Robots In Fiction – Humanoid Helpers and Mechanical Menaces

A robot is an electromechanical device capable of performing both programmed and autonomous tasks. Robots in fictional media tend to have humanoid characteristics and are able to interact with their human creators. Fictional robots also tend to be highly intelligent and follow human orders.

Much of the drama of robots in fiction occurs when robots either exceed their programming or their programming becomes corrupted. A robot that began a story as humanity’s faithful servant often ended it by becoming the villain. The following is a brief overview of robots in fiction.

Reading About Robots

In 1942, science fiction author Isaac Asimov introduced the world to his Three Laws of Robotics. In a series of short stories and novels, Asimov explained these Three Laws through the interaction of robots and humans.

Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics were 1) A robot may not harm a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm; 2) A robot must obey the orders given to it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law; and 3) A robot must protect its own existence, as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

Asimov’s robots were constructed with fictional “positronic” brains. His robots were constrained by the Three Laws, with the First Law taking precedence over the others, and the Second Law taking precedence over the Third Law. Drama in Asimov’s robot stories usually resulted from unexpected behavior from robots obeying the Three Laws in unanticipated ways.

Mechanical Men In Movies

The information about robots presented here will do one of two things: either it will reinforce what you know about robots or it will teach you something new. Both are good outcomes.

The 1956 science fiction classic film “Forbidden Planet” introduced audiences to Robby the Robot. Created by Dr. Morbius with the assistance of alien technology, the enormously talented Robby served as a glorified butler to Dr. Morbius and his daughter. Robby possessed the strength to carry at least 10 tons, could converse intelligently on many subjects, and even had the ability to convert matter from one form to another. If the ship’s drunken cook served as “comic relief” in the movie, then Robby the Robot certainly fulfilled the role of “straight man.” It is worth noting that Robby was programmed with the equivalent of Asimov’s First Law of Robotics in that he could not harm a human being, even when ordered to do so by a human.

The “Star Wars” saga spanned almost three decades and introduced a whole new breed of robot. The robots R2-D2 and C-3PO were referred to as “droids” (e.g., androids, or robots with human form). However, only C-3PO had a humanoid body. R2-D2’s squat cylindrical body and non-speech communication made him more robotic than his humanoid companion.

“The Terminator” showcased the evil robot turning on his creator. In this twist of the classic Frankenstein story, the evil cyborgs (e.g., cybernetic organisms, or robots with organic parts) gained self-awareness and sought to eliminate their creators. This movie differs from the others discussed here in that the robot was specifically programmed to kill humans. However, in typical Hollywood fashion, later movies featured a robot protector sent to protect humans from the killer Terminator.

Television Tin Men

The robot from the “Lost In Space” television series remains one of the most recognizable TV robots. The unnamed Robot, like his ancestor Robby, existed to serve the Robinson family. Despite his dome-like head and cylindrical body, the Robot was portrayed as very human through his personality and extreme loyalty to his owners. He often acted as a companion to the boy Will, and is noted for his signature warning, “Danger, Will Robinson!” An incarnation of Robby the Robot actually appeared in an episode of “Lost In Space.”

More recently, “Star Trek: The Next Generation” included the android named Data as a member of the crew. Except for his unusual skin and eye color, Data appeared to be human. In fact, to be human was Data’s eventual goal. Data and his evil twin Lore, possessed great speed, strength, and supercomputer brains. In tribute to Isaac Asimov’s groundbreaking robot fiction, Data’s brain was referred to as “positronic.” Data possessed much greater latitude in his actions and choices than the other robots discussed in this article.

Conclusion

Robots and their more human-like android cousins will continue to be an integral part of science fiction in all media. They will continue to serve as humanity’s most faithful servants, most intelligent villains, and even comic relief. As robots become more common in today’s society, their influence on fictional media will continue to grow.

Those who only know one or two facts about robots can be confused by misleading information. The best way to help those who are misled is to gently correct them with the truths you’re learning here.

BYOR, Build Your Own Robot

The Time Is Right:

The field of hobby robotics is more exciting today than ever before. The day when you will have a humanoid, walking, talking robot in your home that will do your cooking and cleaning looms ever closer. Short of having a real robotic maid or butler, there are many other options that can be built today on just about any budget. If you really want to enjoy a fun, reasonably priced hobby, you should try to build your own robots. There are many reasons why it makes sense create a robot from scratch rather than buying pre-made ones.

 

Affordable:

The technology that exists today staggers the mind in not only how advanced it has become, but also in how cheap it is to purchase. There are microcontrollers today that literally replace a room-sized computer of the previous century. The cost for such controllers can be well under $100 for a more-than-capable unit. Some can be purchased as kits to assemble and learn about computer architecture and electronics, others are pre-built units and some even come as single boards that are ready to “plug and play.”

