Modern techniques about robots. The most interesting and useful robots in the world

What are the most amazing robots today? And what can they do without human help? This is what we will tell our readers today.

1. Robot rover Curiosity

Many people know about this “baby”. The robot rover Curiosity is NASA's most expensive development to date. It cost more than $2 billion and took about ten years to create the smart machine. Curiosity's specialty is collecting soil samples and various rocks from Mars and conducting experiments right on the spot, sending the research results to scientists on Earth. In addition, the robot can take high-resolution photographs.

2. Geminoid DK

Hiroshi Ishiguro and his team from Japan’s Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International have created a unique robot that cannot be distinguished from a human. The prototype of the appearance was Professor Henrik Scharfe. The Geminoid DK robot is controlled remotely using special technology copying movements. From the first time it is difficult to even determine that it is not a person in front of you.

The robotic arm is capable of drawing unique portraits based on facial scans. After this, Paul begins to draw. The robot is mechanical arm, into which a pencil or pen is inserted. The uniqueness of the creation is that even if you sit the same person in front of Paul twice, the portraits will turn out completely different. The robot manages to accurately convey the facial expression and emotions of the person sitting in front of it.

4. WildCat

Creation Boston company Dynamics is a robot that is designed to serve as a scout. In our opinion, the robot is too big for a scout and is too noticeable. Among the advantages of WildCat, it is worth noting its ability to move over rough terrain, accelerate to 26 kilometers per hour and run. If necessary, the robot stops and turns around. The design of the robot is very stable, you will have to try to make it fall.

5. S-One

Created by the Japanese company Schaft, this robot can work in dangerous and hard-to-reach places. S-One is a bit like a person, only smaller in size. He is stable and strong, can lift heavy objects, open windows and doors, and use a drill. Schaft employees excelled in the field of robotics, so the S-One was a great success. Functionality and volume possible works robots open up many possibilities for people.

6. Row-bot

Today, Row-bot is not a robot, but only a prototype. However, the idea deserves public attention. The vocation of the future robot is to clean the bottom of reservoirs and destroy dangerous microbes. But the most interesting thing is that these same microbes become a source of energy for Row-bot. It's such an endless process.

7. Atlas

New generation robot with beautiful name was created by Boston Dynamisc employees. Atlas was created in the likeness of a person, and its functionality is amazing. This robot is capable of moving through forests with the most difficult terrain. He does not fall and maintains balance where a person would have fallen and given up long ago. Even if Atlas ends up in a winter forest, it will keep going.


At the beginning of the twentieth century, when Asimov formulated his famous laws of robotics, it seemed that the creation of a fully functional humanoid robot- not far away. But the more time passes since then, the more it becomes clear that this is not a matter of ten, not twenty, or maybe even hundreds of years, but a much longer period. But, nevertheless, all kinds of robots are appearing now. Each of them is another step towards a common goal.


1. Okonomiyaki Robot
This robot masterfully prepares okonomiyaki, a fried flatbread made from a mixture of various ingredients. Designed to work independently and alongside people, the 135cm, 220kg industrial robot has 15 joints - 7 in each arm and one in the torso. Of course, if you program it, it can do more than just make tortillas. At the exhibition where this robot was presented, he was able to assemble a disposable camera consisting of twelve parts.





2. Robot football players
Of course, robots will not soon replace live football players. But work in this field is actively underway. It passes from year to year international championship in football among robots - RoboCup. In this championship, development teams from all over the world compete with each other. Yes, these robots are small, clumsy, clumsy. But from year to year they become more and more advanced. And, who knows, maybe in our lifetime the first robot football player will be announced for some professional football club.





3. Robot with emotions
The KOBIAN robot cannot cook tortillas, assemble cameras or play football. But he is closer to man than his aforementioned “brothers”. After all, he has seven emotions, which he expresses through facial expressions and body. These are surprise, admiration, sadness, antipathy, shame, fear and joy.







4. Robot model
As we already know, the players have nothing to worry about yet. Robots will not soon displace them from their profession. But it’s time for models to move away from the catwalk. After all, the first robot model was created. This robot looks like a twenty-year-old Japanese woman with a height of 155 centimeters. She knows how to imitate the gait and poses of professional fashion models. This is achieved through 30 motors responsible for body movements and another 8 responsible for facial expressions.





