1921

Robot

The first use of the word “robot” was in Czech writer Karel Capek’s 1921 play, RUR. But what is a robot? When a chess computer beats a human, is that a robot? When the Curiosity Rover touches down on Mars, is that a robot? When an ATM gives you money, is that a robot? Merriam-Webster’s definition of a robot is, “a machine that can do the work of a person and that works automatically or is controlled by a computer.” By that definition, all three of these examples are certainly robots. Engineers create robots to replace the work of people. The goal of that robotic replacement may have to do with money, safety, convenience, monotony, disgust, or some combination. The reason we send a robot to Mars, for example, is because it is cheaper and safer than sending a person, and the trip there and back would be quite monotonous.

We see robots in many different roles today. Most manufacturing plants in the US are highly automated, with robots doing all of the welding, painting, machining, and molding. Many warehouses and shipping hubs are becoming completely robotic as well. Hundreds of autonomous robots can move across a warehouse floor simultaneously. Self-driving cars and trucks represent a robotic growth area. Every vehicle will soon be robotically controlled.

One thing that is missing right now is a good, general vision capability. A human being can straighten a shelf full of products, gather all of the shopping carts in a parking lot, sort laundry, and empty a dishwasher because a human being has a great vision system. As soon as such a system exists for robots, there will be an explosion of robotic functionality. It is quite possible that every job in retail, restaurants, construction, etc., could be eliminated once robots can see and have a little more dexterity.

What has made this possible is a combination across a variety of engineering disciplines. Motors, structures, sensors, computers, batteries, and power management systems all come together to make robots possible, and engineers have brought the capabilities up and the prices down. It is only a matter of time before engineers have robots doing all the work that people do today.

SEE ALSO Chess Computer (1950), Surgical Robot (1984), Watson (2011), Curiosity Rover (2012), Mars Colony (c. 2030).

Atlas is a bipedal humanoid robot primarily developed by the American robotics company Boston Dynamics.