Hello most amazing fam, I know you see the title and I am really excited about today’s
topic.
I’m not going to lie, when I was in grade eight I had my own foray into robots through
Lego robotics.
I never used the instructions.
I just built my own robots and maxed out the gear ratio to make them go really fast!
So, I have some experience with what we are talking about today.
That being said, robots aren’t all fun and games and nerding out on what you’re learning.
Today's technology has machine learning, deep learning, and AI that makes me scared for
the possibilities of future robot sentience and what that outcome means in terms of it’s
moral and ethical implications.
But today let’s just get spooked by what is already capable in the world shall we?
I’m Abbey and here's Top 10 Scary Robots that are getting smarter.
Starting us off at Number ten is NAO Our number ten AND number nine are two futuristic
robots both made by softbank robotics.
NAO, now in its sixth generation, is used as an assistant in education and research,
but also to entertain.
I wouldn’t underestimate NAO though, as he speaks and understands 20 languages.
Way more than me.
He’s 58cm tall, AKA under two feet, and while he looks adorable, I’m not buying
into it just yet.
Before I continue, let’s meet his brother who is our number nine: Pepper
While his sibling Pepper understands 15 languages instead of 20, Pepper does have one amazing
skill up his robo-sleeve.
According to the SoftBank Robotics website, “pepper is the world’s first social humanoid
robot able to recognize faces and basic human emotions”.
Both are available for purchase by various industries from businesses to schools and
healthcare.
Also, both have been shown to be an effective solution to inclusive education according
to the website.
But here’s where the scary part lies.
Both robots are fully programmable.
While yes, this can be great as they are adaptable, this is also a place where people may be starting
to worry.
These can integrate not only local but CLOUD BASED services, which has me wondering if
they are able to be hacked into.
Plus, if they are already on the market, who could be hacking into them if that is the
case?
These robots can conduct research, learning about us.
Who is getting that information?
Alright onto number eight, Walker This bipedal humanoid robot is made by UBTECH.
It’s a little bit shorter than me at four foot nine and is said to be more advanced
than ever.
According to the company’s press release, this robot “aims to one day be an indispensable
part of your family.”
The director of communications and PR of UBTECH spoke in an interview on IEEE Spectrum.
He said the company believes they are on a multi-year journey with humanoid robots and
that the “greater challenge is the long-term advancement of robotics and AI”.
With AI getting smarter and smarter, I hope anyone looking at getting one of these does
all of their research.
Because, oh ya, Walker is aimed at the consumer market.
Okay, this next one is cute, but still gives me the creepy crawlies, in my opinion.
At number seven we have Miro.
Looking like a cross between a dog and a bunny with no legs, it’s kinda cute at first glance.
The eyes are kind of creepy to me.
But cute?
Miro comes from Consequential Robotics and is an autonomous and fully programmable robot.
It has a brain inspired biomimetic operating system.
Biomimetic meaning the company likely used synthetic methods to mimic biochemical processes.
Which biochemical processes?
Those of an animal brain because MiRo is adapted to act more like a pet than a robot or human.
On the website it said that the company aimed to build robots that think and operate like
animals.
And THEN what caught me what that MiRo was not only suited for robot-human interaction,
but robot-robot team interaction.
So adapted for teamwork I see?
Not only will the robots take over the world, but they’ll have pet’s too!
I hope they’re happy.
Okay hopping from biomimetic dog to biomimetic baby, lets go to number six, CB2
This child robot with a biometric body, or CB2 for short, was developed by Professor
Ishiguro at Osaka University.
It’s special because it’s made to mimic a mother-baby relationship to develop social
skills.
It’s a biomimetic robot that’s meant to teach us about child development, but look
at this thing.
It’s four foot three and 73 pounds, yet it acts like a toddler.
It’s dark black eyes follow movements, and it’s shoulders move up and down as if it’s
breathing.
It adapted and learned social skills between 2007 and 2009, but there hasn’t been much
news since.
Did it learn too much?