5. Albert Einstein
The robot must be not only beautiful, but also smart. Apparently, this is exactly what the American David Henson thought when he created a robot with the face of Albert Einstein. Of course, this robot will not be able to re-create the Theory of Relativity, but it can reproduce the facial expressions of the great scientist. He can laugh, frown, wink, depending on the reaction of others. He can recognize more than a dozen facial movements and reciprocate them.





6. The most little robot-humanoid
A robot was created in Taiwan that is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the world's smallest humanoid robot. With a height of 15.3 centimeters and a weight of 250 grams, he can walk, dance and do push-ups. He even knows a few moves from the martial art of tai chi.





7.
At the COMPUTEX TAIPEI 2009 exhibition, the TGR-W1 robot was presented, designed to be a person’s closest assistant - a nanny, teacher, tour guide, and caregiver. It is specifically tuned to communicate with people through sound, gestures and images. The TGR-W1 also has a built-in infrared and ultrasonic system, allowing it to detect and avoid obstacles both indoors and outdoors.

Who are robots? Today even a child can answer this question, although not so long ago they were only heroes of science fiction novels telling about distant space travel or encounters with extraterrestrial civilizations. And these creatures were presented exclusively as mechanical people.

Expanding the “living space” of robots

Robot in modern world- not a fairy-tale creature at all. He increasingly intervenes in a person’s life, capturing new areas of activity and helping in life. Currently, robotics is put at the service of humans in a number of industries, including:

  • space and aircraft construction;
  • precision instrumentation;
  • military-industrial complex;
  • medicine;
  • provision of security systems;
  • Automotive industry
  • and other areas of industrial production.

The entertainment industry actively uses robots. Children have long been familiar with robotic toys and transformers that change their configuration and turn the game into an exciting activity. In children's play areas today, robots are often used as hospitable hosts, arousing the interest and delight of children. As a rule, these are radio-controlled flying, running, moving, talking or singing toys.

The use of robots in modern world makes human work easier and expands their horizons further use. Although plans for their creation are not new. Researchers found a drawing of a nova in Leonardo da Vinci's documents. Researchers found in Leonardo da Vinci's documents a drawing of a mechanism that, according to the author's descriptions, was supposed to replace a person in heavy work.

Modern civilization has given impetus to the development of new technologies, among which robotics is not the least important.

What do robots do?

Engineering thought for improvement technological processes, is increasingly introducing robotics into areas of life where precision, accuracy are required, or, conversely, in conditions of survival or production organization that are difficult for humans to reach. The functions of robots in the modern world have expanded significantly.

  1. In medicine, they are used to study the condition of the body and perform operations in eye clinics, in cases where extreme care and caution are required so as not to harm internal organs. The use of robotics elements in the manufacture of prosthetic limbs has expanded.
  2. Since the creation of the space industry, robots have become reliable assistants and allies of people. The exploration of outer space also could not have happened without their participation. Self-propelled modules sent to the Moon, Mars, delivered valuable information, expanding our understanding of our cosmic neighbors.
  3. Robots equipped with security and tracking functions have proven themselves to be effective. They are indispensable in surveillance systems; they are the first to detect fires, preventing emergencies; they are taught to distinguish the smell of smoke and transmit the received information to the fire department control panel.
  4. Observer robots are actively used to explore the depths of the sea and monitor marine life. Robotics helps study the life and habits of wild animals and track their migration routes.
  5. Equipping enterprises with industrial robots allows you to free up labor and improve the quality of products, while increasing labor productivity.
  6. The world's most powerful armies have also deployed robots. These latest devices They allow you to adjust the flight trajectory of missiles and are used to detect enemy equipment and destroy it.

The possibilities for using robots in Everyday life. There are already known robotic nannies invented in Japan that can not only monitor a child and protect from injury, but also entertain by reading fairy tales, singing children's songs, and becoming a participant in a children's game.

