The following post was inspired by an article that appeared recently in Wired magazine entitled the Future of Humanoid Robots, From Frubber ‘Skin’ to DJ Juke Bots.
Like the majority of other self-respecting Japanophiles the world over, I love robots. I mean, every time I turn on the news and see some crazy story about some new Japanese robot, I get giddy all over. With that said, you can imagine how excited I was when I found this recent article in Wired magazine on the future of Japanese robots.
Here is a rundown of some of the crazy robots you can expect to see in a future near you:
Kiyomori Samurai Robot
According to Wired magazine, “Tmsuk’s flagship robot has a humanlike stride with stretchy knees, 39 joints and a very flexible pelvic region that provides a smooth, more natural gait.”
I want to call particular attention to the ‘flexible pevlic region’ – I can only imagine just exactly where the engineers will go with that one. I know robots are designed to make our lives better and easier, but I know there are a lot of people out there who could use some help in certain, er, departments.
Reem-A
Wired writes that “this life-size humanoid robot can recognize casual questions and commands, hold simple objects and stop for obstacles in its path during a leisurely stroll.”
The craziest part however is that it is programmed to kick your butt in a variety of games including chess and checkers. It’s fine and dandy that robots are getting smarter than us, but then again, who plays chess and checkers any more. I guess the real question here is whether or not can it play Nintendo Wii?
Juke Bots
According to Wired Magazine, ‘Juke Bots are two giant mechanical arms that select and spin vinyl records. They’re programmed to perform compositions with robotic precision and can go head to head with the best warm-blooded mixmasters around.’
Sure. But can it get me passes to jump the line? Afterall, isn’t that the best part of knowing a real life human DJ? And what about its musical tastes? I mean, is this going to spin repetitive house music all night, or can I expect it to play my favourite hip-hop records and bust out some serioues scratching.
Human-Carrying Biped Walking Robot
Wired magazine writes, “Researchers at Japan’s Waseda University have developed a pair of 4-foot-tall robotic legs that can move efficiently across uneven terrain. The Biped Walking Robot uses footlike sensors to measure the forces between its base and the floor, maintaining on-the-fly balance based on the weight of its load.”
Amazing. I mean, all of the hipsters I know love rocking out their Segways, but how cool would you look coming down the street riding one of these things? All you need to do is add some loader arms and you could throw an alien out the hangar door a la Sigorney Weaver in Aliens.
Call me crazy, but am I the only one that thinks that Japanese robots will take over the world? Maybe not in my lifetime, but the seeds of resistance are definitely being planted.
(On a serious note however, the field of robotics is rapidly moving from the realm of science fiction into reality, and I can’t stress enough how much all of our lives will improve if this current pace of innovation continues).