Humanoid robots: photos and technologies. Humanoid robots: history

The development of artificial intelligence is approaching the point where robots are no longer just machines. In the future, they will have self-awareness, emotions, and a full range of high-tech computing capabilities. Already today, robots from America, Europe, Korea, and Russia can run and walk up stairs, work as waiters, play the violin and talk, do push-ups and empathize. At the same time, they increasingly resemble people, that is, they are anthropomorphic robots. This list contains examples of the most advanced android robots.

1. ASIMO and P-series from Honda

ASIMO is the 11th in a series of walking robots developed by the Japanese corporation Honda. Looking like a toddler in a spacesuit, he's more than just cute: he's a powerful robot that uses the most advanced technology. It can move and run like a human, interact with people, and perform simple tasks such as holding a tray and serving food. ASIMO was developed back in 2000, and received a significant update in 2005. Now models of this robot (1.2 meters tall and weighing about 55 kilograms) are used all over the world and have “generated” a whole series of similar machines.

2. Petman

Petman is an anthropomorphic robot designed specifically for testing chemical protective clothing. Height 175 cm, weight 80 kg. To simulate human actions and reactions as accurately as possible, Petman must move as naturally as possible: walk, bend over, and perform various exercises. Moreover, Petman also reproduces the physiology of a person in a protective suit: the robot can regulate “body” temperature, humidity, even sweating. The system is currently undergoing a series of tests and experiments that will determine its effectiveness. Created by order of the US Department of Defense, not used commercially.

3. Atlas

The bipedal robot Atlas was developed by the engineering company Boston Dynamics as part of a competition announced by DARPA, an agency of the US Department of Defense. He is able to move over rough terrain, as well as climb vertical surfaces with the help of his arms and legs. The first version, released in 2013, was equipped with a cable through which power was supplied and the robot was controlled. The new Atlas, called Atlas Unplugged (wireless Atlas), runs on a battery and uses wireless control. It is slightly taller and heavier than its predecessor - 1.88 meters and 156.4 kilograms. According to the manufacturer, 75% of this humanoid machine has been completely updated - only the lower part of the legs remains the same.

The name of this robot, created by a consortium of seven European universities, stands for Cognitive Universal Body - a universal cognitive body. iCub was designed to test the theory of embodied cognition in robots. She says that the mind develops in interaction with the physical body, which communicates with the environment. iCub was designed to replicate the human perceptual system as closely as possible. This allows him to experience the world in the same way as small child, which gains cognitive skills by studying its environment. iCub looks like a 3rd baby and is 1m tall.

5. Poppy

Poppy is the first robot of its kind: it was 3D printed, which helped its developers cut production costs by a third. Poppy has an articulated spine with 5 motors, which is surprising for robots of this size. This system not only allows the robot to move more naturally, but also helps it maintain balance by changing its posture. The added flexibility also makes it easier to interact with the robot, such as guiding it by the hand. An innovative 3D printed robot will help people in classrooms and research labs.

This robot (height 125 cm, weight 45 kg) can remember and recognize faces. Can repeat movements after a person. Good skills in interacting with complex objects: able to ride a two-wheeled Segway scooter and wade through rubble. Has increased stability. Creator: Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology

7. Romeo

Romeo is based on another humanoid robot, NAO, to care for the elderly and sick and as a personal assistant. The robot can walk, perceive the world around it in three dimensions, hear and speak. With a height of 1.4 meters, Romeo weighs only about 40 kilograms. To reduce its weight as much as possible, the developers made its “body” from carbon fiber and rubber. The robot was designed to ensure that the person being cared for by Romeo could not be injured. Testing of Romeo in real conditions is planned for next year. It will be possible to use it in nursing homes as early as 2017. This development is partly funded by the French government and the European Commission; The total project budget for 2009–2016 is 37 million euros.

8. Violin Playing Robot

One of the representatives of a whole series of robots from Toyota, positioned as female anthropomorphs - nanny robots, caregivers, etc. Hand movements are so precise that he can play the violin inexpressively, but without errors. The main areas of action of the Toyota Partner Robots line: assistance in everyday life, the service sector, in hospitals, and in production. And their task also includes personal transportation. Height 152 cm, weight 56 ​​kg.

This 58 cm humanoid robot was created as a companion and assistant to people. Since 2008, several versions have been released, the most famous of which, Academics Edition, is designed specifically for universities and laboratories, where it is used for educational and research purposes. In 2015, over 5 thousand NAO models are used in more than 50 countries around the world. average price€10,000, in Russia - 700,000 rubles. Creator: Aldebaran Robotics.

10.AR-600

The only one of many Russian developments that has reached the stage of production and sale ready-made robots. The task of android robots of this class is to replace humans in hazardous and life-threatening industries. The development cost 300 million rubles. Able to walk at speeds up to 3 km/h, climb and descend stairs. One of the control methods is using an exoskeleton that the operator puts on: the robot copies his movements. Able to operate with small objects of various shapes. Creator: Android Robots CJSC. Height 150 cm, weight 60 kg.

11. RoboThespian

RoboThespian is a life-size anthropomorphic robot designed to communicate with people in in public places. It is fully interactive, multilingual and extremely user-oriented. RoboThespian has been in development for more than 6 years, and its current model is already the third generation of the robot. The platform has been tested in various scientific centers and research institutes in several countries. RoboThespian can easily play almost any role, sing any song, tell interesting story or even perform some kind of dance.K standard set offers in RoboThespian you can add your own content, as well as upload sounds and videos. The robot's weight is 33 kg, height is about 165 cm.

12.Replie

Japanese scientists have created a robot very similar to a girl called Repliee. It is made of flexible silicone skin and durable plastic as well various sensors and motors that allow it to communicate with people. She can move her arms, blink like a human and imitate breathing movements, and responds to touch. Recognizes and searches for objects. Silicone coating imitates human skin. Creator: Osaka Intelligent Robotics Laboratory. Height 160 cm, weight 88 kg.

13.Robonaut

Development of Robonaut began back in 1997, but the first series of robots released in the early 2000s never flew into space. In 2006, General Motors became interested in the project. In February 2010, the first copy of R2 was demonstrated. On February 24, 2011, Robonaut was delivered to the ISS, where it continues to help astronauts conduct experiments. In the near future it will be modified to adapt it to work in outer space. In 2009, Project M was announced to land Robonaut on the Moon, but it was soon postponed indefinitely.

14. Eccerobot

ECCEROBOT, created in 2011, is as close to human as possible in terms of anatomy: it has about a hundred artificial muscles responsible for its movements. The car's facial expressions are especially developed. The robot is able to react to its external environment thanks to cameras, numerous sensors and accelerometers.

15. Robot dancers – Lexy and Tess

At CeBIT in Hannover, German software company Tobit unveiled two robot dancers and a robot DJ with a megaphone for a head. Lexi and Tess (that's the name of the mechanical ladies) move and bend to the music; True, the performance is not particularly beautiful and expressive. You can buy your own robot dancer for $39.5 thousand.

According to the uncanny valley effect hypothesis, the more realistic a robot becomes, the less people like it. Technology continues to expand exponentially, and the lines between human and robot are quickly becoming blurred. Robots are now able to demonstrate human movements, imitate our appearance and even to a certain extent have consciousness. Robots can be programmed in completely different ways, they can be taught anything, and they can be made to look very real. This list contains examples of the newest and most advanced robots and androids.

10. Robotic nurse BEAR

While robots can make our lives easier, they can also make our lives much safer. A robot developed by Vecna ​​Technologies, known as the Battlefield Extraction-Assist Robot (BEAR), is used to rescue work in dangerous situations as a robotic nurse. The BEAR robotic nurse is able to carry heavy objects to long distances on uneven surfaces (including stairs), it has amazing agility and ability to maintain its balance, and it has fire-resistant protectors and batteries. The robot can be easily controlled using a remote control or a glove and can be used in dangerous situations to rescue wounded soldiers without risking any human life. BEAR's huge steel frame is controlled by hydraulic system. The robot can lift up to 236 kilograms of weight and sense the environment it is in through infrared and night vision and optical cameras.

Additionally, while BEAR can definitely lift heavy objects, he is also blessed with agility that allows him to hold something as fragile as an egg without breaking it. It can balance perfectly when holding heavy objects, while other robots tend to tip over when performing a similar task. BEAR has evolved significantly since its original design and can now carry out high-level commands given to it by its operators. It was even equipped with a friendly humanoid face, which was more pleasant to look at for the wounded. The developers plan to further develop BEAR's capabilities so that it can rescue both military and civilians from dangerous situations.

9.BINA48


BINA48 (Breakthrough Intelligence via Neural Architecture) quickly gained the title of the most shockingly realistic android ever created. BINA48 was created and programmed by David Hanson of the Terasem Movement. She is modeled after the organization's co-founder's wife, Bina Rothblatt. While everyone would agree that BINA48 bears an uncanny physical resemblance to a real person, what makes it so innovative is that it actually reproduces Bina's real thoughts, memories, emotions and feelings.

It took more than 100 hours of work to collect Bina's thoughts and program them into the android. BINA48 can now conduct conversations on various intellectual topics using the mannerisms of the real Bina. BINA48 also has learning capabilities. Her vocabulary and knowledge continue to grow every day she interacts with people. Even though she is not currently equipped with a body, her head alone can express more than 64 feelings, which are based on the information it gives out and receives from outside. For many people, BINA48's abilities are uncanny, however, her creators hope to continue to develop her and improve her technological awareness. BINA48 is not only able to draw her own conclusions on a given issue based on memories and tastes, she also learns to accompany her decisions with relevant information and explanations.

8.NAO


When you think of android, emotional potential is probably not the first thing that comes to mind. However, the NAO robot boasts the ability to learn, recognize and interact with people, and develop emotions. NAO was developed by Aldebaran Robotics and is only 58 centimeters tall.

The big advantage of NAO is how easy it is to program. The University of Hertfordshire is using this ability to help him study emotions. Relying on NAO's ability to recognize faces and body language, new model NAO will be able to form attachments to those he sees most often. After this, NAO will be able to study emotions in much the same way as children do - by observation, and not by programming feelings of anger, fear, sadness, excitement, pride and happiness. NAO will actually learn when and how to use these emotions by observing teachers and through trial and error. In addition, he will be able to learn several other skills, including how to write and speak different languages. NAO was used as a teacher and to visit children. NAO can perform shows, scratch cats, help with research, play soccer, and work in a hospital. Scientists are eagerly awaiting a glimpse into the future of this little robot.

