For hundreds of years people have had a dream
that they could create mechanical helpers for man.
Robots have come a long way
since the day the first robot was built in 1927. Nowadays, these machines are
used as surgery robots, service robots, and military robots. It is startling to
learn that scientists are now trying to make robots human-like by infusing
emotions and expressions onto them. However, eyebrows are raised about their
misuse too. An android is
a robot
or synthetic organism designed to look and act like a human, especially one
with a body having a flesh-like resemblance. Until recently, androids have largely remained within
the domain of science fiction, frequently seen in film and television. However,
advancements in robotic technology have
allowed the design of functional and realistic humanoid robots. It is hardly surprising that man should
create robots 'in his own image'
What is a Robot?
What is a robot? It has become increasingly difficult to
define exactly what a robot is given the rapid developments that are occurring
in the science and business of robotics. Even Joseph Engelberger, often
credited as the “Father of Robotics,” was said to have once remarked, "I
can't define a robot, but I know one when I see one.”Various encyclopedias describe
robots as anything from a “mechanism guided by human controls” to “a machine
that looks like a human being and can perform various complex acts of a human being”.
More technically, the Robot Institute of America (1979) defines a robot as “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."
What is an Android?
Androids, on the other hand, are humanoid robots built to
realistically look and act like humans. This has unsurprisingly caused some
controversies, especially in the case of fembots or gynoids (from the Greek
word "gyn" meaning woman), whose aesthetic attributes and functions
may be considered insulting to real women, while at the same time providing the
prospect of human-like company to men. It has been argued that humanoid robots
are not attempts to recreate humans, but are instead designed to work with them
as well as for them through interactions in typical, everyday environments.
Once this goal is fully achieved, then we can look forward to adding another
definition for the word “robot.” So, a humanoid robot is a robot that can work
with people.
An human looking Android
So what, anyway, is the difference between a robot and an
android?
Well, although the terms are often
interchanged or confused, a robot can be described as a machine which is
capable of doing a job which would normally have been done by a human. An
ordinary filter coffee machine would be too simple to fall into that category,
but one with a timer which wakes you up to a fresh cup in the morning has the
beginnings of a robot to it. More to the point, machines which can act
autonomously, or semi-autonomously, can definitely be called robots. Whereas an android, or anthropomorphic droid, is a
robot which looks humanoid and can operate in a human environment.
Future of Robots
Today we have semi-autonomous robots—surgery robots, service
robots, and military robots that are used in various industries viz.
automotive, electronic petrochemical and military operations. Android robots
are the future. Scientists are trying to make them look realistic. Also, there
are initiatives. Underway to give them natural
effects and human expressions. Though practically, robots cannot have emotions,
scientists now want to create an illusion that they are thinking machines.
There are many benefits of using robots and I will touch upon a few of them.
Robots
are also fast becoming the companions to children and old people. These
machines can talk and work as reminders. There are robots with screens with
which parents can watch and guide their children. With advances in technology,
it is expected that in the next 10-15 years robots will replace human beings in
childcare. This can be serious because, then there will be more social
exclusion and such a child might become a total social misfit. But we must always remember
that their misuse can cause
human life an enormous damage, to such an extent that we cannot even imagine.
Finally I would like to conclude by saying "In the future, our lives will be full of robots"