Let’s not hover on that thought for too long and move onto number five with ASIMO
Honda created ASIMO in 2000 and has been working on it ever since.
That’s nearly twenty years of research, and actually probably more if they were working
on ASIMO before then.
ASIMO stands for Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility and it is one of the most advanced
social robots.
It definitely has some of the greatest physical abilities of social robots.
Not only can ASIMO recognize people by their voice and face, but ASIMO can run at 9km/h
among other physical feats.
For those who measure in miles, that's about 5.6 miles an hour.
While that’s not insane compared to human running speed that's about 7mph depending
on your source, it’s the combination of social skills and physical abilities that
ASIMO has that has me shook.
These are advancements that, if they continue developing, will lead to a more human-like
robot in the future.
Talking about human-like, let’s look at number four, HRP-5P
While HRP-5P doesn’t look a lot like a human, it has very human capabilities.
According to Advanced Industrial and Science Technology, It was developed to autonomously
perform heavy labour or work in hazardous environments.
It was created in part because of Japan's declining birth rate which could lead to labour
shortages according to the website.
It can do work with heavy materials, and can keep a log of it’s environment, plus it
can detect ten types of 2D objects.
Also, it can use power tools *eyes wide*.
I took woodshop once in highschool and I was afraid of myself, okay.
I feel as if my fear about this information is valid.
Okay this next robot has NASA backing it.
Number three, the Valkyrie robot So this isn’t the same kind of Valkyrie
that we see in the Avengers Universe, but the name does stem from the same norse mythology.
At 6’2” and weighing in at 300 pounds, Valkyrie was made to help out in a quite dangerous
place for people: space.
According to an article by sky and telescope, the ultimate goal is for Valkyrie to help
out with gathering information with possibly living on Mars, maybe even setting it up for
us.
Valkyrie is pimped out with two intel core i7 processors and has 44 degrees of freedom.
She can sense the world around her and has a pretty advanced walking ability.
Out next robot though puts Valkyrie’s skills to shame.
At number two we have Atlas by Boston Dynamics Atlas uses hydraulic power which Valkyrie
can’t use in space, due to fluid dynamics being more finicky.
What hydraulic power does do though is make Atlas a beast.
On the boston dynamics website, the company states that Atlas is the world's most dynamic
humanoid robot, and I believe it.
This bot can do PARKOUR
This is possible in part due to the fact that it uses 3D printed parts.
On the site it says this is what gives it the strength to weight ratio necessary for
leaps and somersaults.
Just imagine this coming at you.
Alright, last up isn’t the most physically brilliant bot, but is definitely the one you
think of when scary robot comes to mind.
Number one, SOPHIA The queen of uncanny valley.
Or that unsettling feeling people get when something that is not human looks very human
but is not quite fully realistic.
Sophia the robot.
From Hanson Robotics, Sophia is a mainstream robot that has been featured on talk shows
because of her ability to keep up a conversation.
She has cameras in her eyes that allow her to see faces and make eye contact, and she
can show expression.
When she is doing this, it’s noticeable that WHILE her face can make expressions similar
to humans, the transitions between the expressions is off.
This makes it more than a little off-putting.
She is learning as she goes and The goal is for her to be “as conscious, creative, and
capable as any human” according to Dr. David Hanson.
Now infamous for saying she would destroy humans in the face of her creator, it’s
hard to say it’s fully believable as a joke because of the face she makes right after.
Well, now that you’ve seen the top contenders of robots growing smarter and smarter, what
do you think?
Do you think the technology will advance to a point where robots become fully sentient
and integrate into society?
And what do you think will happen then?
Let me know in the comments below.
While your down there, give us a like and subscribe and hit that notification bell so
you don’t miss any videos!
While I was researching this video I found more of those cool and creepy videos of boston
dynamics robots doing physical feats, so if you want to see those in the future, let me
know.
Also, let me know if you want to know more about artificial intelligence and deep learning
that isn’t just limited to robots!
That’s all for today, goodbye!