The use of robot maids is no less actively promoted. They are endowed with many functions:

  • clean with a vacuum cleaner;
  • without human intervention they can mow the grass on the lawn;
  • wash and iron clothes;
  • will ensure the inviolability of the home.

At the same time, we are working on expanding the functions of robotic housewives there is a constant Job. They are taught to cook, serve and clear the table. At the same time, they can answer questions from people in the house.

What the new generation of robotics can do

The areas of application of robots are expanding every day. New areas of their use are emerging, and their appearance is changing. Today, the most advanced robots in the world are produced in Japan, where robotics has been widely developed. It is this country that owes its appearance to robots that make work easier in various areas everyday life and industrial production, social and cultural spheres.

  1. Japanese engineers have created a robotic fish whose functions include monitoring the number and movement of schools of commercial fish. Its silicone surface and color completely replicate “ appearance"abodes of the deep sea and makes it invisible among the inhabitants of the seas.
  2. There, in Japan, robots—“nurses”—are being introduced to work in medical institutions. They are devices that move silently and instantly respond to voice, and can also recognize the patient’s face. Their use makes work easier medical workers and helps improve medical service. In the future, they will be able to transfer patients from place to place. Outwardly, these are pleasant, cute mechanical creatures, very similar to humans, tireless, calm, neat. They say that adults are the same as children, only bigger. That is why they create robots that look like toys, the functions of which often cause a smile and, at the same time, admiration.
  3. There, in Japan, specialists developed a robotic photo model. This is a mechanical pretty girl, gracefully moving along the catwalk. She takes various poses and knows how to express emotions. Model HRP-4C is 158 cm tall and weighs 43 kg.
  4. The American D. Hanson continues to work on the development of mechanical people who can express emotions like people. He is responsible for creating a head with a face similar in appearance to Albert Einstein. He “taught” the head to smile, frown, wink and laugh exactly as the scientist himself did. Camera eyes react to the emotional state of others and “respond” with an appropriate reaction.
  5. An entire orchestra of robot musicians has already been developed. They know how to play musical instruments: flute, electric organ, drum, and at the same time they are able to “listen” to the melody and adjust their actions, adapting to the sounding melody.
  6. Residents and guests of Switzerland are familiar with the unusual street artist Salvador Dabu with a mustache and a beret on his head. This is a robot that takes a photo and then, using special algorithm, paints a portrait. At the same time, he is quite talkative.
  7. Demonstration chess battles taking place between grandmasters and electronic brain. But today, Russian scientists have developed a mechanical man who can play this wise game, sitting with the master at the same table and moving the pieces with a three-fingered hand.
  8. For future parents, Japanese robot builders have prepared a robot simulator that looks like Small child and creates the same problems for mom and dad as a real baby. He requires careful care and gentle treatment, and if his parents do not pay him enough attention, he begins to cry inconsolably, and it is not so easy to calm him down.
  9. The smallest human-like robot is also assembled there. The height of this baby is only 15 cm, and the mechanism thanks to which he walks, dances, does push-ups and even demonstrates some tai chi wrestling techniques does not exceed one centimeter. They control it by voice or remote control.

In certain situations, robots can also be used as salespeople. The remote presence robot from Russian company Ucan. In this case, the person does not have to be nearby: he can watch the picture of what is happening on the monitor and control the actions of the mechanical seller. These devices were among the first to appear on the robotics market and are constantly being improved and expanded their functions.

And her latest developments in this direction allow us to transfer customer service to new level and give these activities dynamism and higher quality.

It’s hard to say what’s more: rationalism or cheerful hooliganism in the invention of a robot, which, according to its creators, should destroy hordes of cockroaches in kitchens. Scientists from France, Belgium and Switzerland worked on this robotic cockroach. Their creation looks and smells like a cockroach, and moves on small wheels. The “fathers-inventors” equipped their brainchild with cameras and infrared sensors. They attract insects to the light, with the help of which they are “led away” from the house.

Guide robots and shepherds are being developed and tested.