7. HRP-4C


So far, the androids on this list have been decidedly robotic. However, the HRP-4C model (Miim) takes androids to the next level with its striking resemblance to a real person. This is another masterpiece from the Japanese company AIST. Miim was created in the likeness of the average young Japanese woman. She is 157 centimeters tall, weighs 43 kilograms and can recognize faces, speech and environmental noise.

However, what makes her truly amazing is her ability to imitate human facial expressions and human movements, which she does with amazing precision. She is often called "super-realistic" and can even dance. When she was unveiled on the runway in 2009, photographers were able to capture her in a variety of poses, smiling or frowning. The AIST designers explained that they decided to make her face (not her body) super-realistic because they thought the body was just too creepy.

6. Paro (PARO)


Who doesn't love cute baby harp seals? They're certainly a favorite of the Japanese company AIST, which has developed a strikingly lifelike robotic seal called Paro for use in therapy. Paro interacts with humans as a real seal pup would, moving its head and fins and making sounds, using five sensors (sound, light, tactile, positional, and temperature) to assess its surroundings. He's great for therapy because he remembers how his owner interacts with him and interacts with his owner based on the parameters he's learned (in addition to just being adorable). For example, if he squeaks in a certain way and you hug him, he will squeak in a similar way more often. On the other hand, if he moves or makes sounds that you don't like and you hit him, Paro knows he should never make those moves again.

Paro is in fact certified by Guinness World Records as the most effective therapeutic robot in the world, providing a positive socio-psychological effect on patients. Not only can it reduce stress, but it also improves relationships between patients and their caregivers. These robots have a range of applications, both in hospitals and nursing homes, where they provide the love of a pet without the hassles and worries of owning a real four-legged friend. Paro can show emotions to its owner and is still the leading therapy robot.

5. Face (FACE)


While most scientists are careful not to create robots that are too human-like due to the theory of the uncanny valley effect, scientists from the University of Pisa are actively trying to prove that this theory is not true. They created a robot nicknamed Face, which is considered a pioneer in the field of realistic human facial expressions. Most robots that have the ability to imitate human facial expressions are only given a set of 5 or 6 emotions. The face can express these emotions (for example, happiness, sadness, disgust, surprise, indifference, and fear), but it is also capable of displaying a whole range of other emotions that fall between these categories. The face uses 32 motors that are located around the contour of its face and upper torso to exhibit human-like facial expressions. Scientists hope that Face can be used in a variety of situations, including teaching children with autism. The face will be able to facilitate their understanding of people's moods through their facial expressions.

4. Actroid


While the HRP-4C was equipped with a face that is incredibly human-like, the Actroid also has an equally realistic body and even more human-like behavior. It was first created by the Kokoro Company Ltd, which since the first model has already developed several new and improved versions. Using pneumatic actuators placed at multiple points on its upper body, Actroid can respond appropriately to different types of tactile input. For example, if Actroid feels like he's about to be slapped, he may quickly dodge or hit back, but he will react normally when patted on the shoulder. The Actroid is also capable of replicating subtle human movements with its head and eyes, and when you look at it, it appears as if it is breathing.

Actroid can be taught a large number human movements, since their initial abilities are zero, and they can only be seated or put on their feet, leaning on stable holders. In addition to their original Actroid model called "Repliee Q-1", Kokoro Company Ltd also created "Repliee R-1", an Actroid in the shape of a small Japanese girl. The Kokoro Company Ltd, as well as a group of scientists from Osaka University, say their main goal is to create robots so realistic that people will not be able to tell the difference even when interacting with them. So far, actroids have come much closer to this goal - some people confuse them with humans within minutes. In addition, some people even forget that they are communicating with a robot due to the fact that the robots' movements and reactions are so realistic. A relative of "Repliee Q-1" and "R-1" known as "Geminoid" is an android designed and created by Hiroshi Ishiguro that is a copy of its creator.

3.Morpheus


Being able to control a robot with gestures or a controller is one thing, but imagine if you could control an android with your mind. These mind control technologies actually exist, and are becoming increasingly popular with things like small helicopters. In a key breakthrough, a robot known as "Morpheus" was developed that can carry out commands given through thought. The controller is placed in a swimming cap filled with electrodes. The procedure is completely non-invasive and boasts a remarkable success rate of 94 percent (until now, mental control of the robot has largely required electrodes to be surgically implanted in the operator's skull). Created by Rajesh Rao of the University of Washington, Morpheus shows great promise of being a companion, helping people, and even saving them.

2. Atlas


On July 11, DARPA unveiled one of the most technologically advanced robots to date. The robot, known as Atlas, is almost two meters tall and weighs approximately 150 kilograms. Developed by Boston Dynamics, the robot was specifically designed to be a humanoid robot that could assist people in dangerous situations, such as a nuclear reactor meltdown. He is scheduled to compete in DARPA's robotics competition in December, but in the meantime, Boston Dynamics will work to improve his software.

Although Atlas already looks like a character from the movie Terminator, he becomes even creepier when you realize what exactly he can do. Featuring 28 hydraulic actuators, arms, legs, head, torso, sensors and a real-time on-board computer, the Atlas can not only assess its environment, but also react with a dexterity not seen in any other android. It can perform basic functions such as walking, grabbing, turning, and providing visual feedback, and is also capable of performing tasks such as climbing stairs, starting and driving a car, and connecting a fire hose to a valve. The robot's real-time lasers and computers allow it to sense and study its environment even from a long distance. DARPA uses robot competitions to support developments in robotics. They are confident that Atlas will perform well not only in competition, but can also be used in the real world.

1. ASIMO

Built by Honda, the ASIMO android robot was first introduced in October 2000. Despite the fact that its appearance is not that remarkable, its height is only 130 centimeters and its weight is 54 kilograms - it is ASIMO's abilities that make it stand out from the crowd of other robots. The robot was designed to be personal assistant and help those who cannot help themselves. It is battery powered, and although it does not have the ability to think, it can be controlled using a computer, controller, or voice signals.

It probably seems pretty basic, but ASIMO can also recognize and interact with people by sensing their postures, gestures, sounds, and even faces. If you walked into the room, ASIMO would turn to face you and actually shake your hand if you extended your hand to him first. He can even distinguish one person from another, remembering about 10 people. ASIMO has been featured at several conventions and is currently on public display at Disneyland. Although it is not the most advanced robot, ASIMO's abilities and anthropomorphic features allow it to remain at the same level of popularity as more modern robots.

Since the emergence of natural sciences, scientists have dreamed of creating a mechanical man capable of replacing him in a number of areas of human activity: in hard and unattractive jobs, in war and in high-risk areas. These dreams often outpaced reality, and then mechanical wonders appeared before the eyes of the amazed public, which were still very far from a real robot. But time passed, and robots became more and more perfect... very far from a real robot. But time passed, and robots became more and more perfect...

Robots of antiquity and the Middle Ages

The first mentions of artificial humanoid creatures performing various works, can already be found in the mythology of ancient peoples. These are the golden mechanical assistants of the god Hephes, described in the Iliad, and artificial creatures from the Indian Upanishads, androids of the Karelian-Finnish epic “Kalevala”, and the Golem from the Hebrew legend. How far these fantastic stories correspond to reality is not for us to judge. In reality, the very first “humanoid” robot was built in Ancient Greece.
The name of Heron, who worked in Alexandria and therefore was nicknamed Alexandrian, is mentioned in modern encyclopedias around the world, briefly retelling the contents of his manuscripts.
Two thousand years ago, he completed his work, in which he systematically outlined the main scientific achievements of the ancient world in the field of applied mathematics and mechanics (and the names of individual sections of this work: “Mechanics”, “Pneumatics”, “Metrics” - sound quite modern).

Reading these sections, you are amazed at how much his contemporaries knew and were able to do. Heron described devices (“simple machines”) using the principles of action of a lever, gate, wedge, screw, block; he assembled numerous mechanisms driven by liquid or heated steam; laid out the rules and formulas for the exact and approximate calculation of various geometric shapes. However, in the works of Heron there are descriptions not only of simple machines, but also of automata that operate without direct human participation on the basis of principles that are still used today.

Not a single state, no society, team, family, not a single person could ever exist without measuring time in one way or another. And methods for such measurements were invented in ancient times. Thus, a clepsydra, a water clock, appeared in China and India. This device has become widespread. In Egypt, the clepsydra was used back in the 16th century BC along with the sundial. It was used in Greece and Rome, and in Europe it counted time until the 18th century AD. Total - almost three and a half millennia!
In his writings, Heron mentions the ancient Greek mechanic Ctesibius. Among the latter’s inventions and designs there is a clepsydra, which even now could serve as a decoration for any exhibition of technical creativity. Imagine a vertical cylinder placed on a rectangular stand. There are two figures mounted on this stand. Water is poured into one of these figures, representing a crying child. The child's tears flow into a vessel in the clepsydra stand and raise a float placed in this vessel, connected to a second figure - a woman holding a pointer. The figure of a woman rises, the pointer moves along the cylinder, which serves as the dial of this watch, showing the time. The day in Ctesibius's clepsydra was divided into 12 day "hours" (from sunrise to sunset) and 12 night "hours". When the day ended, the drain of accumulated water opened, and under its influence the cylindrical dial rotated 1/365 of a full revolution, indicating the next day and month of the year. The child continued to cry, and the woman with the sign began her journey again from the bottom up, indicating the day and night “hours”, previously agreed upon with the time of sunrise and sunset that day.

Time-keeping machines were the first machines created for practical purposes. Therefore, they are of particular interest to us. However, Heron in his writings describes other machines that were also used for practical purposes, but of a completely different nature: in particular, the first vending machine known to us - a device that dispensed “holy water” for money in Egyptian temples.

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It is not surprising that it was among watchmakers that outstanding craftsmen appeared who amazed the whole world with their products. Their mechanical creatures, similar in appearance to animals or humans, were capable of performing a variety of movements similar to those of animals or humans, and the external shape and shell of the toy further enhanced its resemblance to a living creature.

