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WHAT IF ROBOTS TOOK OUR JOBS?

ROBOCOPS

CAN THEY THINK FOR THEMSELVES? ROBOTS STRANGESTWHAT IDEAS IF... FEATURE

ROBOTS TOOK OUR WHAT IF... ( JOBS? ) WORDS: HAYLEY BENNETT THIS NEW SERIES EXPLORES THE RUNAWAY CONSEQUENCES OF HYPOTHETICAL QUESTIONS. ILLUSTRATION: JOE WALDRON IF THERE’S SOMETHING YOU’D LIKE US TO ANSWER, GET IN TOUCH AT [email protected]

Would we be happier in a The futurist Martin Ford intelligence (AI) infiltrating argues in his 2015 book The every aspect of our lives, world without work? Rise Of The Robots that we are plans are being made for a headed for a future of post-work era. But without a “technological unemployment”, regular routine and a wage, brought about by automation will we slump into sofa-ridden and algorithms. Soon enough, despair, live a life of leisure, or our jobs will be taken over by – just maybe – find time to robots, and with artificial solve the climate crisis?

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1 There will still be some jobs

How many of us will really lose our jobs to robots? A 2018 British Academy and Royal Society report found that 10 to 30 per cent of UK jobs are “highly automatable”, meaning they could soon be done by machines. Manufacturing has already encountered substantial losses; fast food preparation, admin and accountancy jobs are up next, according to the report, while drivers will eventually be replaced by autonomous vehicles. However, the report also predicts that humans will hold on to some lower-paid and manual jobs, such as caring for children and the elderly, and plumbing. 2 A look to the past suggests we’re unlikely to In 1929, an entire community in Germany and started speaking to lose all of our jobs, says Dr Luke Martinelli, a Austria became unemployed hundreds of people looking for policy researcher at the University of Bath. We’d be overnight when the textiles jobs. Their 2019 study confirmed This was predicted in the 19th Century and factory that provided work to that being out of work causes again in the 1930s, and it didn’t happen. “So almost everyone in the village of distress due to seven unmet there’s a [view] that humans will always have pretty Marienthal closed down. This psychological needs, the most work – we’ll just do different things,” says became the inspiration for social important being collective Martinelli, suggesting we’ll keep the darn psychologist Marie Jahoda’s life’s purpose: work makes our lives more creative jobs and those requiring work, crystallised in her meaningful. This suggests that interpersonal skills. But then, he adds, the miserable ‘deprivation theory’ of robot-induced mass unemployment more pessimistic stance is that robots could unemployment. Jahoda, who would make us miserable. How feasibly do anything. On the creative front, for spent many weeks with the locals miserable? We can only rely on example, systems are in Marienthal, proposed an what little we know from long- already churning out paintings, sculptures, explanation for the hardship term studies of unemployment. music and even film trailers that are people experience when they are “People’s wellbeing is on a plateau indistinguishable from human art. unemployed. Work doesn’t just for months or even some years Taken to its logical conclusion, this scenario provide money, but also fulfils afterwards,” says Zechmann. would eventually see us bowing down before basic psychological needs “This obviously means that many our robot rulers. In fact, New Zealand already including social contact, status people who are unemployed for a has a virtual, AI-powered politician called Sam, and time structure. Yet no one long time find themselves in a who can talk – without mistruth or rigorously tested Jahoda’s ideas depression.” Of course, this is in a misrepresentation – to prospective voters, and until Dr Andrea Zechmann and world where people continue is reportedly running for parliament in the next her colleague Prof Dr Karsten Paul searching for work. What happens election. Maybe that’s one job that robots could at the Friedrich-Alexander without any prospect of re- do better... University Erlangen-Nürnberg in employment is difficult to predict.

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3 There’d be 5 more time for... There’d probably other things still be housework

