As engineers move closer to developing robots that perform human tasks, many are asking: How human do I want this robot to be?
During the opening keynote of the recent Freescale Technology Forum (FTF), Freescale's medical segment marketing manager, David Niewolny, demonstrated an on-stage application of a communications robot. The robot enabled a patient in bed to talk to his doctor via an onboard video screen.
The robot, designed and built by VGo Communications Inc., doesn't look human. Rather, it's a two-way audio-video communications platform on wheels. No legs, no arms, no head.
VGo's communications robot isn't supposed to look human. Its engineers say the company took a "form follows function" approach. Source: VGo Communications
Tim Root, the chief technology officer and co-founder of VGo, said VGo's non-human form was intentional. "We wanted it not to feel intimidating. Our approach is that form follows function. We spent a lot of time making it look appealing, but we didn't want it to be a humanoid."
Indeed, VGo's design places function first. The robot, which serves as an avatar of sorts, enables a remote driver to communicate with others over an audio-video connection. The driver can use his or her laptop computer to remotely steer the robot, operate the onboard camera, or just talk to people over an Internet-based link. It employs four microphones for better audio, and a small display to enable others to see the driver's face. But there's not even a hint of humanness.
VGo's functional approach is shared by early household robots. The Roomba vacuum-cleaning robot, for example, looks more like a headless turtle than a human. Friendly Robotics' stubby RoboMower lawn robot is similarly shaped. Neither strives for a humanoid look.
Robotocists know, however, the time is coming when they will need to add pleasant human qualities to their robots. Anybots Inc., for example, offers the QB office robot, which performs many of the same functions as the VGo. Anybots' unit, though, takes on a semi-human shape.
Anybots' QB has a "face" with two eyes that make the robot seem more human. Source: Anybots Inc.
Looking like a cross between a Segway and an ET doll, the QB has two big "eyes" that give passersby the warm fuzzies. A Carnegie Mellon Robotics Institute professor who has used the QB says he became convinced of the robot's appeal when a troop of visiting Girl Scouts all wanted to touch it.
Robotocists say the human touch is going to be important in some applications. In particular, robot dolls for small children and for the elderly may need a dose of it. "Those are applications where that kind of model makes sense," VGo's Root says.
Ultimately, though, robotocists know they will have to continue to learn about that human touch. At the same time, they realize they will have to be careful how they apply it, lest the robot fall into the so-called "uncanny valley" -- wherein humans feel a sense of revulsion when they look at a humanoid robot.
During another of FTF's keynotes, robotocist Heather Knight unveiled a tiny wisecracking robot with two arms, two legs, and a head. To learn more about making connections between people and robots, Knight has focused her research on human performers. "When you combine performers and engineers, you can push the frontier forward," she said.
Still, robotocists are stepping lightly as they approach the uncanny valley. "If you're going to make your robot human-like, then you've got to make it really, really human," Root says. "If you miss that, your form factor will be rejected."
It is common to give human characteristics to in-animate objects. People name cars, boats, and even production robots. Sometimes, you get to the point where you associate behaviors of the object with free thinking, but in the end any robot or vehicle is a pile of metal that can only do what is instructed to do. Putting a face on a robot can make things easier for interaction, but is still up to the end user to give the correct direction. Personally, I always thought that R2 was creepier than C3PO.
I think the value of an anthropomorphic structure for a robot would be in it's ability to be functional over a wide variety of tasks. Thus by having one of these type robots, you save yourself a great deal of money and space by not needing multiple robots that were designed to have only one function.
Something you can program on the fly and that can adapt to most any situation.
But we've got a long way to go. Humans are pretty adept at so many things, robots will need to make huge improvements in dexterity, balance, etc. Not to mention all of this increased functionality will need to packaged neatly into a small, flexible, good looking, and lightweight (humanoid) housing.
The last paragraph of the article is the clincher. If the face is not perfectly human, then the interaction will fail.
Take the animated movie Polar Express. The animation was impressive, but when it came down to the faces of the characters, they tended to jar you out of the moment. There are some impressive face/head-only robots out there, but they still look mechanical. The face is astoundingly complex in its degrees of freedom. It's the feature humans learn almost immediately after birth to cue on.
I agree with with Alex. I'm not sure society is quite ready for the robot that looks too human or acts too human. It is still far too creepy. I also agree that function is key much more so than human-like form to making robots appealing for mainstream use. I, for one, would need to see proof that the robot would save me time, money, escape from mundane chores like laundry and dish washing before I would sink any money into one unless it was purely for the fun factor. I think those of us who aren't wowed by gadgetry are still highly skeptical that this weird looking contraptions can do the routine jobs better than a human set of hands.
well said !!! Forget the look and go for function.
I can care less if my vaccum looks like a disk or a mouse or a mop with LEDs. If its job to clean, I do not care how it looks.
Obviously if it's responsibility is to monitor childrens activity in the room and report on various changes, it should not look like a monster or a big black box. Then the look and ergonimics are important.
Generally its look should comply with the industry it is used in. Nowever the look is a secondary issue. Function FIRST.
I guess my question would be, "what functions are the humanoid robots designed to perform?".
Robot vacuum cleaners don't use the same vacuum that I do. If the robot is designed to funtion using the same tools and in essentially the same way as a human would , then we might find a humanoid shape and style; arms, legs, head etc useful. The robot cars tested by google do not have a robot sitting at the wheel. The robotic drones of the air force and support bots for the army don't use humanoid robots either. And the NASA robot just installed on the space station, what does that look like?
One might question exactly what a humanoid robot is better at that a purpose designed robot cannot do better.
I question the usefulness of any humanoid robot other than as a technology demonstrator. If the only reason is to make their interactions with people more friendly, then I think the designers are misjudging the ability of humans to work with and adapt to machines.
I think goal of humanoid robotic engineers is to tread lightly in the human looks department so as to avoid the creepy feeling that people will feel if they encounter an I-Robot type mechanical helper.
I think this whole form versus function debate re robotics is a false argument. Robots have to demonstrate functionality to succeed. Fixed-position factory robots have. "Humanoid" ones haven't thus far. Robotic floor-scraping vacuum cleaners, yes. "Walking" robots, not really (Asimo excepted, I guess). Quite frankly, robots which look too human give me the creeps.
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