It was then that the term “automatic machine” appeared, which until the beginning of the 20th century was understood, as indicated in ancient encyclopedic dictionaries,
“those machines that imitate the voluntary movements and actions of animate beings. In particular, they call an android a machine that produces human-like movements.”. (Note that “android” is a Greek word meaning humanoid.)

The construction of such an automatic machine could take years and decades, and even now it is not easy to understand how, using artisanal techniques, it was possible to create a whole lot of mechanical gears, place them in a small volume, link together the movements of many mechanisms, and select the necessary ratios of their sizes. All parts and links of the machines were made with pinpoint precision; at the same time, they were hidden inside the figures, setting them in motion according to a rather complex program.

We will not judge now how perfect “human-like” the movements of these automata and androids seemed then. It’s better to just give the floor to the author of the article “Automatic,” published in 1878 in the St. Petersburg Encyclopedic Dictionary:
“Much more amazing were the machines built in the last century by the French mechanic Vaucanson. One of his androids, known as the “flute player,” had, in a sitting position, along with its pedestal, 2 arsh. 51/2 inches in height (that is, about 170 cm), played 12 different pieces, producing sounds by simply blowing air from the mouth into the main hole of the flute and replacing its tones by the action of the fingers on other holes of the instrument.

Another Vaucanson android played a Provençal pipe with his left hand, played a tambourine with his right hand and clicked his tongue according to the custom of Provençal pipe players. Finally, the bronzed tin duck of the same mechanic - perhaps the most perfect of all automata known today - not only imitated with extraordinary accuracy all the movements, screams and grips of its original: swam, dived, splashed in the water, etc., but even pecked food with the greed of a living duck and carried out to the end (of course, with the help of chemicals hidden inside it) the usual process of digestion.
All these automata were publicly shown by Vaucanson in Paris in 1738.

No less amazing were the machines of Vaucanson's contemporaries, the Swiss Dro. One of the machines they made, an android girl, played the piano, another - in the form of a 12-year-old boy sitting on a stool at the console - wrote a few phrases in French from the copybook, dipped a pen into the inkwell, shook off excess ink from it, observed perfect correctness in the placement of lines and words and generally followed all the movements of the scribes...
Dro's best work is considered to be a watch presented to Ferdinand VI of Spain, with which a whole group of different machines was connected: a lady sitting on the balcony was reading a book, occasionally sniffing tobacco and, apparently, listening to a musical play played out by the clock; a tiny canary fluttered and sang; the dog guarded the basket of fruit and, if someone took one of the fruits, barked until what was taken was put back in its place ... "
What can be added to the evidence of the ancient dictionary?

“The Scribe” was built by Pierre Jaquet-Droz, an outstanding Swiss watchmaker. Following this, his son Henri built another android - a “draftsman”. Then both mechanics - father and son together - also invented and built a “musician” who played the harmonium, hitting the keys with her fingers, and while playing, turned her head and followed the position of her hands with her eyes; her chest rose and fell, as if the “musician” was breathing.

In 1774, at an exhibition in Paris, these mechanical people enjoyed great success. Henri Jaquet-Droz then took them to Spain, where crowds of spectators expressed delight and admiration. But here the Holy Inquisition intervened, accused Dro of witchcraft and put him in prison, taking away the unique works he had created...

The creations of father and son Jacquet-Droz went through a difficult path, passing from hand to hand, and many qualified watchmakers and mechanics applied their labor and talent to them, restoring and repairing what was damaged by people and time, until the androids took their rightful place of honor in Switzerland - at the Museum of Fine Arts of Neuchâtel.

Mechanical soldiers

In the 19th century - the century of steam engines and fundamental discoveries - no one in Europe perceived mechanical creatures as “the devil's spawn”. On the contrary, they expected technical innovations from respectable scientists that would soon change the life of every person, making it easy and carefree. Technical science and invention reached a special flowering in Great Britain during the Victorian era.

The Victorian era is usually called the more than sixty-year period of Queen Victoria's reign of England: from 1838 to 1901. The steady economic growth of the British Empire during that period was accompanied by a flourishing of the sciences and arts. It was then that the country achieved hegemony in industrial development, trade, finance, and maritime transport.

England became the “industrial workshop of the world,” and it is not surprising that its inventors were expected to create a mechanical man. And some adventurers, taking advantage of the opportunity, learned to wishful thinking.

For example, back in 1865, a certain Edward Ellis, in his historical (?!) work “The Enormous Hunter, or the Steam Man on the Prairie,” told the world about a gifted designer, Johnny Brainerd, who allegedly was the first to build a “steam-powered man.”
According to this work, Brainerd was a small hunchbacked dwarf. He continuously invented different things: toys, miniature steamships and locomotives, wireless telegraph. One fine day, Brainerd got tired of his tiny crafts, he told his mother about this, and she suddenly suggested that he try to make a Steam Man. For several weeks, Johnny, captivated by the new idea, could not find a place for himself, and after several unsuccessful attempts, he finally built what he wanted.

Steam Man - rather, a steam locomotive in the form of a man:
“This mighty giant was approximately three meters tall; not a single horse could compare with him: the giant easily pulled a van with five passengers. Where ordinary people wear a hat, the Steam Man had a chimney pipe from which thick black smoke poured out.
The mechanical man had everything, even his face, made of iron, and his body was painted black. The extraordinary mechanism had a pair of seemingly frightened eyes and a huge grinning mouth.

He had a device in his nose, like a locomotive whistle, through which steam came out. Where a person's chest is, he had a steam boiler with a door for throwing logs into it.

His two hands held pistons, and the soles of his massive long legs were covered with sharp spikes to prevent slipping.

In the pack on his back there were valves, and on his neck there were reins with which the driver controlled the Steam Man, while on the left there was a cord to control the whistle in the nose. Under favorable circumstances, the Steam Man was capable of very high speeds."

According to eyewitness accounts, the first Steam Man could move at speeds of up to 30 miles per hour (about 50 km/h), and the wagon pulled by this mechanism was almost as stable as a railway carriage. The only serious drawback was the need to constantly carry a huge amount of firewood with you, because you had to continuously “feed” the Steam Man’s firebox.

Having become rich and educated, Johnny Brainerd wanted to improve his design, but instead, in 1875, he sold the patent to Frank Reed Sr. A year later, Reed built an improved version of the Steam Man, the Steam Man Mark II. The second “locomotive man” became half a meter taller (3.65 meters), received headlights instead of eyes, and the ashes from the burnt wood spilled onto the ground through special channels in his legs. The speed of the Mark II was also significantly higher than its predecessor - up to 50 mph (more than 80 km/h).

Despite the obvious success of the second Steam Man, Frank Reed Sr., disillusioned with steam engines in general, abandoned this idea and switched to electric models.

However, in February 1876, work began on the Steam Man Mark III: Frank Reed Sr. made a bet with his son, Frank Reed Jr., that it was impossible to significantly improve the second model of the Steam Man.

On May 4, 1879, in front of a small crowd of curious citizens, Reed Jr. demonstrated the Mark III model. A journalist from New York, Louis Senarens, became an “accidental” witness to this demonstration. His amazement at the technical wonder was so great that he became the official biographer of the Reed family.

It seems that Senarens was not a very conscientious chronicler, because history is silent about which of the Reeds won the bet. But it is known that along with the Steam Man, father and son also made a Steam Horse, which surpassed both Marks in speed.
One way or another, but in the same 1879, both Frank Reeds became irrevocably disillusioned with steam-powered mechanisms and began working with electricity.

In 1885, the first tests of the Electric Man took place. As you understand, today it is already difficult to understand how he acted Electric Man what were his abilities and speed. In the surviving illustrations, we see that this machine had a fairly powerful spotlight, and potential enemies were awaited by “electrical discharges” that the Man shot directly from his eyes! Apparently, the power source was located in a mesh-covered van. By analogy with the Steam Horse, the Electric Horse was created.

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The Americans did not lag behind the British. A certain Louis Philip Perue from the city of Towanada, near Niagara Falls, built the Automatic Man in the late 1890s.
It all started with a small working model about 60 centimeters high. With this sample, Peru hit the thresholds of rich people, hoping to get funding for the construction of a full-size copy.

With his stories, he tried to capture the imagination of the “money bags”: a walking robot will go where no wheeled vehicle can go, a walking combat vehicle could make soldiers invulnerable, and so on and so forth.
In the end, Peru managed to persuade businessman Charles Thomas, with whom they founded the American automatic company"(United States Automaton Company).
The work was carried out in an atmosphere of strict secrecy, and only when everything was completely ready did Peru decide to present his creation to the public. The development was completed in the early summer of 1900, and in October of the same year it was presented to the press, which immediately nicknamed Peru the Frankenstein of Tonawanda:
“This giant of wood, rubber and metals, who walks, runs, jumps, talks and rolls his eyes - imitates a person in almost everything exactly.”

Automatic Man was 7 feet 5 inches (2.25 meters) tall. He was dressed in a white suit, giant shoes and a matching hat - Peru tried to achieve maximum resemblance and, according to eyewitnesses, the hands of the machine looked the most realistic. The Man's skin was made of aluminum for lightness, the entire figure was supported by a steel structure.
The power source was a rechargeable battery. The operator sat in the back of the van, which was connected to the Automatic Man by a small metal tube.
The Man demonstration took place in Tonawanda's large exhibit hall. The first movements of the robot disappointed the public: the steps were jerky, accompanied by crackling and noise.
However, when Peru's invention was "developed", the movement became smooth and almost silent.

The inventor of the man-machine said that the robot could walk at a fairly fast pace for an almost unlimited amount of time, but the figure said it all:
"I'm going to walk from New York to San Francisco"“,” she stated in a deep voice. The sound came from a device hidden on the Man's chest.

After the car, pulling a light van behind it, made several circles around the hall, the inventor placed a log in its path. The robot stopped, squinted at the obstacle, as if pondering the situation, and walked around the log.

Perew stated that Automatic Man was capable of covering a distance of 480 miles (772 km) in a day, moving at an average speed of 20 mph (32 km/h).

It is clear that in the Victorian era it was impossible to build a full-fledged android robot and the mechanisms described above were just wind-up toys designed to influence the gullible public - however, the idea itself lived and developed...