One way to plug a giant, work- volunteers or ‘citizen scientists’ sized hole in our daily schedules monitor butterfly populations and would be to fill it with more work, beach litter. The jobless could just not of the paid variety. “In a swell the ranks. post-work world, what seems For those who prefer not to important to me is that people can spend their free time working, substitute employment with a how about looking to the early 4 purposeful activity,” says 1800s for a blueprint of an Austen- Zechmann. “For example, this esque future where people sit could be engaging in voluntary around all day matchmaking and We’d get money work, which some people already throwing high society balls? do, because it pertains to Appealing, but few of us would for nothing collective purpose – you can work have the money for such to a greater goal.” extravagances – Mr Darcy was Perhaps we could give our lives worth roughly £6m a year in In a work-scarce future, the gap between rich purpose by helping the robots to today’s money. Even Callendar, in and poor is predicted to grow, as a small, solve some of the world’s most his leisurely pursuit of climate tech-savvy elite occupies the few remaining pressing problems. In the days change data, had the benefit of his high-paid jobs. A 2019 European Commission before science became a bona fide steam engineer father’s 22-room report on AI and work highlighted a risk to profession, there were unfunded mansion and greenhouse low-paid and routine jobs, which could or self-funded ‘natural laboratory. And matchmaking “exacerbate inequality significantly”. The philosophers’. Even as late as the will probably be done by the report also explores the idea of a universal 1930s, Guy Callendar, who robots, anyway – dating apps basic income to help bridge the divide. discovered climate change, was already use algorithms and Although many versions exist, basic income more of a hobbyist than a machine learning to up our schemes generally aim to provide people with qualified academic. Today, chances of finding a sweetheart. a regular income to cover essential living costs. Some are totally unconditional, while others depend on meeting certain criteria. Ongoing basic income trials exist, such as a 12-year-long Kenyan project across 120 villages, funded by a US charity. But as Dr Luke Martinelli, who studies basic income, explains, it’s hard to Imagined post-work futures don’t spend any time our household home – for example, using care robots design a realistic trial. “The Kenyan one is just usually take into account all of the appliances save us on deeper to help us look after children and giving people money,” he says. “It doesn’t unpaid domestic labour that forms a cleaning and increasingly engaging elderly parents. But she says there’s a consider the other side of the equation where substantial part of our lives. Even if activities for our children. A 2016 “moral value” attached to doing this [in the absence of charity funding] the state we have a liveable basic income, and study by Oxford University work ourselves that often leads to us would have to claw back the money through a sense of purpose from some kind of researchers, for example, showed that “dismissing automation out of hand”. the tax system.” So in reality, such a scheme community endeavour, we’ll still in the US, a woman with one child So perhaps the greatest hurdle to could end up being funded by any remaining have the washing up to do and the does about two fewer hours of having more robots in our homes is well-paid workers, through higher tax rates. kids to put to bed. cooking and cleaning a day than she not technological, but our own The general consensus is that a basic income According to Dr Helen Hester, did in the 1920s, but an hour or more reservations about handing the work would provide only enough for a meagre living, technofeminism researcher and of this is reabsorbed into childcare. over to machines. meaning many of us would still be seeking author of the upcoming book After So it’s likely that, whatever household part-time work. Martinelli describes it as a Work: The Fight For Free Time, the robots we employ, we’ll still end up by HAYLEY BENNETT “boost” for the worst-off and, for others, a machines we’ve introduced to the carrying out some domestic tasks. (@gingerbreadlady) chance to pursue new kinds of work. household so far have provided only Hester thinks that we could be Hayley is a freelance science writer and limited relief. This is because we more open to automating care work at editor, working (without robots) in Bristol.

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THE ROBOCOPS ARE HERE AS ROBOTIC POLICE HEAD OUT ON THE STREET OF DUBAI, WE LOOK AT THE TECHNOLOGY THAT’S SET TO REVOLUTIONISE LAW AND ORDER Words: Hayley Bennett PHOTO: GETTYPHOTO: ROBOTS 2 “Dubai, it seems, is on a mission to dehumanise its police services. The 3 city’s streets will be patrolled by the OR-3 autonomous police car”

1. ROBO ROZZERS Visitors to Dubai’s busy shopping arcades may be surprised to find themselves under the protection of a humanoid police robot. Though it has no mouth, the expressionless bot (see previous page) communicates in Arabic and English, and helps tourists navigate the city, as well as connecting them directly with police services via a touchscreen. Dubai’s answer to RoboCop dresses and salutes like a police officer but is actually from an existing family of robots known as 4 REEM, built and programmed by the Barcelona-based company PAL Robotics. “Citizens can use the robot to contact the Dubai police call centres, speaking through the integrated microphones, and accessing other police-related services such as paying traffic fines. The robot can also report any incidents to a command control centre,” a source at PAL tells us. REEM robots had already spent a number of years working at public events, so it was just a case of customising its software to include police functions, PAL says. The police version has face recognition software, meaning it could potentially catch a criminal by making comparisons with the police database. PAL hopes that the robots will become more accepted as people get used to seeing them around, and we might see them filling roles in healthcare and hospitality in the not-so-distant future. PAL would not confirm whether it had any further robots on order for Dubai police, or if it would be upgrading the current model. However, Saif Salem Juma Ali Alkaabi at the Dubai police told us that “the numbers of 2. SELF-DRIVE SURVEILLANCE 3. SWAT-BOTS 4. THE SECRET POLICE robots will increase for sure”. Its Smart Dubai, it seems, is on a mission to tools: GPS, a laser scanner, thermal It looks like a tiny tank with a police shield attached, and Another tool for tactical teams, the Throwbot XT is a Services department previously set a target dehumanise its police services. The imaging and LIDAR – a remote- that’s basically what it is. The ‘SWAT-Bot’ is designed to miniature stealth robot that weighs little more than a of replacing a quarter of its on-patrol officers city’s streets will also be patrolled sensing method used in surveying. batter down doors and protect tactical teams of up to 12 rugby ball and can be thrown – literally – into any with robots by 2030. The Dubai government by the OR-3 autonomous police car, It’s designed for 360° surveillance people when approaching armed suspects. It can also be situation where a human counterpart might attract too has also announced plans for a new model the Dubai police force announced and can track down police suspects operated remotely. much attention. Once in situ, it can be directed to quietly that makes the current officer look like little last year. At under a metre high, the using its biometric scanners. Oh, Created by twin brothers, Mike and Geoff Howe of survey its surroundings, transmitting video and audio to more than a glorified tourist information OR-3 is too small to take a human yeah, and who needs police Howe and Howe Technologies, it was developed in an operator. Its makers, Minneapolis-based point. RoboCop 2.0 will, apparently, be able passenger, but it doesn’t need one. helicopters? The OR-3 comes conjunction with Massachusetts police, although so far ReconRobotics, claim that the Throwbot can see in to run at 80km/h (50mph), controlled by The vehicle boasts a range of high- complete with a mini-drone that can there have been no reports of the SWAT-Bot being used complete darkness and can be used to locate hostages an onboard human. tech navigation and data collection be launched for aerial surveillance. for anything but drills. and armed suspects. PHOTO: OTSAW, SHUTTERSTOCK OTSAW, PHOTO: ROBOTS

6. BOTS ON THE BEAT 5 A railway station in Henan province, Meanwhile, California has been China, has its own RoboCop in the trialling robotic security guards in form of the E-Patrol Robot Sheriff shopping malls and car parks. The (top image). Equipped with facial US-made Knightscope K5 (bottom recognition software, it’s designed image) works like CCTV, transmitting to identify and track criminals, and data to a control centre. Undeterred also functions as an environmental by a collision with a toddler and a monitoring station thanks to its air self-‘drowning’ incident in a quality and temperature sensors. fountain, Knightscope recently These reportedly came in handy on unveiled K5’s shiny new successor, the robot’s first day on the job, K7 – a three-metre-long buggy that when it detected a fire. can patrol on grass or sand.