Sensors for hobby robots have increased in functionality while they have also reduced in price. It has gotten to the point where advanced sensors like ultrasonic range detectors and infrared distance sensors even come with robotic toys like the Lego Mindstorms kits. The accuracy of these sensors is astonishing and affords the robotic hobbyist with very high-precision instruments capable of providing ample functionality on even an entry-level robot.

 

Programability:

It was formerly the case that many of these microcontrollers required a high-level understanding of computers, binary math and assembler language programming to operate. This restricted the field to schooled adults or older children with a great deal of mathematics background.

Today, many of these robotic products come with a computer interface that allows “building block” style components to be visually ordered on-screen in a graphical editor which allows even younger children the ability to understand logic programming and control-flow logic structures in an easy to understand format. These same programs usually also allow code-level programming to be performed as the student gains an understanding of the high-level logic. This allows them to get “closer to the metal” of the processor’s native language and architecture while providing skill-building opportunities.

Even more interesting for some, is that many of the common hobby robots have their loyal fan following, usually very technical people, who like to push the limits of the platforms. Often you can find compilers or interpreters written to support programming in other languages. This allows the clever and curious inventors to use their robotic for other purposes while learning ever more technical skills. You can often find more than one website devoted to groups like these.

 

Attack of the Toys:

If you are not as interested in learning programming software, you can also take existing toys and use them as a springboard to more advanced uses. Toys like the Furby of yesteryear gained a following by inspired experimenters who took them apart, rewired them, and put them back together in their own vision, to perform functions not intended by the original manufacturers.

Radio controlled toys are also an excellent springboard for robot development as they take care of a common problem with robots, locomotion. One of the persistent problems creating a robot from scratch is how to propel your robot accurately around the room. Motors require careful selection, knowledge of velocity, gearing and other complex formulas in order to operate accurately. Robots like the iRobot Roomba have solved these problems and thus it makes sense to reuse the work they have done rather than re-inventing the wheel.

Also, battery power can be tricky to learn and many of these platforms take the guesswork out of creating rechargable platforms that won’t run out of juice after a five minute stroll around your home.

Reusing these technologies allows the experiment to concentrate on higher-level functions like navigation, vision and other robotic applications that may be more appealing to the robotics enthusiast.

Read more quality articles and pick up your own robot kit or robot toy at CoolRobotToys.com!

Wave Of The Future: Ubiquitous Personal Robots

January 2, 2008 With the dawning of the new year comes the announcement that the personal robot may soon be doing more for the consumer than just vacuum their floors.

According to a report from ABI Research, by the year 2015, consumers will be likely to spend as much for a multitasking humanoid robot as they would for a new car. Most personal robots of today perform a single specific function, but this, according to Phillip Solis, an analyst at the New York-based research firm, is about to change.

The most popular personal robots currently on the market are the iRobot Corps Roomba vacuum cleaners. IRobot currently dominates this market and is increasingly targeting areas outside the US and expanding its product line, Solis said in a statement. Its disciplined approach to keeping products relatively simple and practical has enabled the company to lead the market for task robots.

In October 2007, the Nissan Motor Co. presented its in-car Robot Agent product at the Tokyo Motor Show. The robot, built into the dashboard of the companys premier Pivo 2 concept car, uses its built-in cameras to analyze the facial queues of the driver in order to determine whether they are tired or stressed. The robot will be able to speak in both English and Japanese to persuade the driver to pull over and rest if it perceives this as being necessary.

The South Korean government has also announced plans to build two robot theme parks , designed to include amusement parks, exhibition halls, and stadiums.

According to British artificial intelligence researcher and author of the book Love and Sex With Robots, robots will become so like humans that in the year 2050, human beings will actually begin to marry robots, since, says Levy, robots will advance to the point where they can carry on intelligent

conversations, respond to human emotions, and even display their own emotions. The jerky movements and artificial sounding voices generally associated with robots will become a thing of the past, and these humanlike machines will become aids, friends, and even spouses.

Over the long term, expectations of what robots should be able to do will rise, said Solis in the ABI Research report. The increasing cost of more complex servos and sensors will be balanced increasing value consumers place on willingness by consumers to spend more on robots that can make their lives easier or more fun.

History of Robots – Joseph Letzelter

Czech writer Karel ?apek introduced the word “Robot” in his play “R.U.R” (Rossum’s Universal Robots) in 1921. “Robot” in Czech comes from the word “robota”, meaning “labor”. The earliest ideas that could be related to the robotics of today was in 350 B.C. by the Greek mathematician Archytas of Tarentum. He created a mechanical bird he called ?The Pigeon.? The bird was propelled by steam.The idea of artificial people dates at least as far back as the ancient legend of Cadmus, who sowed dragon teeth that turned into soldiers; and the myth of Pygmalion, whose statue of Galatea came to life. In classical mythology, the malformed god of metalwork (Vulcan or Hephaestus) created mechanical servants, ranging from intelligent, golden handmaidens to more utilitarian three-legged tables that could move about under their own power. Jewish legend tells of the Golem, an clay statue animated by Kabbalistic magic.

