The human body is incredibly complex. Even modern medicine has only scratched the surface of what we are. The human brain, particularly, is one of the most complex organs we have been trying to understand for 1000’s of years. But we may finally be at an interesting crossroad with respect to humanoid robot designs based on knowledge gained from studying our own bodies. Companies like Neuralink are pushing the boundaries of understanding how to connect current advanced humanoid robot designs with an actual human brain. High level A.I. is who knows how close to being unleashed into the world. Hopefully human / machine interfaces in humanoid robot designs will help the transition to living with A.I. robotics that will likely be under control of their own “consciousness”.
There is no doubt that humanoid robots are changing our everyday lives. Top tech companies are building these robots (largely in private research and development laboratories at this time) to perform complex tasks easily. Boston Dynamic’s “SPOT” and its release to the public to be used in complex human-friendly environments (walking upstairs, opening doors, etc. etc.) is a great example of this.
What are the factors to be considered before designing a humanoid robot?
1. How much human form should it have?
Experts who are engaged in the humanoid robot design field believe that the physical characteristics of a robot should closely resemble the humans for psychological reasons. People are generally more comfortable with a robot that looks more robotic with a friendly, industrial designed shell. It must be bipedal, have two arms and have a height generally smaller than the average human. How comfortable would you be standing next to a 10-foot-tall robot?! A human like face placed on a robot is a very important design. If you make the incredible mistake of fake Hansen Robotics who have put a realistic human face on a robot it will terrify many people. This is the wrong side of the Uncanny Valley to be on! Alternately a clearly robotic face that is designed to look friendly it much more pleasant for most humans to interact with.
2. How much natural verbal understanding / response should it be able to perform?
The holy grail of developing a human android robot is that it can interact naturally with humans as if you were talking to another person. Yes, Siri, Alexa, Cortana and more semi-intelligent spoken language systems are already amazing. But integrating systems like that into a humanoid robot design is another challenge altogether.
3. Does it need to be powered in a self-contained fashion or can it be connected to an umbilical?
The robot should have a power source of its own to do autonomous functions with limited human intervention. If it is tied to a power source, then its area of operation will be limited to the length of the power chord. One very notable exception are deep water robots. For many reasons umbilicals are still necessary.
4. How much capability should it have to navigate and function in a human environment? Does it really need to be able to perform parkour?
If you want the robots act as true assistants to humans, then it is important that they should be able to navigate the dynamic human environment. Ideally, the humanoid robot design should be such that it is able to do all the physical work (climbing stairs, walking etc.) that any healthy human can do.
5. What level of A.I. should it have?
The humanoid robot should have the level of autonomous capability that your exact application requires. Does this mean you will have to implement a neural network or low level A.I.? Possibly. Pease, whatever you do, do not put in the level of A.I. the Terminator has!
Conclusion: If you are interested in designing a robot that will allow it to act as a capable assistant, please contact us directly or call 01-801-410-4869 or visit our website www.animatronicrobotics.com for more details.
2019