to dozens of cells where they get welded up to form larger and larger subassemblies and only then do you form the complete body. Loading all those parts, transferring them from one cell to the next, its all done by humans - unionized humans, for the most part, or ones paid just as much as if they were unionized - so being able to replace all those people with a robot is quite attractive.
As to your first point, specialized machines, especially in industry, are bad. Every time you make a new product, or change your product in any meaningful way, you have to spend big bucks to modify your equipment. Flexibility is key, thats what everyone in industry wants - because it saves them money.
Well, I do see at least one practical use for humanoid robots.