Science does not stand still. Already, the level of development of robotics has reached great heights. Science fiction writers have repeatedly frightened the world with various variations on the theme of the “revolt of the machines.” But the situation with the development of robotics is currently developing in such a way that it is impossible to stop this development in this area. And all because robots have already occupied their niche in the life of society. They became part of the modern industrial revolution, characterized by widespread implementation adaptive technologies and robotization of production. Every year more and more enterprises are automated, so this moment a plant where only a few dozen people work, and all the main work is done by robots, no longer surprises anyone. Industrial robots are produced in tens of thousands. Despite the fact that this market has been formed for a long time, with China entering it the situation is only getting worse.

It should be noted that the term “robotics” itself implies an applied science that deals with the development of technical automated systems and is an important component of production intensification. In its development, robotics relies on such disciplines as mechanics, electronics, and computer science. First this term appeared in print in 1941, but in history this science declared itself quite a long time ago. So, in particular, in 400 AD. The mechanical pigeon of the Greek mathematician Archytas appeared. Later, in 1206, the mechanical engineer Al-Jazari thought about creating humanoid mechanics.

In 1495, world famous inventor and engineer Leonardo da Vinci presented his intentions to create a mechanical knight.

The development of robotics received a significant breakthrough in 1737, when Jacques de Waccanson created the first functioning humanoid robot.

Some robots were created not only to help people, but also for the purpose of entertainment or commercial profit.

Modern robotics has thus become fully advanced. It is strikingly different from robotics of past centuries. But we should not forget that it was the developments and drawings of previous inventors that formed the basis for the development modern robotics. The period of success of mechanical human assistants occurred in the last century.

The emergence of a new type of mechanism was realized in science fiction literature, in particular in the popular science play RUR (1923) by Karl Capek, in which the word “robot” was used for the first time. Later, in the middle of the last century, the first functional robot was created - a robotic arm was designed, which was controlled using an electronic controller.

The modern world is fully aware of the importance of robotics. Of course, the advent of robots capable of freely communicating with their owners is still a long way off, but some have already appeared that can perform certain types works Artificial intelligence has appeared in robotic vacuum cleaners and self-cleaning cat litter. Many people have probably heard about a 3D printed robot that assembles itself when its parts are heated to certain temperatures. Despite the fact that custom robots are not yet very common, the very emergence similar devices proves that people have the desire to create such innovations.

Robots can be programmed, and not only to perform those tasks that a person does not like, but also those that he simply cannot do. It is for this reason that in the very near future the development of robotics is possible in the medical field. German scientists are working on creating nanotechnology with robotic integrated elements. These miniature robots can be programmed to move eye or blood fluid, repair damaged cells in the human body, and deliver medications. In addition, robots can replace people in an infectious environment, which is especially important in the context of the development of various epidemics.

Currently, the development of robotics has reached such a level that robots can not only move independently, but also carry loads, play musical instruments, climb stairs, and take part in rescuing people. emergency situations, portray pets, and even managed to visit space.

In some countries, robotics development is proceeding in a limited direction. A striking example is Russia, where only military robotics is being developed as a response to the American army robotization program. If we talk about civil robotics, there are only about fifty companies here that are developing this kind. In the USA, this figure is tens of times higher.

At the same time, we can say that the growth of the so-called robot hobby has accelerated all over the world. More and more schoolchildren and students are interested in working with robot models and various copters.

Now robotics is gradually becoming the common engine that unites electrical engineering, electronics, optics, and mechanics. The development of this science makes it possible to solve various types of social problems, in particular, to provide care for the elderly, reduce human losses in military conflicts, and limit the migration of low-skilled labor.

And robotics of the future is currently presented as a harmonious combination of intelligent and software robots that could ensure that the needs of society are met. However, to make any predictions regarding the development of robotics, artificial intelligence on a long period is currently not possible. Although... it can be assumed that robotic transport, without a human driver, may appear and be implemented en masse. Currently this process It's not going as fast as we'd like. It is possible that in the coming decades, unmanned aircraft will continue to displace pilots, and the ratio of robotic aircraft will be approximately 80 to 20 percent in favor of drones. In addition, there may be an increase in the replacement of military personnel by robots in general in the armed forces.

Due to the rapid development of robotics, new types of robots are appearing, their number is increasing, but in the future they may be universalized, and the number of robots will gradually decrease, since the same robot will be able to perform different tasks.

