The Honda company has developed a prototype of a humanoid robot reminiscent of Asimov's stories
Honda's 3P robot
You may have wondered to yourself if Isaac Asimov's robot vision would ever come true, or if it would remain in the realm of science fiction. Well, Honda has solutions. The car manufacturer announced that from 2001 it will offer humanoid robots for sale. Honda will be the first company to commercialize such robots. As soon as it polishes the prototype performance of the Model 3P robot to make it easier and more convenient to operate, the car manufacturer will start accepting orders for supplying robots. The company intends to reveal the commercial model already in November, when in the same month it intends to start the production of the robot - initially in small quantities.
Honda anticipates that the robot will first be used for entertainment and learning purposes, but in the future it hopes that it will be able to develop applications so that the robot can also be used in nursing work, housework, as well as in rescue missions and other activities that endanger human life.
Honda's robots, equipped with tiny computers and sensors installed in their bodies, will be able to climb stairs and carry objects in their hands. Their movement will be similar to the movement of humans. The prototype, which was presented in Tokyo a few months ago, stands 160 centimeters tall and weighs 130 kilograms.
The commercial model will weigh about half, which should make its use safer. The maximum continuous use time of the initial model, which was 30 minutes, will also be significantly extended.
Also, the operation of the robot, which previously required a qualified technician, will become much simpler, so that an ordinary person can operate it. Honda intends to manufacture fewer than 100 such robots per year, starting next year. The price will not be equal for everyone, and should be about 10 million yen (about NIS 381).
In the future, the company plans to continue to improve the robot's ability to speak, so that it can perform more tasks that require communication with humans.
Robo-Jock and Robo-Tuna a robot in human form
By Merv Weinstein, Ma'ariv for children
About new robots that imitate nature and robots designed to make our lives easier
It was once thought that in order to fly one had to take an example from nature, imitate the birds and build wings. Whoever builds him wings, they thought, will be able to soar to the sky. It, of course, didn't work, and those who tried to fly fell, got hurt and died. Later, engineers realized that to really fly you had to build a machine, and that's how they invented airplanes.
Today, researchers in laboratories are building increasingly sophisticated robots, and they are beginning to understand that it is necessary to return to nature to find a solution to mechanical problems. And although there are many robots available to man today, they still seem to be clumsy and slow, and unable to perform many actions.
Look at the cockroach
And what is the research model? The cockroach. It is worth taking an example from the insects, which look small and simple, but in fact the structure of their bodies is more sophisticated than any robot built to date. Robo-jock, the researchers hope, could be used for research in an expedition to Mars, or in dangerous areas on Earth, such as inside volcanoes. Therefore, the researchers breed cockroaches and robots together. The structure of the insect's legs and its walk are suitable for creating a robot - six legs, three on each side - giving it a stable walk, with three of the legs in the air with each step.
To study how the cockroach's legs work, the researchers mark white dots on the legs, and let it run on a moving tape. They film the run, to see the exact movements of the cockroach (with the help of the points). The goal is to build a robo-cockroach that can walk like a live cockroach, one that runs around in the sewers and corners of the house. It must seem simple to you, but it is a complicated task. In the future, the researchers hope, the robot will not only be able to walk like a cockroach, but also climb over obstacles in its path. Meanwhile the new robot walks like a cockroach, but slowly. He really doesn't look like a jock - and maybe that's for the better. It looks like a large metallic creature with six legs. Let's just hope he doesn't decide to live in the sewers.
Look at the tuna
If a cockroach is a strange model, how about a tuna fish? The tuna fish really doesn't look like the paste inside the cans you buy at the supermarket. The tuna is a large fish, which lives and swims in schools in the open sea. When you need to build a large robot that operates in water, what model is more appropriate than a large fish? The fish has a hydrodynamic form, a form that moves easily in water. The body has a uniform and smooth shape, and except for the fins, there are no protrusions that come out of it and may interfere with movement in the water.
The robo-tuna receives commands - where to swim, etc., through the computer. Meanwhile, the new robot swims slowly, but when you enter a huge aquarium with it and dive with it, it looks very convincing.
In the future, the robo-tuna will help marine research. Thanks to its structure (hydrodynamic), it will be possible to explore new places in the depths of the sea. It will be possible to study the behavior of fish, because who is better suited to follow a school of real tuna fish than an almost real tuna fish? The robot will be able to swim with the fish in the ocean and report their location, etc. Well, well, only until it runs out of batteries.
Look at the nervous robot
In the nature museum, among huge skeletons of ancient dinosaurs, a strange robot walks around. He doesn't look like a cockroach or a fish, but he doesn't look like a person either. It looks mostly like a mobile ATM.
This is the museum's guide robot, and it has been programmed so that it can respond to the people around it. If, for example, he tries to pass (he travels around the museum on wheels), and he bumps into too many people, he gets angry and explains that he is in the middle of a tour and they are disturbing him. It is programmed to "feel" four feelings: frustration, loneliness, confusion and happiness. He reacts according to the treatment he received from the people that day. At the end of the day, he sends an e-mail to his programmer, and reports on his situation: "Today I feel 95% happiness + 5% frustration and I'm a little lonely."
So what do you actually need a robot for? After all, is it possible to employ a human being in this position, and he will also be angry at the end of the day? But the museum says that this is the only way people appreciate the robot. Otherwise they would not have treated him at all. But now, when he bumps into someone and says that he is being disturbed, they answer him: "Oh, are you on patrol? Sorry…"
We will probably have to wait quite a few more years before we see robots here like in science fiction movies. The process is much more complicated than we think, but it consists of absolutely entertaining intermediate steps, so it is well worth following them.
Daedalus and Icarus
Greek mythology tells of Icarus and his son Daedalus, who wanted to fly like a bird, to escape from a tower where they were imprisoned. They built themselves wings made of feathers and glued the wings to their bodies with wax. They jumped from the top of the high tower and jumped over the sea. But their plan didn't work. The sun heated the wax, melted it and the wings - fell. The father and son dived into the sea and drowned.
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