* * *
When the famous American writer Isaac Asimov formulated the three laws of robotics, the essence of which was the unconditional ban on a robot causing any harm to a person, he probably did not even realize that long before that the first robot soldier had already appeared in America. This robot was called Boilerplate and was created in the 1880s by Professor Archie Campion.

Campion was born on November 27, 1862 and from childhood was a very curious and knowledge-seeking boy. When Archie's sister's husband died in the Korean War in 1871, the young man was shocked. It is believed that it was then that Campion set himself the goal of finding a way to resolve conflicts without killing people.

Archie's father, Robert Campion, ran the first company in Chicago to produce computers, which undoubtedly influenced the future inventor.
In 1878, the young man got a job, becoming an operator for the Chicago Telephone Company, where he gained experience as a technical specialist. Archie's talents ultimately earned him good and stable income– in 1882, he received many patents for his inventions: from casement pipelines to multi-stage electrical systems. Over the next three years, royalties from the patents made Archie Campion a millionaire. It was with these millions in his pocket that in 1886 the inventor suddenly turned into a recluse - he built a small laboratory in Chicago and began working on his robot.

From 1888 to 1893, nothing was heard about Campion, until he suddenly announced himself at the International Columbian Exposition, where he presented his robot named Boilerplate.
Despite the wide advertising campaign, very little material has been preserved about the inventor and his robot. We have already noted that the Boilerplate was conceived as a means of bloodless conflict resolution - in other words, it was a prototype of a mechanical soldier.

Although the robot existed in a single copy, it had the opportunity to implement the proposed function - Boilerplate repeatedly participated in combat operations.
True, the wars were preceded by a trip to Antarctica in 1894 on a sailing ship. They wanted to test the robot in an aggressive environment, but the expedition did not reach the South Pole - the sailboat got stuck in the ice, and they had to return.

When the United States declared war on Spain in 1898, Archie Campion saw an opportunity to demonstrate his creation's fighting capabilities in practice. Knowing that Theodore Roosevelt was partial to new technologies, Campion persuaded him to enlist the robot in the volunteer squad.

On June 24, 1898, a mechanical soldier took part in battle for the first time, causing the enemy to flee during an attack. Boilerplate went through the entire war until the peace treaty was signed in Paris on December 10, 1898.

Since 1916 in Mexico, the robot has participated in the campaign against Pancho Villa. The story of an eyewitness to those events, Modesto Nevares, has been preserved:
“Suddenly someone shouted that an American soldier had been captured north of the city. He was led to the hotel where Pancho Villa was staying. I had the opportunity to see for myself that I had never seen a stranger soldier in my life. This American was not a man at all, since he was completely made of metal, and was taller than all the soldiers by a whole head.
He had a blanket tied around his shoulders so that from a distance he would look just like an ordinary peasant. Later I learned that the guards tried to stop this metal figure with rifle fire, but the bullets were like mosquitoes for this giant. Instead of retaliating against the attackers, this soldier simply asked to be taken to the leader."

In 1918, during World War I, Boilerplate was sent behind enemy lines on a special reconnaissance mission. He did not return from the mission, and no one saw him again.
It is clear that, most likely, the Boilerplate was just an expensive toy or even a fake, but it was he who was destined to become the first in a long series of machines that would replace the soldier on the battlefield...

World War II robots

The idea of ​​​​creating a combat vehicle controlled remotely via radio arose at the very beginning of the 20th century and was realized by the French inventor Schneider, who created a prototype of a mine detonated using a radio signal.

In 1915, the German fleet included exploding boats designed by Dr. Siemens. Some of the boats were controlled by electrical wires about 20 miles long, and some were controlled by radio. The operator controlled the boats from the shore or from a seaplane. The biggest success of remote-controlled boats was the attack on the British monitor Erebus, which occurred on October 28, 1917. The monitor was severely damaged, but was able to return to port.
At the same time, the British were experimenting with the creation of remote-controlled torpedo aircraft, which were supposed to be radio-guided at an enemy ship. In 1917, in the city of Farnborough, in front of a large crowd of people, an airplane was shown that was controlled by radio. However, the control system failed and the plane crashed near a crowd of spectators. Fortunately, no one was hurt. After this, work on such technology in England died down - only to be resumed in Soviet Russia...

* * *
On August 9, 1921, the former nobleman of Bekauri received the mandate of the Council of Labor and Defense signed by Lenin:
“It is given to the inventor Vladimir Ivanovich Bekauri that he is entrusted with the urgent implementation of his, Bekauri’s, invention of a military-secret nature.”

Having secured the support of the Soviet government, Bekauri created his own institute - the “Special Technical Bureau for Military Inventions for Special Purposes” (Ostekhbyuro). It was here that the first Soviet battlefield robots were to be created.

On August 18, 1921, Bekauri issued order No. 2, according to which six departments were formed in the Ostekhburo: special, aviation, diving, explosives, separate electromechanical and experimental research.

On December 8, 1922, the Krasny Letchik plant handed over aircraft No. 4 “Handley Page” for experiments by the Ostekhbyuro - this is how the air squadron of the Ostekhbyuro began to be created.

To create remote-controlled aircraft, Bekauri needed a heavy aircraft. At first he wanted to order it in England, but the order fell through, and in November 1924 aircraft designer Andrei Nikolaevich Tupolev took up this project. At this time, work was underway in Tupolev’s bureau on the heavy bomber “ANT-4” (“TB-1”). A similar project was envisaged for the TB-3 (ANT-6) aircraft.

For the TB-1 robotic aircraft, the Ostekhbyuro created the Daedalus telemechanical system. Lifting a telemechanical aircraft into the air was a difficult task, and therefore the TB-1 took off with a pilot. Several tens of kilometers from the target, the pilot jumped out with a parachute. Then the plane was controlled by radio from the “master” TB-1. When the remote-controlled bomber reached the target, a signal was sent from the leading vehicle to dive. Such aircraft were planned to be put into service as early as 1935.

Somewhat later, the Ostekhbyuro began designing a four-engine remote-controlled bomber "TB-3". The new bomber took off and cruised with a pilot, but when approaching the target, the pilot did not bail out, but transferred to an I-15 or I-16 fighter suspended from the TB-3 and returned home on it. These bombers were supposed to be put into service in 1936.

When testing the TB-3, the main problem was the lack of reliable operation of the automation. The designers tested many different designs: pneumatic, hydraulic and electromechanical. For example, in July 1934, an aircraft with an AVP-3 autopilot was tested in Monino, and in October of the same year - with an AVP-7 autopilot. But until 1937, not a single more or less acceptable control device had been developed. As a result, on January 25, 1938, the topic was closed, the Ostekhbyuro was dispersed, and the three bombers used for testing were taken away.
However, work on remote-controlled aircraft continued even after the dispersal of the Ostekhbyuro. Thus, on January 26, 1940, the Council of Labor and Defense issued Resolution No. 42 on the production of telemechanical aircraft, which put forward requirements for the creation of telemechanical aircraft with takeoff and landing "TB-3" by July 15, telemechanical aircraft with takeoff and landing "TB-3" "by October 15, command control aircraft "SB" by August 25 and "DB-3" by November 25.

In 1942, military tests of the remote-controlled Torpedo aircraft, created on the basis of the TB-3 bomber, even took place. The plane was loaded with 4 tons of “high-performance” explosives. Guidance was carried out by radio from the DB-ZF aircraft.
This plane was supposed to hit the railway junction in Vyazma, occupied by the Germans. However, when approaching the target, the antenna of the DB-ZF transmitter failed, control of the Torpedo aircraft was lost, and it fell somewhere beyond Vyazma.

The second pair of Torpedo and the SB control plane burned down at the airfield in the same year, 1942, when ammunition exploded in a nearby bomber...

* * *
After a relatively short period of success in World War II, by the beginning of 1942, the German military aviation (Luftwaffe) had fallen on hard times. The Battle of Britain was lost, and during the failed Blitzkrieg against the Soviet Union, thousands of pilots and a huge number of aircraft were lost. The immediate prospects also did not promise anything good - the production capacity of the aviation industry of the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition was many times greater than the capabilities of German aviation companies, whose factories were also increasingly subjected to devastating enemy air raids.
The Luftwaffe command saw the only way out of this situation in the development of fundamentally new systems. An order from one of the leaders of the Luftwaffe, Field Marshal Milch, dated December 10, 1942, states:
“The unconditional requirement to ensure the qualitative superiority of the weapons of the German Air Force over the weapons of the enemy Air Force prompted me to order the start of an emergency program for the development and production of new weapon systems, codenamed “Vulcan””
.
In accordance with this program, priority was given to the development of jet aircraft, as well as the FZG-76 remote-controlled aircraft.

The projectile aircraft designed by the German engineer Fritz Glossau, which went down in history under the name “V-1” (“V-1”), has been developed since June 1942 by the Fisseler company, which had previously produced several quite acceptable unmanned aerial vehicles -targets for training anti-aircraft gun crews. In order to ensure the secrecy of work on the projectile aircraft, it was also called an anti-aircraft artillery target - Flakzielgerat or FZG for short. There was also an internal designation “Fi-103”, and in secret correspondence the code designation “Kirschkern” - “Cherry Pit” - was used.

The main innovation of the projectile aircraft was the pulsating jet engine, developed in the late 1930s by the German aerodynamicist Paul Schmidt based on a design proposed back in 1913 by the French designer Lorin. The industrial prototype of this engine, As109-014, was created by Argus in 1938.

In technical terms, the Fi-103 projectile was an exact copy of a naval torpedo. After the projectile was launched, it flew with the help of an autopilot along a given course and at a predetermined altitude.

The Fi-103 had a fuselage 7.8 meters long, in the nose of which a warhead with a ton of amatol was placed. Behind the warhead there was a fuel tank with gasoline. Then came two wire-braided spherical steel cylinders of compressed air to operate the rudders and other mechanisms. The tail section was occupied by a simplified autopilot, which kept the projectile on a straight course and at a given altitude. The wingspan was 530 centimeters.

Returning one day from the Fuehrer's headquarters, Reich Minister Dr. Goebbels published the following ominous statement in the Volkischer Beobachter:
“The Fuhrer and I, bent over a large-scale map of London, marked the squares with the most worthwhile goals. In London, twice as many people live in a narrow space as in Berlin. I know what this means. There have been no air raid raids in London for three and a half years. Imagine what a terrible awakening it will be!..”