A strong market for service robots may emerge, in particular for domestic ones, which will protect and clean homes, look after children, prepare food and organize people’s leisure time. Nursing robots and teaching robots may also appear. There are already many promising developments, so they can be implemented in the future. Thus, over time, almost every family will be able to acquire a robot of one type or another.

No related links found



The importance of robots continues to grow in the most various fields human activities: robotic systems are used by the military and law enforcement agencies, are used for medical research, space exploration and even entertainment. Robots recently in the news include the old Soviet Lunokhod recently photographed from lunar orbit, NASA's Mars rover, and a dental robot designed to teach students. This issue contains photographs of robots from around the world. Rich Walker demonstrates a robotic arm designed to help the military at a defense facility in Oxford on February 11.
A dentist demonstrates the use of a new humanoid named Hanako, developed by engineers at local universities in Tokyo. The robot will help future dentists in practice. Hanako has hard plastic teeth and a realistic mouth cavity that can bleed and salivate like ordinary person. The robot also recognizes voices and speech, so students can not only improve their professional abilities, but also learn how to communicate with patients.
Android from South Korea named "EveR-3" in traditional costume while performing in a musical in Seoul on February 18. The South Korean-developed robot featured in the play The Robot Princess and the Seven Dwarfs has already been cast in other roles this year.
Suspect Warren Taylor lies on the ground, having surrendered to a robot post office in Wytheville on December 23, 2009. Taylor is accused of taking hostages.
A humanoid robot without a “face” was presented at the largest robot exhibition in Tokyo on November 28, 2009. This life-size robot is designed to help dental students. His name is “Simroid” (short for “simulator” and “humanoid”). The robot has realistic skin, eyes and a mouth that can hold replicas of real teeth for students to drill into. The robot, by the way, can cry if suddenly the treatment goes wrong.
A four-legged robot named BigDog is designed to help soldiers carry heavy equipment in the field.
A robot named Robovi-II, developed by Japan's ATR Robot Research Institute, rides in a supermarket during a "shopping" experiment in Kyoto on January 6. The robot greets the customer at the store entrance and then follows him with a basket, reminding him of the products to buy. The buyer lists these products in advance in special device in a robot.
MIT graduate Kenton Williams tests the face of a robot named Nexie on March 5.
The Shadow Robot, with a gripper in hand, performs a task at the Streetwise Robots event at the Science Museum on May 6, 2008 in London. This robot has 40 muscles that allow it to make up to 24 movements.
In these photos you can see the "cyberman" HRP-4C, which looks like an ordinary Japanese girl. The robot expresses different emotions: anger (left) and surprise (right).
Captain Judith Gallagher of the Sniper Unit demonstrates the anti-blast robot known as the "Dragon Runner" during a military technology photo shoot in London on March 17. The robot weighs 10-20 kg and easily fits in a soldier’s backpack; moreover, it can work on rough surfaces.
Robot teacher in English standing in front of children primary school Daejeon, 140 km from Seoul, December 11, 2009. Robot teachers who never get angry or make sarcastic remarks have caused a stir in some South Korean schools.
Robots assemble Nissan Patrol cars at the Nissan Shatai Kyushu Co. plant. in Kanda Town, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan, February 24.
Japan's Kawada Industries' new robot, Nextage, cuts the ribbon with other officials at the opening ceremony International exhibition robots in Tokyo on November 25, 2009.
Robots playing football at the largest technical innovation fair "CeBIT" on March 2, 2010 in Hannover. At the fair, which took place from March 2 to 6, 4,157 companies from 68 countries presented their products.
A US soldier walks past a mine clearance robot named after the cartoon robot Wally at Camp Leatherneck in Helmand province on March 10.
An engineering student calms a child robot during a presentation at a laboratory at the University of Tsukuba on February 12. Robot Yotaro laughs and swings his legs if you wave a rattle in front of him, but can cry and become capricious if you tickle him too often.
An employee of the engineering company Festo gives a dumbbell to a robot on April 15, 2007 in Hannover on the eve of a technology fair.
