What is a Robot?

Photo by Possessed Photography on Unsplash

The word “robot” is most often associated with humanoids or human-looking machines. C3PO of Star Wars is a classic example of such a robot. In reality however, a robot can take any physical form (e.g.  industrial robots on an assembly line) or virtual form (more often called bots).

Robots are desirable and often even essential for certain work functions because unlike a living agent, they:

• never tire,
• can endure conditions that are uncomfortable or unbearable,
• can undertake dangerous tasks as they can be expendable with no ethical concerns (that’s before we manage to develop robots with consciousness),
• are not bored by repetition,
• are not subjected to human biases and the list goes on and on.

Traits of Robots

As a general rule, robots tend to possess the following:

• effectors (akin to limps of animals or humans)
• sensors (of heat, light, pressure, sound, etc.)
• computer – the brain that contains instructions called algorithms to control the robot
• equipment – this includes tools and mechanical fixtures

Asimov’s 3 laws of robotics

In the 1940s, the word “robotics” first appeared in Isaac Asimov’s science-fiction story Runaround.

Asimov’s robot novels set a new standard for the plausibility and challenges of developing intelligent machines to serve their creator as well as the ethical, technical and social problems that might arise.

It is in Runaround that Asimov coined the 3 famous laws of Robotics:

1. A robot may not injure a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2. A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

Now and the Future

Fast forward to the 21^st century, robots have become increasingly prominent as technology advances and humanity matures as a species. In many societies, robots have replaced humans in performing repetitive and dangerous tasks at higher precision, accuracy, efficiency and efficacy.

Robots are slated to play ever bigger role in human societies mainly due to aging global population. Demand will no doubt intensify for robots to care for the old and replace young working population, etc. Robots play an essential role in our next big leap to fulfil our ambition to be a spacefaring species. Think HAL 9000 in 2001: A Space Odyssey or TARS in Interstellar where robots and human venture hand in hand into the abyss of deep space.