At the beginning of June 1944, a report was received in London that German guided missiles had been delivered to the French coast of the English Channel. British pilots reported that a lot of enemy activity was noticed around two structures that resembled skis. On the evening of June 12, German long-range guns began shelling English territory across the English Channel, probably in order to divert the attention of the British from preparing to launch projectile aircraft. At 4 o'clock in the morning the shelling stopped. A few minutes later, a strange “plane” was seen over the observation post in Kent, making a sharp whistling sound and emitting a bright light from the tail. Eighteen minutes later the “plane” crashed to the ground with a deafening explosion at Swanscome, near Gravesend. Over the next hour, three more of these “planes” fell in Cuckfield, Bethnal Green and Platt. The explosions in Bethnal Green killed six people and injured nine. In addition, the railway bridge was destroyed.

During the war, 8070 (according to other sources - 9017) V-1 projectile aircraft were fired across England. Of this number, 7488 were spotted by the surveillance service, and 2420 (according to other sources - 2340) reached the target area. British air defense fighters destroyed 1847 V-1s, shooting them with on-board weapons or knocking them down with a slipstream. Anti-aircraft artillery destroyed 1,878 aircraft. 232 shells crashed on the barrage balloons. In general, almost 53% of all V-1 missiles fired at London were shot down, and only 32% (according to other sources - 25.9%) of the missiles broke through to the target area.
But even with this number of aircraft-shells, the Germans inflicted great damage on England. 24,491 residential buildings were destroyed, and 52,293 buildings became uninhabitable. 5,864 people were killed and 17,197 were seriously injured.

The last V-1 missile launched from French territory fell on England on September 1, 1944. Anglo-American troops, having landed in France, destroyed the installations for their launch.

* * *
In the early 1930s, the reorganization and rearmament of the Red Army began. One of the most active supporters of these transformations, designed to make the workers' and peasants' battalions the most powerful military units in the world, was the “Red Marshal” Mikhail Nikolaevich Tukhachevsky. He saw the modern army as countless armadas of light and heavy tanks, supported by long-range chemical artillery and high-altitude bomber aircraft. Looking for all sorts of inventive innovations that could change the nature of the war, giving the Red Army an obvious advantage, Tukhachevsky could not help but support the work on the creation of remote-controlled robotic tanks, which were carried out by Vladimir Bekauri's Ostekhburo, and later at the Institute of Telemechanics (full name - All-Union State Institute Telemechanics and Communications, VGITiS).

The first Soviet remote-controlled tank was the captured French Renault tank. A series of tests took place in 1929-30, but it was controlled not by radio, but by cable. However, a year later, a tank of domestic design, “MS-1” (“T-18”), was tested. It was controlled by radio and, moving at speeds of up to 4 km/h, carried out the commands “forward”, “right”, “left” and “stop”.

In the spring of 1932, the “Bridge-1” (later “River-1” and “River-2”) telecontrol equipment was equipped with the T-26 double-turret tank. Tests of this tank were carried out in April at the Moscow chemical testing site. Based on their results, the production of four teletanks and two control tanks was ordered. The new control equipment, manufactured by Ostekhbyuro employees, made it possible to execute 16 commands.

In the summer of 1932, a special tank detachment No. 4 was formed in the Leningrad Military District, the main task of which was to study the combat capabilities of remote-controlled tanks. The tanks arrived at the detachment's location only at the end of 1932, and in January 1933, their field testing began in the Krasnoye Selo area.

In 1933, a remote-controlled tank under the symbol “TT-18” (a modification of the T-18 tank) was tested with control equipment located at the driver’s seat. This tank could also carry out 16 commands: turn, change speed, stop, start moving again, detonate a high-explosive charge, set up a smoke screen or release toxic substances. The range of the TT-18 was no more than a few hundred meters. At least seven standard tanks were converted into TT-18, but this system never entered service.
A new stage in the development of remote-controlled tanks began in 1934.

Under the code "Titan", the TT-26 teletank was developed, equipped with devices for releasing combat chemicals, as well as a removable flamethrower with a firing range of up to 35 meters. 55 cars of this series were produced. The TT-26 teletanks were controlled from a conventional T-26 tank.
On the chassis of the T-26 tank in 1938, the TT-TU tank was created - a telemechanical tank that approached enemy fortifications and dropped a demolition charge.

On the basis of the BT-7 high-speed tank, the A-7 remote-controlled tank was created in 1938-39. The teletank was armed with a Silin system machine gun and KS-60 toxic substance release devices produced by the Kompressor plant. The substance itself was placed in two tanks - it should have been enough to guarantee contamination of an area of ​​7,200 square meters. In addition, the teletank could put up a smoke screen 300-400 meters long. And finally, a mine containing a kilogram of TNT was installed on the tank, so that if it fell into the hands of the enemy, it would be possible to destroy it secret weapon.

The control operator was located on a BT-7 linear tank with standard weapons and could issue 17 commands to the teletank. The tank's control range on level ground reached 4 kilometers, and the continuous control time ranged from 4 to 6 hours.

Tests of the A-7 tank at the test site revealed many design flaws, ranging from numerous failures of the control system to the complete uselessness of the Silin machine gun.
Teletanks were also developed on the basis of other vehicles. Thus, it was planned to convert the T-27 wedge into a teletank. The telemechanical tank “Veter” was designed based on the amphibious tank “T-37A” and the telemechanical breakthrough tank based on the huge five-turret “T-35”.
After the abolition of the Ostekhbyuro, NII-20 took over the design of teletanks. His employees created the T-38-TT telemechanical wedge. The teletankette was armed with a DT machine gun in the turret and a KS-61-T flamethrower, and was also equipped with a chemical cylinder with a capacity of 45 liters and equipment for setting up a smoke screen. The control wedge with a crew of two had the same weapons, but with more ammunition.

The teletankette carried out the following commands: starting the engine, increasing engine speed, turning right and left, switching gears, turning on the brakes, stopping the wedge, preparing to fire a machine gun, shooting, flame throwing, preparing for an explosion, explosion, retreat from preparation. However, the range of action of the teletankette did not exceed 2500 meters. As a result, an experimental series of T-38-TT teletankettes was produced, but they were not accepted for service.
Soviet teletanks experienced their baptism of fire on February 28, 1940 in the Vyborg region during the Winter War with Finland. TT-26 teletanks were launched in front of the advancing linear tanks. However, they all got stuck in shell craters and were shot at almost point-blank range by Finnish anti-tank guns.

This sad experience forced the Soviet command to reconsider its attitude towards remote-controlled tanks, and in the end it abandoned the idea of ​​their mass production and use.

* * *
The enemy obviously did not have such experience, and therefore during the Second World War the Germans repeatedly tried to use tanks and wedges controlled by wire and radio.
The following appeared on the fronts: the light tank “Goliath” (“B-I”) weighing 870 kilograms, the medium tank “Springer” (Sd.Kfz.304) weighing 2.4 tons, as well as “B-IV” (Sd.Kfz. 301) weighing from 4.5 to 6 tons.
The German company Borgward has been developing remote-controlled tanks since 1940. From 1942 to 1944, the company produced the B-IV tank under the name “Heavy charge carrier Sd.Kfz.301”. It was the first vehicle of its kind to be mass-produced into the Wehrmacht. The wedge served as a remotely controlled carrier of explosives or warheads. In its bow there was an explosive charge weighing half a ton, which was released by radio command. After the reset, the wedge returned to the tank from which it was controlled. The operator could transmit ten commands to the teletank over a distance of up to four kilometers. About a thousand copies of this car were produced.
Since 1942, various options for the B-IV design have been considered. In general, the Germans' use of these teletanks was not very successful. By the end of the war, Wehrmacht officers finally realized this, and the B-IV began to throw away the remote control equipment, in return placing two tankers with a recoilless rifle behind the armor - in this capacity, the B-IV could really pose a threat to the enemy’s medium and heavy tanks.

The “Light Charge Carrier Sd.Kfz.302” under the name “Goliath” has become much more widespread and famous. This small tank, just 610 millimeters tall, developed by Borgward, was equipped with two battery-powered electric motors and was controlled by radio. It carried an explosive charge weighing 90.7 kilograms. A later modification of the Goliath was converted to run on a gasoline engine and to be controlled by wire. In this form, this device went into large production in the summer of 1943. The subsequent model of the Goliath as a special vehicle, the Sd.Kfz.303, had a two-cylinder, two-stroke, air-cooled engine and was controlled by a retractable heavy field cable. This entire “toy” had dimensions of 1600x660x670 millimeters, moved at a speed of 6 to 10 km/h and weighed only 350 kilograms. The device could carry 100 kilograms of cargo; its task was to clear mines and remove debris on roads in the combat zone. Until the end of the war, by preliminary estimates, about 5,000 units of this small teletank were manufactured. The Goliath was the main weapon in at least six sapper companies of tank forces.

These miniature machines were known quite widely to the public after they began to be referred to for propaganda purposes as the “secret weapon of the Third Reich” in the last years of the war. Here, for example, is what the Soviet press wrote about “Goliath” in 1944:
“On the Soviet-German front, the Germans used a torpedo wedge, mainly intended to fight our tanks. This self-propelled torpedo carries an explosive charge, which explodes by shorting the current at the moment of contact with the tank.
The torpedo is controlled from a remote point, which is connected to it by a wire ranging from 250 m to 1 km in length. This wire is wound on a reel located at the rear of the wedge. As the wedge moves away from the point, the wire is unwound from the reel.

While moving on the battlefield, the wedge can change direction. This is achieved by alternately switching the right and left motors powered by batteries.
Our troops quickly recognized the numerous vulnerable parts of the torpedoes and the latter were immediately subjected to massive destruction.

It was not difficult for tankers and artillerymen to shoot them from afar. When a shell hit, the wedge simply flew into the air - it, so to speak, “self-destructed” with the help of its own explosive charge.

The wedge heel was easily disabled by an armor-piercing bullet, as well as machine-gun and rifle fire. In such cases, the bullets hit the front and side parts of the wedge and pierced its track. Sometimes the fighters simply cut the wire trailing behind the torpedo and the blind beast became completely harmless..."

