The advancements of technology have reached such a great level that imaginations can be brought to life. So, what have our conceptions, and whims & fancies been? Definitely, one such imagination is the possibility of robots that look and act like humans.
We have seen robots that resemble humans in movies and fictions, it isn’t something that is present in reality, and we wouldn’t exactly confirm their presence quite yet, though their forerunners are definitely here. One of the recent media coverage exposed a good number of humanoid robots in the commercial market. So, let’s delve into the basics of humanoid robots.
What is Humanoid Robotics?
Humanoid Robotics is a field of study that involves a rich variety of projects wherein perception, processing, and action are enclosed in an identifiably anthropomorphic form to imitate a subset of cognitive, social, and physical dimensions of the human body. However, this is not to be confused as an attempt to remake humans; here’s more about a humanoid robot.
A humanoid robot is a robot, having an overall appearance based on human body; it allows interaction with environments and tools that are made for humans. Such robots are also called as anthropomorphic robots.
Normally, these robots comprise of a torso with 2 arms, 2 legs, and a torso; however few of them may come with just a part of the body. Some of these robots may also come with eyes, mouth, and face. Humanoid robots that are designed to look aesthetically similar to a human are called Androids; more like the “Chitti” all of us had seen in Rajnikant’s blockbuster movie “Robot”.
Objective of Humanoid Robotics
The main objective of this field is to make a new type of tool, which is basically diverse from any of the ones we have seen till date, since it is devised to work for humans. And the goal is not to create machines that can be used interchangeably or mistaken for real humans, since the movie “Robot” had pretty clearly demonstrated the possible outcome!
There are tons of robots that are already present and are being used for doing repetitive tiresome labor for specialized tasks and environments. On the other hand, humanoids will be created to act along with humans safely, thus assisting to extend our abilities in a wide range of environments.
Is the Humanoid Robotics Field Well-Defined?
Well, the answer is certainly a big no! This field is still a fundamental impulse-driving joint effort that involves several disciplines. Robotic engineers, computer, electrical and mechanical engineers, artificial intelligence researchers, physicists, psychologists, cognitive scientists, philosophers, and neurobiologists – all of them contribute to the diverse projects in this field. So, it is not easy to characterize such a wide range of efforts at the moment.
Humanoid Robotics is one field that is likely to bring about a revolutionary change in this advanced technological world. We can hope to see many imaginations turning into reality, but at the same time, we hope that they won’t endanger the human race.