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5. SHARP SHOOTER Russian robot FEDOR is destined for the stars (okay, once, firing double-handed like a gunslinger from the near-Earth orbit). The Russian space agency Roscosmos Wild West, and both on target. working on a prototype for a robot that will “deliver plans for the robot to pilot the unmanned Federatsiya While Russian officials were quick to point out that ammunition to the battlefield, support the sniper, and, if spacecraft on its first mission in 2021. The bot’s fine they are not “creating a Terminator”, some people have necessary, help in evacuation of the wounded,” the motor skills give it the dexterity to screw in light bulbs jumped to other conclusions. Meanwhile, scientists at organisation’s deputy head of robotics, Alexei Kononov, and drive cars, but have also led to speculation about Russia’s Advanced Research Fund, which built FEDOR in told the Russian news agency RIA Novosti last October. other potential roles. That’s because in April last year, partnership with Android Technics, are also developing FEDOR was filmed being trained to shoot two guns at robots to assist special forces in the field. They are PHOTO: GETTY X2, KNIGHTSCOPE

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ROBOCOPS: THE NEW FACE OF THE POLICE, OR AN ELABORATE PR STUNT? Prof Alan Winfield, a robot ethicist at the University of the West of England, discusses the pros and cons of police robots

What do you think today’s robots can I’m not saying it’s impossible that we persuade it to go in a particular The experience of AI [artificial usefully contribute to the police service? could build robots that have some direction. intelligence] has shown that this is not The one positive thing that I can see is a responsibility, but for something to be Another big worry that I have is “A malicious person could hack the case. It’s very difficult to build kind of reassuring presence. That’s if responsible in law, it’s got to have some hacking, and we know from experience unbiased AI systems. Face recognition they’re trusted. It depends on how kind of personhood. Giving a robot that no systems are unhackable. We’ve into a police robot and cause all algorithms are typically quite good at people react to the robots, but robots personhood right now is absurd – it’s like seen incidents of driverless cars being recognising white faces, but not other moving around a shopping mall, for giving your washing machine hacked, and even devices apparently as ethnicities, and this is simply a bias that instance, could prove reassuring – even personhood, or your mobile phone. benign as webcams. So a malicious kinds of havoc, particularly if reflects the fact that the datasets used to if not as much as real, live human police. Think of a robot like Data from Star Trek, person could hack into a police robot and train the facial recognition algorithms Having said that, I do appreciate there a robot that effectively earns trust and cause all kinds of havoc, particularly if they’re remotely controlling it” have not been properly designed. So the genuine friendship from its human they’re remotely controlling the robot. idea that a robot would be more are cultural differences, and in some for whatever reason, might have built in the first thing that the investigators do is colleagues, that demonstrates its All told, you’ve got a whole spectrum of impartial is... I mean, it depends on countries, particularly in the Far East, some design flaws. look for the recorders. They’re absolutely reliability over many years of potential problems with robot police, the kinds of decisions it’s making. robots are likely regarded with a greater crucial to finding out what went wrong companionship, and actually cares about and these will all happen – there’s no Unfortunately, there are examples of bias level of trust than in the UK. Do we need any new laws to deal with in the accident. I think that robots, the people it works with. That’s what doubt about it. in AI systems being reported all the time. potential police robot incidents? especially those in roles such as the we’d need in order to be able to assign it There’s talk of robots being given greater Robots are no different from any other police, absolutely must be fitted with consequential responsibilities like the Who’s responsible if someone is injured by So are police robots more of a publicity powers. Could they make arrests? manufactured object. They’re human- a robot equivalent of the flight data power to arrest someone. I think we’re a police robot, or if it makes a mistake? stunt than a realistic application for The power to arrest someone is a made artefacts, and we have tonnes of recorder that basically records looking hundreds of years into the future The owner of the robot probably humanoid robots right now? privileged duty because you are legal history of accidents with machines, everything that happens to it. In fact, before we can build such a machine. ultimately has responsibility, but if there Yes, I think the worry is that it can be a essentially making a judgment about in which culpability is discoverable and I recently wrote a paper on this: The Case was a manufacturing fault, it’s no PR stunt, particularly if you’re a country whether that person has committed a people are held to account and end up For An Ethical Black Box. I think it What kinds of problems could a robot different to your car. If you crash into that is very serious about investing crime. If a human makes that judgment paying for it, often through their should be illegal to operate driverless police officer encounter? someone and cause injury, it’s your heavily in robotics and AI. I think it and it turns out to have been incorrect, insurance, of course. So I think it’s quite cars, care robots or police robots There have been examples of robots responsibility, but if it turned out the helps to raise the visibility and the then they can be held accountable. But wrong to give robots any special status in without one. being hassled by kids, although you can’t crash was partly caused by a significant profile of that level of investment so, yes, you can’t sanction a robot: they can’t be this regard. I suspect the new law that’s really abuse a machine, as such. Another fault in the car, then the responsibility there’s probably a big publicity aspect held responsible for their own behaviour, needed is more around issues of There must be some advantages to robot problem is the robot being ‘gamed’. In might be shared with the people who to it. at least until the far-distant future. transparency. So you’ve heard of a black police officers. Couldn’t they be other words, people will work out what maintained your car – who fixed the box in an aeroplane – it’s a flight data completely fair and impartial in a way its weaknesses are, where its senses are, brakes the last time, for example – or So robots could never be fully-fledged recorder, and when air accidents happen, that a human cannot? and then try and back it into a corner or even with the car’s manufacturers, who, police officers? SHUTTERSTOCK ALAMY, PHOTO: Hayley Bennett is a science writer based in Bristol.