And finally, there was the “Average charge carrier Sd. Kfz. 304" ("Springer"), the development of which was carried out in 1944 at the United Production Plants Vehicle"Neckarsulm" using parts of a crawler motorcycle. The device was designed to carry a payload of 300 kilograms. This model was supposed to be produced in 1945 in a large series, but until the end of the war only a few copies of the machine were made...

NATO Mechanized Army

The first law of robotics, invented by the American science fiction writer Isaac Asimov, stated that a robot should under no circumstances harm a person. Now they prefer not to remember this rule. After all, when it comes to government contracts, the potential danger of killer robots seems like something frivolous.

The Pentagon has been working on the program, called Future Combat Systems (FSC), since May 2000. According to official information,

“The challenge is to create driverless vehicles that can do everything that needs to be done on the battlefield: attack, defend and find targets.”
That is, the idea is simple to the point of disgrace: one robot detects a target, reports this to the command post, and another robot (or missile) destroys the target.

Three competing consortiums competed for the role of general contractor: Boeing, General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin, which are offering their solutions for this Pentagon project with a budget of hundreds of millions of dollars. According to the latest data, the winner of the competition was the Lockheed Martin Corporation.

The US military believes that the first generation of combat robots will be ready for military operations on the ground and in the air in the next 10 years, and Kendel Peace, a representative of General Dynamics, is even more optimistic:
“We believe that we can create such a system by the end of this decade.”

In other words - by 2010! One way or another, the deadline for the adoption of an army of robots is set for 2025.

“Future Combat Systems” is a whole system that includes well-known unmanned aerial vehicles (the “Predator” used in Afghanistan can be considered one of these), and autonomous tanks, and ground-based armored reconnaissance personnel carriers. All this equipment is supposed to be controlled remotely - simply from a shelter, wireless communication or from satellites. The requirements for FSC are clear. Reusability, versatility, combat power, speed, security, compactness, maneuverability, and in some cases, the ability to choose a solution from a set of options included in the program.
Some of these vehicles are planned to be equipped with laser and microwave weapons.
There is no talk of creating robot soldiers yet. For some reason, this interesting topic is not touched upon at all in the Pentagon’s materials on FCS. There is also no mention of such a structure of the US Navy as the SPAWAR (Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command) center, which has very interesting developments in this area.

SPAWAR specialists have long been developing remote-controlled vehicles for reconnaissance and guidance, a reconnaissance “flying saucer”, network sensor systems and rapid detection and response systems, and, finally, a series of autonomous robots “ROBART”.
The latest representative of this family, ROBART III, is still in the development stage. And this, in fact, is a real robot soldier with a machine gun.

The “ancestors” of the combat robot (respectively, “ROBART – I-II”) were intended to protect military warehouses - that is, they were only capable of detecting an intruder and raising the alarm, while the prototype “ROBART III” is equipped with weapons. For now, this is a pneumatic prototype of a machine gun that shoots balls and arrows, but the robot already has an automatic guidance system; he himself finds the target and fires his ammunition at it at a speed of six shots in one and a half seconds.

However, FCS is far from the only program of the American Department of Defense. There is also the JPR (Joint Robotics Program), which the Pentagon has been implementing since September 2000. The description of this program directly states: “military robotic systems will be used everywhere in the 21st century.”

* * *
The Pentagon is not the only organization that is creating killer robots. It turns out that quite civil departments are interested in the production of mechanical monsters.

According to Reuters, scientists at the British University have created a prototype of the SlugBot robot, which is capable of tracking down and destroying living creatures. The press has already nicknamed him the “Terminator.” For now, the robot is programmed to search for slugs. He processes those caught and thus produces electricity. This is the world's first working robot, whose task is to kill and devour its victims.

SlugBot goes hunting after dark, when slugs are most active, and can destroy more than 100 mollusks in an hour. Thus, scientists have come to the aid of English gardeners and farmers, for whom slugs have been a nuisance for many centuries, destroying the plants they have grown.
“Slugs were not chosen by chance,” says Dr. Ian Kelly, creator of the first Terminator, “they are the main pests, there are a lot of them, they do not have a strong skeleton and are quite large.”

The robot, about 60 centimeters tall, finds its victim using infrared sensors. Scientists claim that SlugBot accurately identifies pest mollusks by infrared wavelength and can distinguish slugs from worms or snails.

“SlugBot” moves on four wheels and grabs shellfish with its “long arm”: it can rotate it 360 degrees and overtake the victim at a distance of 2 meters in any direction. The robot puts the caught slugs in a special tray.
After a night hunt, the robot returns “home” and unloads: the slugs end up in a special tank, where fermentation occurs, as a result of which the slugs turn into electricity. The robot uses the resulting energy to charge its own batteries, after which the hunt continues.

Despite the fact that Time magazine named SlugBot one of the best inventions of 2001, the creators of the killer robot were criticized. Thus, one of the magazine’s readers in his open letter called the invention “reckless”:
“By creating flesh-eating robots, we are crossing a line that only a madman can cross.”

Gardeners and farmers, on the contrary, welcome the invention. They believe that its use will help gradually reduce the amount of harmful pesticides used on farmland. It is estimated that UK farmers spend an average of up to $30 million a year on slug control.

In three to four years, the first Terminator could be ready for industrial production. The prototype "SlugBot" costs about three thousand dollars, but the inventors say that once the robot hits the market, the price will drop.
Today it is clear that scientists at the British University will not stop at destroying slugs, and in the future we can expect the appearance of a robot that kills, say, rats. And here it’s already not far from a person...

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Dedicated
old Bender B. Rodriguez
With all my heart...

I must admit honestly, choosing a topic for writing the next IT stories is not an easy task. Not at all because these topics are not enough. On the contrary, it is easier when the topic is defined or is obviously in demand. When there are a lot of topics, everyone is interesting - that’s when the agony of choice arises. For example, a very hot topic in our times is the so-called “freelancing”. Or a topic consonant with it, but still somewhat different and also a very “hot” topic - distant work. I have long wanted to speak on the topic of convenience and form factors of modern portable technology (from players and smartphones to laptops); it seems to me that I have several interesting ideas for manufacturers that have not yet been implemented in practice, but are quite in demand by users. Or, for example, I suspect that many readers would be interested in a more or less structured review material on “electric money”, that is, about modern methods of remote receipt or remote spending virtual money. And just imagine what interesting things are happening now with the discoveries of transuranic elements, experiments with invisibility and teleportation, nanotechnology...

In a word, if you think carefully, you can find dozens of such burning topics that do not quite fit into the traditional formats of articles on our site, but are quite appropriate as a kind of light “Sunday offtopic” for this column. What I mean is that if you are really interested in any similar areas that are only indirectly related to the IT industry, don’t be lazy, drop me a few lines in the mail with your opinion and wishes, next time, quite possibly, we’ll talk about this.

But today I have carte blanche, and there is a strong desire to speculate on the topic “to what tartares is this whole abnormal world going to the accompaniment and with the active support of the IT industry”. The reason for this mood was the several entertaining hours I spent the other day researching Japanese and Korean sites to learn about new products in the field of robotics. Moreover, quite recently in the Asian part of our planet several extraordinary events happened in this industry.

Firstly, the CEATEC (Combined Exhibition of Advanced Technologies) JAPAN 2006 exhibition, which took place October 3–7 in Makuhari Messe, Tokyo, recently ended in Japan. Countless robots, including humanoid ones, were presented at this exhibition, and over the past few weeks we have regularly reported on one or another curiosity in our news. Secondly, the entire coming week will be devoted to another exhibition, this time a specialized one - Robot World 2006, which will be held in Seoul, South Korea. Presumably, with no less resounding success.

And finally, the third key event of recent weeks is the opening of the first Japanese Robot Museum in the city of Sakae (Nagoya, Japan). The museum, by the way, is combined with a store where only robots are sold, so, wandering around through the halls, after playing and admiring the exhibits, you can choose something for your home from more than 2 thousand robots.

In fact, having had enough of the various impressions from viewing reports from the museum and exhibitions, the first thing I felt was a desire to simply talk about the most amazing new items. There really is something to be told there - for example, in the central hall of the Robot Museum called ROBOTHINK, visitors have the opportunity to practice remote control of robots using various remote controls and even mobile phones. Among the exhibits are all kinds of housewife robots, seal robots, waiter robots, musicians, motorcyclists, and so on.

And yet, it is now difficult to truly surprise with such mechanisms. Of course, now I will not miss the opportunity to briefly talk about the collected facts and forecasts for the development of the market for non-humanoid robots, but if this is not interesting to you, you can skip a few highlighted paragraphs without losing the meaning of the material.

So here it is. Nowadays, many different robots are specialized devices programmed for one operation. Thus, the iRobot Roomba is an intelligent vacuum cleaner, and the Robotics RL1000 Robomower, priced at $1,800 with a docking station, is an automatic lawn mower. Most specialized robots are simply stylized as domestic robotic animals or humanoid creatures, nothing more. In the future, one of the trends in robotics will most likely result in the creation of personal universal robots - housekeeping assistants who will take on all kinds of household routines - from sweeping floors and milking cows to spraying insecticides and performing the functions of a nurse during operations.

Most likely, the market for such robots will grow most dynamically. Thus, according to Stephen Keeney, project manager at ASIMO (Honda America), this year sales of Roomba robotic vacuum cleaners will exceed the 2 million mark, and next year sales of such devices, coupled with similar glass washers, will grow even more. By 2009 - in just three years, about 4.5 million robots specializing in helping housewives will be sold in the United States. By 2010, sales of robot assistants and “personal robots” will exceed $17 billion, and in 2025 these sales will amount to about $52 billion. By 2040, most families will already have a home robot, or at least plan to purchase one in the near future .

And yet, these are not exactly the prospects for “robotics” that A. Azimov dreamed of. With some funding, creating all these robotic vacuum cleaners is a task, well, maybe only a little more difficult than designing modern amazing things like iPod, PDA, GPS, smartphones, laptops or complexes of these technologies. Where are all these amazing androids? smart houses and artificial intelligence, the appearance of which was “promised” by science fiction writers almost before the end of the 20th century?