The first recorded design of a humanoid robot was made by Leonardo da Vinci around the 1495. Da Vinci’s notebooks, rediscovered in the 1950s, contained detailed drawings for a mechanical knight that was apparently able to sit up, wave its arms, and move its head and jaw. The design was likely based on his anatomical research recorded in the Vitruvian Man. It is not known whether or not he attempted to build the robot .

The first known working robot was created in the 1738 by Jacques de Vaucanson, who made an android that played the flute, as well as a mechanical duck that reportedly ate and defecated. E.T.A. Hoffmann’s 1817 short story “The Sandman” features a doll-like mechanical woman, and Edward S. Ellis’ 1865 “Steam Man of the Prairies” expresses the American attraction with industrialization. A wave of stories about humanoid automatons culminated with the “Electric Man” by Luis Senarens in 1885.

Once technology advanced to the point where people foresaw mechanical creatures as more than toys, literary responses to the concept of robots reflected fears that humans would be replaced by their own creations. Frankenstein (1818), sometimes called the first science fiction novel, has become synonymous with this theme. When Capek’s play RUR introduced the concept of an assembly line run by robots who try to build still more robots, the theme took on economic and philosophical overtones, further disseminated by the classic movie Metropolis (1927), and the popular Blade Runner (1982) and The Terminator (1984). With robots a actuality and intelligent robots a likely prospect, a better understanding of connections between robots and human is embodied in such modern films as Spielberg’s A.I. (movie) (2001) and Proyas’ I, Robot (2004).

Many consider the first robot in the modern sense to be a teleoperated boat, similar to a modern ROV, devised by Nikola Tesla and demonstrated at an 1898 exhibition in Madison Square Garden. Based on his patent 613,809 for “teleautomation”, Tesla hoped to develop the “wireless torpedo” into an automated weapon system for the US Navy. The first electronic autonomous robots were created by Grey Walter at Bristol University, England in 1948.

Contemporary uses of robots

Robots are being used today to do the tasks that are either too dirty, hazardous, hard, cyclic or tedious for humans. This usually takes the form of industrial robots used in industrialized lines. Other applications include toxic waste cleanup, space exploration, mining, search and rescue, and mine finding. Manufacturing remains the primary market where robots are utilized. In particular, articulated robots, similar in motion capability to the human arm, are the most widely used. Applications include welding, painting and machine loading. The automotive industry has taken full advantage of this new technology where robots have been programmed to replace human labor in many simple repetitive tasks. The wide acceptance of such technologies, however, was delayed by the availability of cheap labour and high capital necessities of robotics.

While robotic machinery has achieved a certain amount of maturity, the social impact of these robots is largely unknown. The field of social robots is now promising and investigates the relationship between robots and humans. A ludobot is an instance of a social robot dedicated to entertainment and companionship. In early 2000s domestic robots have entered the mainstream culture, with the success of Sony’s Aibo and several manufacturers releasing robotic vacuum cleaners. Japanese corporations are infamous for their successes in developing humanoid robots and their plans to use the technology not only in their manufacturing plants, but also in Japanese homes. There is much hope in Japan, that home care for an aging (and long-lived) population can be better achieved through robotics. Robots have also been explored as a form of High-tech Art. Recent military conflicts have seen extensive use of robots in ground and air-based investigation, bomb-disposal, and most recently, remote controlled combat by human operators. The US military recently made to order an updated and revised former bomb-disposal robot as a combat robot, having it armed with a machine gun, but it is also capable of holding an RPG or rocket launcher. Unmanned Combat Air Vehicles have also been extensively used in recent American wars, with them being used to survey insurgents and even target them with smart bombs.<br><br>

Robotic Weight Loss – Can You Lose Weight with a Robot?

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This robotic fitness aid – created by Intuitive Automata – is the latest in the list of robotic softwares that have been produced to help you lose weight.

Dubbed ‘Autom’, this friendly little robot works primarily by tracking your calorie intake and workout routine, whilst offering consistent words of support to keep you striding towards obtaining your dietary losing weight.

And studies of Autom are becoming increasingly positive…

During a study between slimmers who use their iPhones to monitor their eating habiting, to those who tried Autom; Autom users doubled the length of their diet. Essentially the difference between being described as a yo-yo dieter to achieving your perfect size…

How does it work?

Built using a modicum of artificial intelligence, dieters essentially input the quantity of food they consume and how often they workout every day, and Autom monitors their weight loss, supplies helpful techniques and provides consistent phrases of guidance.

Yet, it is not all good news…

Soon to be available to buy across the US at the end of the year; slimmers will have to cough up up to $400 to buy, as well as have to find an additional cost to be able to afford the monthly subscription that will help them to input their weight loss information through other technology or via the Internet.

More notably, whilst this humanoid robot has been witnessed to help slimmers to stick to their weight loss plan for twice the length, there is no long term proof that this weight loss will remain.