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NASA’s Valkyrie is a Boston Dynamics Atlas robot that’s been customised for use in space

Opening a door or driving a vehicle near you soon, robots are starting to perform the everyday tasks we take for granted. Duncan Graham-Rowe meets our machine counterparts PHOTO: NASA PHOTO: ROBOTICS ROBOTICS

Honda’s Asimo is the poster boy of the robotics world – it can run at speeds of 6km/h (3.7mph)

NYONE WHO FOUND themselves at the Homestead Speedway in Florida in December last year could be forgiven for thinking they had wandered onto the set of a George Lucas blockbuster. In the middle of the track a heaving crowd gathered to watch futuristic- looking robots take on a series of challenges while crews armed with banks of video cameras recorded their every move. The robots were gathered there to duke it out in the DARPA Robotic Challenge Trials. Teams from prestigious institutions such as HOW THEY NASA and MIT competed against each other in a series of tasks specially designed to test their robots’ mettle. These included climbing a ladder, MOVE connecting a hose to a standpipe and turning it on, driving a vehicle, using a tool to break Robots are finally starting to through a concrete wall and, that all time classic, master something we take opening a door to enter a building. Although perhaps trivial to us, tasks such as for granted: using two legs those in the DARPA challenge present huge The Russian SAR-401 difficulties for robots and their designers. The TO APPRECIATE THE advantages that this is that it is possible to remain robot will work on the idea of tests such as these is that eventually legs offer over wheels, you have only stable when you have more than two International Space Station we may be able to send robots into hazardous to examine the dust accumulating on legs, even with no power. In contrast, it environments to perform dangerous tasks the stairs of any household cleaned didn’t take much to push over early in place of humans. Similarly it could enable by a Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner. bipedal robots when they were domestic robots to drive your car to the shops, The fact is our world is filled with all standing still, let alone when walking on do the ironing or answer the phone. This is why manner of uneven, compliant, soft and an uneven surface. DARPA created the challenge, dangling a $2 even moving surfaces that pose huge million prize before the eight qualifiers when challenges for the humble wheel. they meet again later this year for the final. “Legs are good because they TWO-LEGGED RACE And it’s also why game-changing technology provide locomotion on irregular In recognition of the difficulty of this companies like Google are now getting involved. terrain,” says Marc Raibert, founder of problem, a decade ago powerful Google recently acquired Boston Dynamics, Boston Dynamics. “People and animals technology companies like Honda a Massachusetts-based start-up that has use their legs to go almost anywhere and Sony took up the challenge and developed some of the most sophisticated robots on Earth, while wheeled and tracked developed two-legged robots, such in the world, including BigDog and Atlas. vehicles are limited to travelling on as Asimo and QRIO (pronounced relatively smooth and flat surfaces, ‘curio’). With millions dollars injected such as roads.” into their development, the aim with HUMANOID DROIDS In fact, even wheeled robots these ambassador robots was Rather than resembling a dustbin-on-wheels designed specifically to tackle rugged to demonstrate the technological like the creations of yore, the majority of the terrain have been known to get into prowess of their makers, by reaching robots on display at the DARPA challenge were trouble, such as NASA’s Spirit Mars this sacred milestone and effectively remarkably human in appearance. They stand rover, which ignominiously got stuck ‘solving’ bipedal locomotion. on two legs, have two arms with articulated in a sand trap on the Red Planet in To some extent they were shoulder joints and even have dexterous human- 2009 and, as far as we know, remains successful, creating robots that could like hands. Spurring this revolution is the there to this day. walk up and down stairs, across recognition among roboticists that our world is Hardly surprising then that roboticists uneven surfaces, run, dance and even designed around the human form and therefore have long been trying to emulate our do some tai chi. However, as needs robots that are adapted to this kind of ability to walk, with varying degrees of impressive as these demonstrations environment. So instead of redesigning our success. For although there have been were, they came with certain caveats. entire world to accommodate short, stumpy, some highly nimble six-legged insectoid These robots were essentially designed wheeled robots that require a postgraduate robots and four-legged mammalian to remain stable at all times, which degree in computer science to command, we’re ’bots, among others, when it comes to meant that if at any moment you were Tartan Rescue’s fire- now seeing radical advances. These will make two legs, staying upright has proved to pause one of these robots they fighting CHIMP came third in the DARPA competition robots altogether more human-like so that they far more difficult. The simple reason for should, in theory, stay upright. To