Many experts believe that the current state of robotics, namely the transition of technology from scientists' laboratories to the commercial departments of companies, is comparable to what the computer manufacturing industry experienced in the 1970s. Indeed, at that time there was no decent element base To realize impressive computing power, no more or less universal industrial standards for PC components have been defined. In fact, robotics has only asked itself a number of fundamental questions, without the resolution of which robots will not be able to become universal assistants suitable for “independent” or at least more or less autonomous “existence.”

In other words, it's coming. And it seems that the boom will begin in the very near future, if it has not already begun.

Unfortunately, a number of skeptic specialists who have devoted half their lives to the development of robots do not take seriously the idea that such a universal robot assistant of the future will be humanoid, that is, an android. The main argument is why bother when the descendants of the modern robotic vacuum cleaner will learn to open the door, go shopping, scrub toilets and perform a thousand other tasks, remaining in the most functional form for such tasks - for example, a cart on four wheels with specialized claw arms. Or the same robot soldier, who only needs strong armor, precise manipulators for sapper work, off-road tracks, wings for reconnaissance, suction cups for sabotage, and a precision GPS receiver - why does he need a human appearance? A security robot can even be integrated into banking equipment or a home monitoring system; it does not have an independent body at all. We can come up with many such examples.

And yet... you know, if everything were so simple and straightforward, why would there be, one might ask, the development of various imitators of human hands and legs, voice, vision, and so on? Let's put the question even simpler: if robots were considered solely from the point of view of applied applications, where would the stunning popularity of the Sony Aibo electronic dog come from? Yes, industrial, military and other applied specialized robots are needed, no one argues. But if people didn’t dream of robots like themselves or at least pets, they wouldn’t be people, but... probably just robots.

It is difficult to say why the most urgent need for robots with a humanoid appearance is now recorded in Asia, mainly in Japan and South Korea. The fact remains: developments in this direction are carried out most actively there, and the public receives all the new products with a bang - the Japanese Aibo dogs, of which more than 200 thousand have been sold worldwide, have mainly settled in Japan.

It is quite possible that it all comes down to a specific perception of the surrounding world. Some researchers of the phenomenon associate it with the fact that the Japanese are interested in robots precisely as partners, assistants, and see the roots almost in the Japanese tradition of creating mechanical karakuri dolls for tea ceremonies back in the Edo Dynasty (1600 - 1868). Perhaps this is why in most cases, the result of Japanese developments is not an abstruse mechanism made of bolts and pieces of iron, but rather a fusion of new technologies and design discoveries, whether we are talking about creating a complex humanoid robot, a dog-style toy, or even a simple vacuum cleaner.

It is this seemingly irrational need to “animate” products, as opposed to churning out soulless machines, that ultimately leads to a high demand for Japanese designs. In addition, developers from more pragmatic and militarized European and American countries Nowadays, in the tradition of developing robots, most often they are products for military purposes, and if we are talking about “humanization,” the tradition of creating “Frankensteins” and other monstrous pseudo-creatures often prevails.

However, there are already plenty of factors influencing the “animation” of Japanese robots, for example, demography. Imagine, about a third of the population of the Japanese islands by 2050 will be 60 years of age or older. There is a problem with the birth rate there, as in most developed industrial countries, plus there is also a very strict immigration policy. And who will you order to serve all these old people, take out the pots for them and patiently listen to their grumbling? Well, really, it’s not a good idea to bring in gaijin for this...

That is why one non-governmental Japanese consortium, consisting of seven companies plus the University of Tokyo, has specific plans to develop specialized robots that will be able to clean an apartment by 2008, will be able to make a bed by 2013, and in general by 2016 will be able to provide a full range of care for elderly patients.

In Japan, issues of robotics development are also actively supported at the government level. An interesting example: just recently, the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry decided to allocate $17 million in funding for the development of intelligent robots capable of making their own “informed” decisions in a work environment. Rumor has it that such robot managers will appear on sale by 2015.

And yet, who can be considered a robot of the future, and who should not? Will humanoid androids become our friends in the near future, or will the grandson of a modern Japanese smart toilet become a full-fledged home robot, which in a “session” manages to measure your blood pressure, blood sugar level and tell you all this in a pleasant voice (he has no face for obvious reasons) ?

Or here is the development of the company Nomura, which at the New York NextFest presented a robotic partner for dance classes - Partner Ballroom Dance Robot (PBDR). For just $300,000, this battery-powered robot will teach you how to waltz, carefully monitoring your erroneous and unclear movements. Is this an android or not yet? Hardly…

And yet, not everything is so bad, and now I will show you an interesting selection of facts about quite successful developments in the field of android engineering. Let's start, perhaps, with the development of intelligence. In January 2006, the Japanese national industrial research institute National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) announced the development of a humanoid robot HRP-2 (although, judging by the photo, the prototype of the “humanoid” was someone from hell), equipped with an independent self-directed orientation.

During a summer demonstration, HRP-2, responding to a voice command, independently removed a can of juice from the refrigerator and brought it to the person who gave the command. The main elements of the system are located in the “head” of the robot - this is where modern eye cameras and a system for perceiving and analyzing the environment and obstacles are located, allowing the robot to independently select and correct the direction of movement. During the presentation, there were three HRP-2 components connected by a wireless network, which “communicated” with each other, with one receiving commands, another performing the task of retrieving a can of juice, and the third helping in adjusting the route. In the future, the developers are going to implement the entire system into a single “body”.

Not bad? Impressive, only the photo in question is not a humanoid, but some kind of anime stuffed animal. What do you think of this broken android girl, 165 cm tall and weighing only 100 kg, named Actroid DER2 (ho-ho, Dramatic Entertainment Robot)?

Developed by Kokoro (Sanrio Group), this actroid (actress + android. Wow, a term from the newspeak of the future!), compared to the 2005 model, has more refined hand movements and significantly improved facial expressions. The limbs, torso and facial expressions are controlled using pneumatics. This model can already be programmed to choreograph movements of the legs and arms, and transmit gestures synchronized with the voice.

Actroid DER has a silicone coating that amazingly accurately conveys facial expressions and natural skin tones, which corresponds to a soft, silky voice. For now, Kokoro rents out the Actroid DER2 for events to various companies, with a base rate of about $3,500 for five days, plus some minor reprogramming and maintenance fees.

Notice how Actroid DER2 looks in your eyes! One can only guess what kind of seductive “girls” can come out of the hands of dexterous masters! If you wish, you can watch a small part of the video (below)

The video below shows a “girl” from the first generation, Actroid DER.

In simulating the naturalness of the skin and eyes of “human girlfriends”, the development team of Professor Takashi Maeno from Keio University, which, in collaboration with the cosmetics manufacturer Kao Corporation, has been working on the Uncanny Valley hypothesis for several years and has achieved significant success in the development of artificial skin, similar in properties to human skin.

As you know, human skin consists of layers of soft tissue covered with a protective layer (epidermis). Faux leather with the ability to convey facial expressions from Professor Maeno, first presented at the 24th annual conference of the Robotics Society of Japan (RSJ), is composed of 1 cm of “dermis” of elastic silicone, covered with a thin 0.2 mm layer of “epidermis” of durable urethane. Countless sub-miniature indentations etched into the urethane epidermis in a honeycomb hexagonal geometry transform the faux leather into a stunningly realistic texture. Interestingly, during testing, ten out of 12 subjects who touched the artificial skin mistook it for natural human skin. And if Kao Corporation expects to use the idea for further development of new types of cosmetics, then Professor Maeno is confident in the success of using such a development to create the skin of homemade androids.

As for the development of facial expressions, perhaps the one who has gone the furthest is Hiroshi Ishiguro, a professor at Osaka University and developer of the ATR Intelligent Robotics and Communication Laboratories. His counterpart, named Geminoid (Gemin is Latin for “double, twin”, and “–oid” is the famous reflection suffix of “similarity”) is made as an exact copy of the professor - the body with 46 degrees of freedom was copied from Ishiguro and made by Kokoro - the same one that produces “actroids”, and the shape of the skull was made after a volumetric scan of its head. Moreover, the Geminoid android also inherited some of the manners of its “parent” double. The leather material is soft silicone fabric. So far, Geminoid is connected by a network of power cables and is not able to get out of the chair on its own. But, taking into account what has been achieved in a short period of time - it took only six months to develop the body, and three months to develop the software, we can say that the development prospects are very bright.

One of the reasons for the development of Geminoid, according to Professor Ishiguro, was the implementation of the idea of ​​remote “telepresence”. That is, you are sitting, for example, at home, in soft slippers, and your double is taking the rap for you somewhere at work or at a press conference many kilometers from home, while obediently repeating all your words and facial expressions. Why, you yourself can “fantasize” the idea of ​​simultaneous presence in two places...

In a word, today it is not easy to assemble a decent android, very, very reliably similar to a person, but it is quite possible. Confirmation of this is this “girl” by the South Korean Institute of Industrial Technology, The Korean Institute for Industrial Technology (KITECH), first presented on May 4th. It’s even somehow inconvenient to call this robot a “robot,” but now we’ve got to live...

Okay, so, this artificial lady received a face copied and combined “based on” the parameters of two stars, a torso copied from one singer, and a pretentious name EveR-1 means a combination of part of the name of the first biblical woman - Eve, with the letter "R", that is, "robot". According to external data, EveR-1 is simply an athlete and activist: in her twenties (judging by her face), she is 160 cm tall, weighs 50 kg, perfectly imitates the movements of the upper body and masters the facial expressions of her silicone face, conveying unexpected joy with the help of 15 built-in electric motors , anger, sadness and satisfaction.

Alas, the lower part of the “Evarobot” is still motionless, but this does not prevent it from following the interlocutor’s face with its eyes, recognizing about 400 words and maintaining an oral conversation quite tolerably (Ellochka the Ogre is nervously smoking on the sidelines!). In addition to this, Evarobot can impressively replenish its vocabulary, which, after reprogramming, allows it to “throw” it, say, from the place of a guide in a museum to a class with fifth-graders, to whom it can successfully tell a bunch of interesting tales. If you fantasize, it’s scary to even imagine that who else besides guides and teachers could be replaced by Evarobot. I think so, it’s time for most secretaries and even some wives to start worrying about the appearance of a direct competitor who meekly and without whims does a lot, almost everything. ;-)

By the way, all sorts of “pop stars” who open their mouths to the soundtrack can start to worry. The question is, why get involved with these capricious glamorous people when there are such wonderful girls?

