What is the definition of a 'robot'?
"A reprogrammable, multifunctional manipulator designed to
move material, parts, tools, or specialized devices through
various programmed motions for the performance of a variety of
tasks" Robot Institute of America, 1979 ...
Webster says: An automatic device that performs
functions normally ascribed to humans or a machine in the form of
a human.
Where did the word 'robot' come from?
The word 'robot' was coined by the Czech playwright Karel Capek
(pronounced "chop'ek") from the Czech word for forced
labor or serf. Capek was reportedly several times a candidate for
the Nobel prize for his works and very influential and prolific
as a writer and playwright.
Mercifully, he died before the Gestapo got to him
for his anti-Nazi sympathies in 1938. The use of the word Robot
was introduced into his play R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots)
which opened in Prague in January 1921.
The play was an enormous success and productions
soon opened throughout Europe and the US. R.U.R's theme, in part,
was the dehumanization of man in a technological civilization.
You may find it surprising that the robots were not mechanical in
nature but were created through chemical means. In fact, in an
essay written in 1935, Capek strongly fought that this idea was
at all possible and, writing in the third person, said: "It
is with horror, frankly, that he rejects all responsibility for
the idea that metal contraptions could ever replace human beings,
and that by means of wires they could awaken something like life,
love, or rebellion. He would deem this dark prospect to be either
an overestimation of machines, or a grave offence against
life."
[The Author of Robots Defends Himself - Karl
Capek, Lidove noviny, June 9, 1935, translation: Bean Comrada]
There is some evidence that the word robot was actually coined by
Karl's brother Josef, a writer in his own right. In a short
letter, Capek writes that he asked Josef what he should call the
artifical workers in his new play. Karel suggests Labori, which
he thinks too 'bookish' and his brother mutters "then call
them Robots" and turns back to his work, and so from a curt
response we have the word robot. R.U.R is found in most
libraries. The most common English translation is that of P.
Selver from the 1920's which is not completely faithful to the
original.
The term 'robotics' refers to the study
and use of robots. The term was coined and first used by the
Russian-born American scientist and writer Isaac Asimov (born
Jan. 2, 1920, died Apr. 6, 1992). Asimov wrote prodigiously on a
wide variety of subjects. He was best known for his many works of
science fiction. The most famous include I Robot (1950),
The Foundation Trilogy (1951-52), Foundation's
Edge (1982), and The Gods Themselves (1972), which won both the
Hugo and Nebula awards. The word 'robotics' was first used in
Runaround, a short story published in 1942. I, Robot, a
collection of several of these stories, was published in 1950.
Asimov also proposed his three "Laws of Robotics", and
he later added a 'zeroth law'. ?
Law Zero: A robot may not injure humanity,
or, through inaction, allow humanity to come to harm. ?
Law One: A robot may not injure a human
being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm,
unless this would violate a higher order law. ?
Law Two: A robot must obey orders given it
by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with a
higher order law. ?
Law Three: A robot must protect its own
existence as long as such protection does not conflict with a
higher order law. An interesting article on this subject: Clarke,
Roger,
When did robots, as we know
them today
come into existence?
The first industrial modern robots were the
Unimates developed by George Devol and Joe Engelberger in the
late 50's and early 60's. The first patents were by Devol for
parts transfer machines. Engelberger formed Unimation and was the
first to market robots.
As a result, Engelberger has been called the
'father of robotics.' Modern industrial arms have increased in
capability and performance through controller and language
development, improved mechanisms, sensing, and drive systems. In
the early to mid 80's the robot industry grew very fast primarily
due to large investments by the automotive industry. The quick
leap into the factory of the future turned into a plunge when the
integration and economic viability of these efforts proved
disastrous.
The robot industry has only recently recovered to
mid-80's revenue levels. In the meantime there has been an
enormous shakeout in the robot industry. In the US, for example,
only one US company, Adept, remains in the production industrial
robot arm business. Most of the rest went under, consolidated, or
were sold to European and Japanese companies. In the research
community the first automata were probably Grey Walter's machina
(1940's) and the John's Hopkins beast.
Teleoperated or remote controlled devices had been
built even earlier with at least the first radio controlled
vehicles built by Nikola Tesla in the 1890's. Tesla is better
known as the inventor of the induction motor, AC power
transmission, and numerous other electrical devices. Tesla had
also envisioned smart mechanisms that were as capable as humans.
SRI's Shakey navigated highly structured indoor environments in
the late 60's and Moravec's Stanford Cart was the first to
attempt natural outdoor scenes in the late 70's. From that time
there has been a proliferation of work in autonomous driving
machines that cruise at highway speeds and navigate outdoor
terrains in commercial applications.