PHOTO: HONDA, GETTY, DARPA GETTY, HONDA, PHOTO: move, interact, and even think like us. ROBOTICS ROBOTICSXXXX

make this possible both And when we walk and run we working with experts to identify changes in the environment. And But if you compare its capabilities 3 Asimo and QRIO were are almost in a constant state traits that enable real cheetahs to because it moves dynamically, to those of an active human, there ATLAS designed to walk in a crouching of falling forward and catching achieve high speeds, most notably constantly assuming it is off- are still many opportunities for manner with their knees bent ourselves as we move. by designing a flexible spine that balance and making adjustments improvement,” says Raibert. Meet the most awkwardly to keep their centre This can be partly achieved enables the animal to increase to its actuators accordingly, NASA was so impressed by sophisticated robot of gravity low, giving them a by loading in lots of sensors its stride without having to take it is able to compensate and Atlas that it acquired one to use constipated appearance. to enable a robot to make the longer steps. stay upright even when taking as the basis for their own entry in the world But recently, fresh inspiration necessary corrections and an impact mid-stride, much into the DARPA challenge. Named 1 has sprung from an altogether adjustments in real-time. But like we can. Valkyrie, the robot consists of 1 CRUMPLE ZONE more biological approach. Boston Dynamics has found ATLAS WALKS In terms of robotic evolution an Atlas exoskeleton clad in a 6 Research groups and companies other benefits from paying close Applying similar insights to two- this is quite simply huge, and sleek, white protective outer Metal cage-like structures 1 around its limbs provide like Boston Dynamics have attention to the dynamic way in legged systems has also enabled perhaps even on an equivalent shell. Somewhat embarrassingly crash protection to its more started to make real advances which creatures move. In 2012 Boston Dynamics to develop scale of when early humans first for NASA, Valkyrie failed to make vulnerable sensors and motors. After all, even people in mimicking the dynamic way its four-legged Cheetah robot Atlas, a bipedal robot capable rose up from four legs onto two. much of an impact in the tests fall over occasionally. in which living creatures move. lived up to its name by breaking of a broad range of human-like Raibert remains modest about and finished the trail in second to Humans, for example, are rarely the world speed record for a movements, including walking his achievements. “I make no last place. 2 in a truly stable vertical position, legged robot. Running at 28km/h over uneven surfaces and distinction between two legs and JOINTS even when standing. Instead (18mph), it smashed the previous performing a host of gymnastic- four legs,” he says. “Almost all the 2 A total of 28 hydraulically- we make almost continuous record of 21km/h (13mph) set in like movements. problems are fundamentally the TOUCHY FEELY actuated joints with high-performance position adjustments to stay upright. 1989. This was made possible by This may sound familiar, but same and almost all the solutions Besides walking, this approach and force control is what what sets it apart from the likes are fundamentally the same, at is likely to improve the dexterity keeps Atlas upright and able of Asimo and QRIO is the fact least for really effective solutions.” of robots too, which is just as to move, although currently its power supply comes via “If you compare Atlas’s that Atlas doesn’t need to ‘know’ All it takes, says Raibert, is important. After all, legs will only a tether. capabilities to those of a its environment in advance in the combination of computation, get you so far. To be useful a order to map out choreographed sensing, a sophisticated robot also needs arms and hands. 3 human, there are still many movements. Instead it is able to mechanical system and an Decades of industrial robotics SENSORS sense its environment as it moves, understanding of the physics means that we now have a lot 4 To help it move around its environment, Atlas comes opportunities for improvement” using a combination of stereo of the problem. Although, he’s of experience with how to with a head-mounted sensor cameras and LIDAR, the laser quick to point out that it is not control and manipulate Marc Raibert, founder of Boston Dynamics package complete with LIDAR equivalent of radar. Moreover, perfected. “Atlas is able to walk objects using a robotic (a laser version of radar), stereo cameras, dedicated its movements are dynamic. This in certain circumstances and arm. And now there sensor electronics and means that it is able to respond to exhibits lots of promising results. are even highly perception algorithms. realistic five-fingered robotic hands, like 4 those attached to the BUILD AND BALANCE Boston Dynamics’s SAR-401, a humanoid Standing at about 1.9m Cheetah is the fastest (6ft 2in) tall, Atlas has been robot on four legs, telepresence robot built to resemble a full-sized reaching speeds of developed in Russia and adult, with joints that provide 28km/h (18mph) that will join astronauts on near-human movement of 5 limbs to enable walking, board the International Space running and even calisthenics. Station this year to assist them in carrying out dangerous tasks 5 in space. GRIP Capable of lifting 10kg (22lb) Although Atlas’s 4 three-fingered hands are more under Earth gravity, SAR-401 like claws, its modular wrists is both strong and dexterous allow for them to be replaced and can be controlled remotely with hands made by different manufacturers. using a special glove. Whatever movement the wearer makes, 6 SAR-401’s hands will mimic it. But COMPUTER for all their deftness, what these Atlas’s chest houses a robotic hands lack is sensors to computer, cooled with a fan, that governs motor control enable the astronauts to feel what and sensors. Commands are the robotic fingers feel. sent via a wired link. But then there’s always room for improvement, even with walking, says Raibert. “We need better power supplies, better actuators and better control systems. All need to work together to achieve robots that can travel useful distances, carry useful loads and work in complex environments.” PHOTO: BOSTON DYNAMICS, LOCKHEED MARTIN LOCKHEED DYNAMICS, BOSTON PHOTO:

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It’s all very well being able to in Lausanne. Markram heads trillion connections that link operations a second. According calculate Pi to a billion decimal up the Human Brain Project, them together. to Markram the human brain HOW THEY places, but when it comes to a bold effort to create a The most powerful project will require computers tasks that require lots of pieces supercomputer simulation of the supercomputers today that are a thousand times more of information to be processed precise architecture, function are capable of performing powerful and enough power THINK at the same time, traditional and connectivity of the entire computational processes on to run a small city the size of An intelligent robot will computers really struggle. This is human brain. That’s all 86 billion the order of petaflops – that’s Brighton. Hardly practical for perhaps most evident in pattern neurones as well as the 100 a thousand trillion floating point just one robot brain. have to match the power recognition tasks, such as the and efficiency of the brain human ability to recognise a face even though its appearance might “A lot of the brain’s appeal is MINDS LIKE OURS PERHAPS ONE OF the have changed over the years. There are, however, other biggest motivations to in how little power it uses. So approaches. NeuroGrid, a one make robots more like us is the million neurone ‘neuromorphic’ potential for them to be smarter. A DIGITAL BRAIN what is it that makes them so computer developed by Kwabena After all, if you want intelligent One solution has been proposed effective and so efficient?” Boahen, a bioengineer at Stanford robots then it makes sense to by Henry Markram, director of University, in California, also uses take inspiration from the most the Center for Neuroscience Kwabena Boahen, a bioengineer at Stanford University, California this so-called neuromorphic sophisticated computer that we and Technology at the Swiss approach to simulate brain activity know of – the human brain. Federal Institute of Technology, in computers. But instead it uses the analogue – that is, non-digital – characteristics and properties of the transistors and other components in the circuits. This approach allows it to simulate a million neurones and six billion synapses connecting them, using very little power, much like a biological brain. “The main motivation for this approach is The real Ishiguro is on that the brain does a lot more the left, the robot is on than computations,” says Boahen. the right… er hang on, “A lot of its appeal is in how little it’s the other way round power it uses. What is it that makes them so effective and so efficient? This ‘neuromorphic chip’ mimics the way the brain processes information, This is the secret of the brain.” making it highly efficient But most intriguing of all is the issue of intelligence. The HOW THEY INTERACT neuromorphic approach doesn’t The endgame for robotics is to have them become only suggest that we could create a seamless part of human society A simulated neural robots smart enough to show network courtesy human-like processing power. It of the Human also brings with it the prospect LET’S FACE IT, it doesn’t matter Japan, who is famed for creating Ishiguro has gone from one Brain Project of scaling up to something even how smart, nimble or even cute robotic doppelgängers of people extreme, convincing us of how more complex than the human you make a robot, if people can’t that are so realistic they are realistic robots can appear, to the brain and perhaps, just perhaps, figure out how to use it easily, hard to tell apart. “My research other, creating robots with only more intelligent. then very quickly they’ll lose is not only to develop robots, the most basic human features interest. The best way to avoid but also to unravel the nature of and relying upon us to do the rest this, then, is to throw away human beings themselves. This is of the work. any notions of programming because many aspects of what “My research is focused on or instruction manuals, and it means to be human are still Telenoid, which was designed instead design them to interact shrouded in mystery. Therefore, to appear and to behave as intuitively with people as if they no matter how far they are from a minimalistic human. At the were people. This presents having concrete practical uses, very first glance, one can roboticists with a serious hurdle. we are spending enormous funds easily recognise the Telenoid as Human communication is hugely to develop real androids,” he says. humanoid, but it appears as both complex and nuanced, and full male and female and both old and of countless subtle non-verbal young,” says Ishiguro. gestures, references and facial A HUMAN TOUCH At first glance Telenoid looks This ‘Patch Clamp’ setup expressions, all of which are However, the level of realism and like a pale, white, truncated head can record the activity of 12 dripping with meaning. detail involved with these robots, and torso; with small stumps neurones at a time - a robot Henry Markram is will have to simulate 86 billion, Arguably, no one is more which Ishiguro calls Geminoids, for arms, and a simple, almost trying to reverse familiar with this than Hiroshi although extremely impressive, ghostly, human face with little something the Human Brain engineer the Project is trying to achieve human brain Ishiguro, an engineer and may not be necessary or even more than eyes, nose

PHOTO: HUMAN BRAIN PROJECT X4, CORBIS X4, HUMAN BRAIN PROJECT PHOTO: roboticist at Osaka University, appropriate. In his latest research and mouth. These robots ROBOTICS ROBOTICSXXXX

If you really want to Nexi is designed to mimic human connect with the person gestures and mannerisms, to on the end of a phone, give us a better understanding why not carry the of how human interaction works androgynous Telenoid around with you?

“My research is not only to Cynthia Breazeal interacts with her develop robots, but also to creation Kismet, which responds with unravel the nature of human facial expressions to beings themselves” her actions Hiroshi Ishiguro, engineer and roboticist at Osaka University, Japan

are designed to act as a to see how this novel form of Breazeal, this work showed gaze to indicate what they are form of communications communication medium fares, not only that we are suckers referring to. telepresence, with motors within says Ishiguro. for a cute face, but also that it Such skills are the building to form simple expressions, was possible to exploit the way blocks of human interaction enabling people to converse and we are hardwired to respond to and so should help ensure, for interact with someone far away A HUMAN TOUCH the needs of infants in order to example, that robots don’t simply via the robot. A similar approach proved teach a robot. look at the end of our finger Ishiguro’s belief is that even successful more than a decade Today Kismet has evolved whenever we point at something, with its simple design and limited ago with Kismet, a Gremlin-like into a sleeker, less animalistic as some dogs frustratingly tend expressions, people are able to robotic head. It used exaggerated and more mobile ’bot called Nexi, to do. It is like finishing school for easily recognise whether they baby-like facial expressions to which also has arms to enable it robots, teaching them the social are talking to a male or female, emotionally blackmail people to interact with its environment. graces that will help them get by old or young. That is, Telenoid into socially engaging with it, for This combination makes it in the world, and make them just will serve as a blank template for instance by looking sad whenever possible to train Nexi to carry a little more like us.  people’s minds to fill in the detail someone stopped playing with out different complex social themselves. An experimental it, or bored if they kept doing tasks, such as ‘joint attention’, study involving elderly people in the same thing again and again. where two or more people (or DUNCAN GRAHAM-ROWE is a