However, pop singers can live without fear for several months. The fact is that the "sister" of Evarobot, EveR-2 Muse, which was just conceived as the world’s first artificial pop singer (no, the offensive word “artificial” will still be left to her “phonogram” biological competitors, let it be simply “synthetic”), which was going to be shown next week at the Robot World exhibition 2006 in Seoul, was injured while being transported to the exhibition hall. To be more precise, the baby was dropped in a textbook manner, breaking her neck. Although EveR-2 could only move her lips and do simple dance steps (as practice shows, for many pop figures this is too much), the world premiere of her song “I’ll close my eyes” has been postponed indefinitely.

For some reason, I am sure that the girl’s neck was broken by rude loaders. If her transportation had been entrusted to an intelligent robot, nothing like this would have happened. SR!* UHF!*

So it goes. The developers of Evarobots believe that the successful development of the basic functions of simulating the life activity of a living person will allow them to very quickly improve their models. And there, as you know, there is only one step to mass production, and, consequently, to a sharp reduction in prices. According to the developers of the EveR sisters, the development of technology will make it possible to have similar robots in every family by 2020. At the very least, mass production of such robots is planned by the South Korean government for next year.

Personally, I am concerned about one main question in all these trends. Let’s say that all these sophisticatedly developed imitators of hands, feet, facial expressions, vocal cords and other “elements of human design”, combined with excellent computing abilities, artificial intelligence and excellent “long-lasting” batteries, will sooner or later be reunited, resulting in quite a independent... who? Friend of human?

Let's say, friend. This same friend, having evolved a little more, will become truly perfect - smart, ideally beautiful, an excellent dancer and equally sophisticatedly able to carry on a conversation about exchange rates, chamber music and the work of Venechka Erofeev. Over time, such a “friend” can be entrusted with receiving a salary, making purchases, and preparing food. Yes, everything can be entrusted, that’s what it was created for!

Well, let's touch on the other side of the coin. Such a “lady,” with the appropriate programming and Marilyn’s appearance, will be an ideal life partner: she will not beg for money or attention, will cook dinner and wash her socks without complaint, will listen to the whining of a bad mood and will not think anything about bad breath...

What are you saying, robots do not and will never have a soul or full intelligence? Ha! Regarding the soul, I can note that many people do not have it either - especially when they “just like that” beat their wives, mutilate animals out of boredom and “just” fight. The same can be said about intelligence; Robert A. Heinlein expressed this perfectly in his book “Time Enough for Love, or the Life of Lazarus Long”: “Never appeal to a person’s best qualities. He may not have them. It’s safer to appeal to his personal interests.”. That is, I personally know a lot of people who do not have these qualities, in whose lives there is nothing except an exclusively “automatic” calculation of well-being - no sentimentality, no love, no pity, no passion. And even if such a “fad” rolls in, who said that an android will imitate all this worse than humans? Better, brothers, better!

And what will happen to people in such a gloomy situation? No, I’m certainly an optimist and I won’t now start pessimistic grumbling about an even sharper decline in the birth rate and terrible degradation over the course of two or three generations of lazy people. What are you saying, everything will be wrong, of course, humanity will be destroyed by evil robots from another galaxy!

That's probably enough black humor for today. The only problem is that every joke has only a grain of a joke... I hope you weren’t too bored today, but I didn’t even touch on nanorobots or DPR technology, where millions of microrobots will create 3-dimensional compositions for you or brew a cup of coffee together ... In a word, write, and see you next Sunday!

Whether we like it or not, thanks to the rapid development of technology and the huge amount of money that has been invested in the development of robotics, the era of robots has arrived. Every 6 months new products appear in the field of computer technology, and every year in the field of robotics. Modern robots are becoming more and more human-like. The faster engineering and programming advance, the faster advanced artificial intelligence will emerge. Just 15 years ago, robots on wheels appeared that did not have a wide range of functions; today there are already models that can read and recognize human emotions.

10. BRETT Robot (UC Berkeley)

A team of scientists from UC Berkeley recently made a real revolution in the world of humanoid robots. Outwardly, BRETT does not look human, but displays an intelligence worthy of a genius. The robot's work is based on sensors and visual information, which it processes and applies independently. For example, a robot is capable of assembling a Lego model on its own. When he is given a new task, reprogramming is not required. Robot with execution new task“learns” and becomes smarter, scientists hope to get a “very smart robot” in 5-10 years.

9. Telenoid Robot (Miraikan)

The main function of the Telenoid robot is considered to be communication. He is able to record the voice, facial expression, head movement of the interlocutor and can even return a hug. Special audio programs will help you study foreign language, and older people can use it as a device to communicate with relatives living far away. Despite its not entirely attractive appearance, such a robot has many benefits.

8. Robot EveR-4 (KITECH)

The EveR-4 (KITECH) robot, a representative of a whole series of female androids, was created by scientists at the South Korean Institute of Industrial Technology. The robot, which cost $321,000 to create, was named after the biblical woman, Eve. The EveR-1 android was capable of imitating the human emotions of happiness, sadness, and anger, using a special hydrolytic system that controlled its movements. The outer coating of the robots in the entire series is made of silicone and feels like human skin to the touch. The Android EveR-3 was the first robot capable of singing, which was demonstrated at the annual fair in Hannover in 2009. It was designed taking into account all the advantages of its predecessors, in addition, the creators managed to achieve smooth movements, it was equipped with legs, artificial language and mechanical vocal cords. The latest generation robot was presented in 2011 at the RoboWorld 2011 exhibition.

7. Pepper Robot (SoftBank)

In 2014, Masayoshi Son, owner of SoftBank, introduced the Pepper robot to the public. He stated that this is the first robot capable of recognizing human emotions, and therefore “having a heart.” The robot is equipped with four directional microphones that help identify sound and emotions. He is able to accumulate “received knowledge” in his memory and use it. For example, the robot remembers the emotional moment when the candles on the cake are blown out at a birthday party, and later, in a certain situation, it independently reproduces the action. The emotional robot is surprisingly affordable, like a laptop, selling for $2,000.

6. Robot Kirobo (University of Tokyo)

Tomotaka Takahashi, a leading roboticist at the University of Tokyo and creator of ROBO-GARAGE (2009), developed the Kirobo robot. It is the first Japanese robot astronaut and accompanied commander Koichi Wakata to the International Space Station in 2013. The robot was brought on board aboard an unmanned cargo ship. The 34-centimeter robot looks like a Japanese anime hero and a LEGO hero. It recognizes voices and carries on basic conversation. The main function of the robot on board the space station was to assist the captain in conducting various studies and orientation in zero gravity conditions. When creating the robot, scientists wanted to see how a person and a robot could cooperate and coexist. He became a Guinness Book of Records record holder: as the first robot companion and robot interlocutor.

5. Robots Otonaroid and Kodomoroid (Miraikan)

Japanese roboticist Hiroshi Ishiguro has created two humanoid robots, Otonaroid and Kodomoroid, for the Japan National Museum of Advanced Science and Technology (Miraikan). Otonaroid recreates the image of a 30-year-old Japanese woman who is excellent at holding a conversation. In turn, the Kodomoroid robot is a teenage girl who can read different languages ​​and even respond in a male voice. Both robots have rich facial expressions, they can shake their heads, blink their eyes and talk. They are able to communicate with people, they can give a tour of the museum, that is, they can work instead of a person. Although they are similar, they have a number of features. For example, the Kodomoroid robot can report various news in many languages, and the Otonaroid robot will support any conversation with visitors. But not everything is perfect. Sometimes they look and behave strangely, facial expressions and lip movements do not match what the robots say, but basically both robots look and behave like people.

4. Robot PETMAN (DARPA)

The Personal Protective Equipment Test Mannequin, abbreviated as PETMAN, was developed for the Pentagon by a civil defense project (DARPA). This is a bipedal robot that can climb stairs, lift and lower things, run, balance and exercise. Boston Dynamics, a company that specializes in robotics, has developed a high-tech camouflage suit to protect soldiers from chemical exposure. There is a climate control system that regulates the temperature inside the suit. In general, the robot is programmed as a simulator of human physiology. When it is exposed to chemical agents, it sends out signals that mimic the state of a person in a similar situation. Such a robot can be used in search work in the desert, in conditions dangerous to humans.

3. Robot NAO (Aldebaran Robotics)

NAO is an autonomous and programmed robot developed by the French engineering company, Aldebaran Robotics. The robot, 60 cm high and weighing more than 4 kg, is equipped with an operating room INTEL system Atom. It is able to recognize facial expressions and voices and move smoothly. The robot talks and develops, learning new emotions. In 70 countries around the world it is used in the education system; it helps in teaching programming, mathematics, and computer science. He can be taught to wake him up in the morning, keep order in the house, teach children animation.

2. Atlas Robot (DARPA)

The 182-centimeter bipedal humanoid was developed by DARPA based on the PETMAN model with four hydraulic limb drives. The body is made of aluminum and titanium. The robot can perform many functions, including search and rescue, but in appearance it is not as human-like as PETMAN. The robot's arms can perform various manipulations; it is also equipped with two video systems - a stereo camera and a laser rangefinder. latest model can maintain balance while standing on one leg after being hit by a shell, open a door, operate equipment, and close taps. During testing in 2013, the robot demonstrated the ability to drive a car, overcome obstacles, climb stairs, clear debris, and cut drywall using power tools.

1. Robot ASIMO (Honda)

The ASIMO project started in 1986 on the basis of Honda. The 120 cm robot weighs 52 kg and is multifunctional. The functions of the eyes are performed by cameras, on each hand there are five flexible fingers, with the help of which he can pick up and hold objects and communicate in the language of the deaf-mute. The first version of the robot was controlled remotely, but this model is already autonomous and can adapt to the environment. It can recognize facial expressions, speech, move at a speed of 3 km/h, climb stairs, carry objects, play football, open bottles and pour liquids. ASIMO robots can attach to each other and work together. They can move past people and objects, and also approach the charger on their own. And in 2008, this robot successfully led the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
Humanoid robots on every corner are just a small part of what awaits us in the coming decades. In the near future it will become a reality