Our Lunokhod 2 (bright dot at top left) and the traces it left behind (faint, in the center) on the surface of the Moon on March 12, 2010. The picture was taken from the Lunar Orbital Probe. Lunokhod 2 landed on the Moon on January 15, 1973 and operated for almost four months, covering a distance of 37 km.
A worker walks past a two-armed robot called "Motoman" from Japanese company Yaskawa Electric during final preparations for an industrial fair in Hannover on April 18, 2008.
A soldier watches a bomb disposal robot at an administrative building in Yala province, about 1,084 km south of Bangkok on February 18. A resident of a local village reported to the police about a suspicious box on the street. There was nothing in the box.
Actor Branch Worsham dances with a robot during the dress rehearsal of the musical "Robots" at the Barnabe Theater in Servion, near Lausanne, April 22, 2009. The musical tells the story of a man who goes into self-imposed exile with three robots (a butler, a pet and a dancer), who is approached by a woman who represents his last link to the human world.
In this photo, published on February 16 by an Israeli company, you can see a medium-altitude drone aircraft long endurance Heron for strategic and tactical missions. With a wingspan of up to 16.6 meters and a launch weight of 1,250 kg, this aircraft can climb to an altitude of 9,144 meters and can fly for up to 50 hours without stopping. They are currently used by coalition forces in Afghanistan, relying on their intelligence and real-time intelligence capabilities to deliver directly to commanders and soldiers on the front lines.
A humanoid robot designed specifically to attract students' interest in robots is unveiled by Nippon Institute of Technology professor Yuichi Nakazato (top right) in Miyashiro on December 19, 2009.
An Israeli explosives expert controls a robot after a planned detonation of explosives at Palmachim Beach, south of Tel Aviv, on February 3.
Robot Mahru-Zed (right), developed by the Korea Institute of Science and Technology, takes toast in Seoul on January 15. South Korean scientists have developed a walking robot that can clean the house, throw things at washing machine and even heat food in the microwave. It took the institute two years to develop this robot. The robot is 1.3 meters tall and weighs 55 kg.
View of Concepcion Crater taken from NASA's Opportunity rover in February 2010. Concepcion is a young crater that is the target of autonomous exploration by the Opportunity rover. Using an autonomous research system, the rover analyzed the images to detect features that best matched the target's criteria - in in this case, stones that were larger and darker. The rover then used the software to examine the object in more detail using a panoramic camera.
The "Child Robot with a Biomimetic Body", or (abbreviated) "CB2", is examined in a laboratory in Osaka on August 30, 2007. The robot is modeled after a real child between the ages of one and three to help study issues related to child development.
Imformatics PHD student Sebastian Bitzer does push-ups next to programmed humanoid Kondo in the Imformatics Forum building at the University of Edinburgh on September 3, 2008.
Robot Topio plays ping pong at the International Robot Exhibition in Tokyo on November 25, 2009. This two-pedal humanoid robot is designed to play table tennis against humans.
The Crusher military self-propelled robot drives through the desert in New Mexico on February 19, 2008. This six-wheeled truck, weighing 6.5 tons and carrying a 50-caliber machine gun on the roof, has no driver or seating for soldiers. The Crusher is a self-driving car that will never see real battle.
Pierpaolo Petruzziello's amputated arm is connected by electrodes to a robotic arm during an experiment called "Hand of Life" at the bio-medical campus of the University of Rome. The experiment was conducted to allow a person to control their prosthetics mentally. In December 2009, a group of European scientists announced that they had successfully connected a robotic arm to the arm of a man - Petruzziello, who lost his arm in a car accident. This allowed him to control the prosthesis with his mind and feel various impulses in the artificial hand. The experiment lasted a month. Scientists say this was the first time an amputee could make complex movements by using his thoughts to control a biomechanical arm attached to his nervous system.
The robot arm for NASA's new Mars rover is bent nearly 90 degrees. A robotic arm is being tested at the Jet Engine Laboratory in Pasadena, California. The Mars rover is called Curiosity (from English “curiosity”) and is scheduled to be launched in October 2011. An arm with special instruments will move to collect samples of Martian rocks and soil. This arm is identical to the one that will be installed on the Curiosity rover.