PHOTO: GETTY X2, MARY KNOX MERRILL/NSF, SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY SCIENCE PHOTO MERRILL/NSF, KNOX GETTY MARY X2, PHOTO: Denmark is currently underway The brainchild of MIT’s Cynthia Ishiguro’s Telenoid can interact with you using a variety of human expressions robots) use gestures or eye science and technology journalist ROBOTICS

___ THE ROBOTS 01001001001 THAT CAN ___LEARN ROBOTS ARE EVERYWHERE THESE DAYS, BUT HOW CLOSE

ARE THEY TO THE ILLUSTRATION: TOLEDANO PHIL NEXT NATURAL STEP IN THEIR EVOLUTION – THINKING FOR THEMSELVES?

WORDS: Dr Peter Bentley......

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LEFT: Patrick Tresset with WHAT IS MACHINE LEARNING? Paul, the robot that can draw portraits Machine learning is a type of so that they can predict what ABOVE: In the last few years, that might come next, enabling we’ve seen focuses on enabling a computer them to anticipate where an cars that can drive and park to learn new information all by object may move, or how the themselves itself. Some learning methods stock market might change. allow computers to find Over many decades, all these patterns in large amounts of different learning methods data, such as identifying similar have grown from two main sets of genes across a selection sources of inspiration: R of DNA sequences. Others can statistical mathematics and obots are create devices capable of more than following a set of the important features and draws what it sees, using cluster data into different biology. Most recently, some of customarily simple instructions – these robots are capable of lines of different lengths. The images that are groups, allowing them to find the biology-inspired methods portrayed in sci-fi learning for themselves. For example, the new produced have a sketch-like quality that makes them different patterns of fraud or such as genetic algorithms movies as futuristic generation of cars can study our driving styles and almost impossible to distinguish from something normal behaviour in credit card (based on natural evolution) creations that walk adjust how they respond to us. Some can park that’s been drawn by a human. transactions, for example. and deep learning (inspired by on two legs and themselves, perform emergency braking, or drive “Trying to do anything that a human does with a Others are taught to the way that neurons learn in think like a human. themselves on motorways. The best digital recording robot makes us realise the complexity of the tasks we recognise data by viewing the brain), combined with some But this isn’t really devices can now anticipate or predict the kinds of perform naturally without thinking,” explains Tresset. many different examples, so clever new maths, have an accurate portrayal, as we’ve been using robots of programmes you might want to watch, and store them “It also shows us the complexity of physical reality.” they can understand text or produced some of the most one kind or another for some time – they just look a bit without you even asking them to. It’s one thing to paint a portrait on a fixed canvas, different objects in a video. Still impressive results we’ve seen different. Some of the earliest programmable machines And this is just the beginning. Take ‘Paul’, a but it’s quite another to learn the skills of our most others learn the ‘shape’ of data in robotics. ever invented were looms made to weave fabric in the portrait-drawing robot that was created by London- highly trained and responsible professionals. For early 1800s, while robot arms have been used in our based artist Patrick Tresset. Paul understands what it example, could an AI ever fly a passenger plane with factories since the 1960s, and the military have used sees by using a software simulation of the neurons the same skill as a human pilot, and keep the robotic weaponry such as cruise missiles since WWII. used in the human brain’s visual cortex – the region passengers safe no matter what? Computer scientist In fact, these days our everyday lives are practically that processes information from our eyes. Paul finds Haitham Baomar thinks it could. His research at overrun by robots hiding in plain sight. Our University College London adds an additional layer of dishwasher is a robot that stands permanently in the intelligence to aircraft autopilots, enabling them to kitchen, washing away the remnants of our meals; our cope even when the aircraft is faced with vehicles are robotic devices that listen to the “OUR INTELLIGENT unpredictable weather or damage. movement of our hands and feet, and manage the firing “Our Intelligent Autopilot System is capable of and transmission of a combustion engine, the AUTOPILOT SYSTEM IS performing many piloting tasks while handling severe movement of suspension, and the braking of wheels. weather conditions and emergency situations such as Even our alarm clocks are little robots that follow a CAPABLE OF PERFORMING engine failure or fire, rejected take-off, and emergency simple program to make sure we wake up at the right landing, which are far beyond the current capabilities time. But how close are we to creating the thinking MANY PILOTING TASKS of modern autopilots,” explains Baomar. machines of science fiction? The AI uses a neural network that operates in a WHILE HANDLING SEVERE similar manner to the human brain, with many ROBOT SEE, ROBOT DO different neural nodes arranged in tiers and each one In the last few years, a sea change has begun to take WEATHER CONDITIONS AND solving a different part of the task simultaneously. place. Breakthroughs in artificial intelligence and Each successive tier recieves the output from the ‘machine learning’ research are now allowing us to previous tier rather than the raw input. The nodes 2

