NASA Era Robot
Photo Source: NASA

What do we think of when we think about Robots? Do we think of machines that act more like people or do we think of some sort of clunky mechanical device that might be either in the general shape of a human or a small saucer that vacuums our rug or cleans the bottom of our swimming pools. I could be wrong, but I don't think any of us think about something like the device that starred in I Robot, the movie hit with Wil Smith that just played in the movies. I know I don't think of robots that way yet. My idea of a robot is a computer mounted on some sort of platform that is mobile but even mobility is not necessary. The dictionary defines a robot as
1. a mechanical device that sometimes resembles a human and is capable of performing a variety of often complex human tasks on command or by being programmed in advance.
2. A machine or device that operates automatically or by remote control.
3. A person who works mechanically without original thought, especially one who responds automatically to the commands of others.

Honda is coming out with a new version of their ASIMO Robot, it looks like an astronaut and is capable of walking with a human like gate at 2.5 mph. When it walks it swings its arms and rotates it's hips. The device is very human like with joints that bend in such a way as to truly remind one of a human. Honda has put out a press release on the new robot and you can read it and see ASIMO HERE

Not to be outdone Toyota has its own human like robot. These robots were designed with one goal in mind, to be assistants to humans. This brings us even closer to the robot age. The robots are designed to not only be agile, but to be kind to the people that own them. The press release for the Toyota Robots can be read HERE.

Now we have a new player in the field and this player says that he has built the most powerful robot ever made and one that will continually learn. The new player is South Korea. The scientists in South Korea have stated that the robot will learn like a human. Can this be? I can't say but they have. They call the robot a humanoid and are proud to say it is the first humanoid in the world. The humanoid robot intelligence is based on an outside server on the internet. If the robot needs more more room to expand its 'intelligence' than the server can be expanded, unlike other existing robots. The robot stands 5 feet high and weighs 147 pounds.

When the robot was asked it's name, it replied that it was sorry but it didn't have a name yet. It recognizes the dominations of paper money and when you leave it waves goodbye. It does lack the mobility of the Honda and Toyota robots though. It can walk but not with the precision of something like ASIMO. It is hoped that the skill of recognizing objects will be improved as it's intelligence expands. This robot could be the opium home and office assistant.

It has been predicted that within 50 years robots will rule the world. It may not be by violent means but we could just become too dependent on them for all our needs and they could become intelligent enough to realize this. It makes me think about an old question, how would you know when a robot, or any machine, became self aware? Where would that point be where the programming ends and the machine starts to think for itself? I don't see how we could ever tell unless we could trick it into doing something that it was specifically programmed not to do and even this might just be a glitch. It is a very tricky question. The reason it is so tricky is that good programming can produce a product that mimics humans so well that it would mask self awareness.

Will we become the founders of a new race, a race of machines. This may not be as far fetched as it seems. Once these robots start building other robots who knows what changes might occur in their circuitry even if by mistake and who knows what this might lead to?