EMERGENCY SITUATIONS” PHOTOS: PHILIP EBELING, GETTY ILLUSTRATIONS: JOE WALDRON

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COME WITH ME IF YOU WANT TO LOVE capable of doing,” says Kaliouby. “We like to say we are So the robots of the future are likely to be capable of bringing AI to life!” learning and performing complex, highly skilled tasks. Tomorrow’s robots will not be mere machines, cold But how about ? Humans are complex and heartless. They will be emotionally aware – and it creatures, unpredictable and often not entirely will happen soon, researchers say. BELOW: Dr rational. Our emotions are just as important as our “I think in three to five years we will forget what it Rana el was like when our devices didn’t understand ,” Kaliouby intellect in driving our actions. demonstrates – software that recognises and interprets our emotions says Kaliouby. “It’s similar to how we all assume that emotion- – and human-computer interaction has started to our phones today are location-aware. Someday soon, it sensing will be the same for emotions.” technology enable AIs to detect emotions. used by her “We know from years of research that emotional Tresset wonders what the robots that learn will be company’s able to do in the future. “Robots can already learn, but artificial intelligence is a crucial component of human intelligence intelligence,” says Dr Rana el Kaliouby, CEO of as long as they are not able to take the decision to artificial intelligence company . “People who produce art, they cannot be seen as artists. have a higher Emotional Quotient [EQ] lead more Intentionality is very important in art,” he says. “If a successful professional and personal lives, are robot on an assembly line starts to hit a car to produce healthier, and even live longer.” a sculpture, then will it be an artist? If a military drone Affectiva is using deep learning, a special kind of starts to dance in the sky then it neural network containing many layers of neurons, to will it be an artist?” Dr Peter Bentley is a computer enable computers to detect our emotions from our “When we design intelligent scientist and author based at faces. Their AI is trained on a vast database of more robots,” says Aloimono, “it is as if University College London. than half a million faces analysed from people in 75 we are trying to understand countries, with 50 million new emotion data points – a ourselves – it is what the ancient DISCOVER MORE face expressing emotion such as happiness, sadness or Greeks referred to as ‘gnothi Listen to The Rise surprise – being added every day. seauton’ [‘know thyself’]. Of The Robots, a “We are giving machines the ability to sense and This quest will never end.” BBC Radio 4 series respond to human emotion, something that is deeply exploring the role of robots in 2 each have their own bank of knowledge built up human but that today’s technology has not been science and culture across the ABOVE: Robot from their original programming rules, plus anything ages bbc.in/2kBstus chefs could spell the end they’ve experienced. of sweating Just as a human pilot may be simultaneously using over a hot stove one part of their brain to move muscles, one part to assess instruments and another to speak, the AI uses FIVE OF THE SMARTEST ROBOTS IN HISTORY many separate parts of its brain to solve all the says Prof Yiannis Aloimonos. “Can this tool be used for different problems of flying. The AI learns directly scooping; can this object be used as a container? Our from observing human pilots, watching their every neural networks look at many examples and they have move in microscopic detail in order to learn how to been taught to make geometric calculations. The cope with whatever gets thrown at it. It can then apply combination of deep learning with geometry leads to those skills to novel situations, flying new aircraft in recognition of the action being performed.” scenarios and conditions that it has never seen These AIs learn the underlying ‘grammar’ rules of previously. The system is designed to complement action so that they can achieve their intended goal human pilots rather than replace them, but Baomar without necessarily needing to perform identical hopes the AI will improve motions. For example, the rules of stirring using a air safety dramatically. spoon to repeatedly mix a liquid in a pot apply to any 1966 1994 1997 2011 2015 liquid and any pot. A simpler AI might only learn how ELIZA VIRTUAL CREATURES DEEP BLUE IBM WATSON DEEP-Q NETWORK IRON CHEF to use one specific spoon for one specific pot, “I THINK IN Researchers at the containing one specific kind of soup. This higher-level One of the first Computer artist and Deep Blue was IBM Watson was the This earlier work from University of Maryland thinking using such grammar rules is then combined examples of a researcher Karl Sims catapulted into public first AI to beat human the team behind THREE TO FIVE have taken a similar with a large number of processes that track and chatterbot. When created a group of consciousness when it players at US TV quiz AlphaGo, the AI that observational approach monitor the hands, the objects, tools and their running a script virtual creatures that won a chess game show Jeopardy!. This AI defeated a master of YEARS WE WILL and used it in the kitchen. movements, all continuously running in the dubbed DOCTOR, ELIZA inhabited their own against grandmaster was clever enough to the complex Japanese Their robots background. “All of this implemented in a robot could ask and answer virtual universe. Using Garry Kasparov – the process text and then strategy game Go, FORGET WHAT can watch videos of gives rise to the robots of the future that ‘understand’ questions like a genetic algorithms, first supercomputer to found likely answers learned how to play 49 people preparing and the humans around them, and learn from them,” psychotherapist. It they evolved until they achieve such a feat. to the questions asked classic Atari games just IT WAS LIKE cooking food, and by explains Aloimonos. didn’t understand a could swim, crawl, However, it was given a using its internal body by looking at the screen doing so, learn to perform Baomar thinks this form of robotic learning can find great deal, but with jump and compete lot of help from human of knowledge, which – it didn’t get any help WHEN OUR similar actions. countless practical applications. “I believe that if we some clever against one another. programmers and used comprised around 200 from programmers. “We use neural give robots the ability to learn from humans or even programming was Unfortunately, they pretty basic AI methods million pages of While it was brilliant at DEVICES DIDN’T networks to acquire from other systems, the outcome should be intelligent still able to convince were too concerned to think of its moves, so content. Sadly, it a lot of the games, it knowledge for our robots robots that are capable of learning a wide spectrum of many users of its with their own virtual maybe it was not so struggled to answer couldn’t get the hang of UNDERSTAND by learning the skills, ranging from domestic chores to performing intelligence. lives to talk to us. bright after all. some basic questions. Pac-Man. EMOTION” functionality of objects,” surgery and flying complex machines,” he says. PHOTOS: VOA NEWS, AFFECTIVA ILLUSTRATIONS: JOE WALDRON

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