After almost two months since the inception of Zygbotics, I thought it would be appropriate to reiterate some of the major themes of this site, how I think of the future of robotics, as well as some observations about where the technology is heading in the years and decades to come.
The field of robotics is immensely broad and complex and is the focus of numerous undertakings, from educational applications like Lego Mindstorm, to amateur projects in garages, all the way to sophisticated and generously funded private and government sponsored platforms around the globe. At the outset I want to affirm that while Zygbotics is interested in all of these various aspects of robotics, the overriding thematic framework is the realm of humanoid robotics. A humanoid robot is essentially a robot that has human-like cognitive, kinetic, and social features.
Concerning the meaning of the site name, Zygbotics (which I pronounce, ZIG-BOTICS), I am drawing upon a range of ideas and concepts taken from the world of biomimetics—a field that has to do with mimicking life, or imitating biological systems. Now, as stated in the introductory post, the term “Zygbotics” is a derivative of two words, “zygot” and “robotics.” The first half of this word, zyg is from the ancient Greek ζυγωτός (zugōtos), meaning “joined” or “yoked,” from ζυγοῦν (zugoun) “to join” or “to yoke.” The most common association in the English is “zygote,” which refers to a human cell that results from fertilization between the ovum and the sperm. The second part of “Zygbotics” derives from the word robota which has etymological roots in Czech and other Slavic languages and means work, labor or serf labor. The word was popularized in the 1921 Czech play, RUV (Rossum’s Universal Robots), by Karel Čapek who placed the word ‘robot’ into the modern consciousness. Since then robotics has sprung into a field of study that has stimulated far-ranging interest not only in technological sectors, but in popular media, entertainment, and culture as well. The joining of the two roots, zygot and robot, into a new amalgam, Zygbot, reflects the underlying premise of this blog—that advanced developments in humanoid technologies in the next several decades will depend upon a fundamental breakthrough in the merging together of biological and electro-mechanical systems to achieve new advances in the replication of human forms of motion, social interaction, and cognition.
The field of robotics in general has not lived up to the promises that were projected upon it a generation ago. Hans Moravec argued in “Rise of the Robots–The Future of Artificial Intelligence” that because of extremely high expectations associated with the advent of computers in the 1950s it became all too easy to project that within a decade these machines would also serve as the artificial brains of fully functional autonomous humanoid robots. Obviously this was an overly optimistic assessment. While there have been considerable advances in robotics over the decades, the primary problem in building anything remotely resembling a human-like robot has been the limitations in computer power (even now, the world’s most acclaimed (and ostensibly, the most sophisticated) humanoid robot—ASIMO—is limited by the fact that it has to be routinely programmed to perform its complex kinematic functions). Moravec believes, however, that the dramatic increases in computer capabilities in just the last two decades indicate that significant advancements are on the horizon that will have major implications for the next generation of humanoid robots. Moravec closes the loop with this statement on the rise of intelligent robots: “By 2040, I believe, we will finally achieve the original goal of robotics and a thematic mainstay of science fiction: a freely moving machine with the intellectual capabilities of a human being.” In fact, the main subheader of the article claims that “by 2050 robot “brains” based on computers that execute 100 trillion instructions per second will start rivaling human intelligence.”
Zygbotics follows the premise that this next major technological shift will be largely influenced by the world of nanotechnology; a point that is captured well in Jack Uldrich’s 2003 book, The Next Big Thing Is Really Small: How Nanotechnology Will Change the Future of Your Business. What this essentially means for the field of robotics is that various nanotechnologies, including nanoelectronics, nanomuscles, nanocomputing, and a host of other nano-architectures will be leveraged in ways that will lead to a major revolution in all domains of robotics—therefore, making the development of a new generation of humanoid robots possible. The greatest challenge to the advancement of the next generations of intelligent robots therefore has to do with how to develop a synthetic architecture that can make independent decisions; express basic cognitive skills through emotive, intelligent, and linguistic expressions; and is capable of freely responding to external stimuli. The humanoid robotic brain therefore will have to mimic a human brain with a considerably high degree of precision.
Zygbotics is dedicated to advancing the newest paradigms in nanotechnology and the development of hybridizations involving biological and electrical systems. I have discussed some of the recent technologies that are being developed in biomimetic neural circuits and artificial intelligence. For example, Alice Parker’s group at USC is working on a “synthetic cortex” that relies upon neurons built from carbon nanotubes, and fabricated together in such a manner that will attempt to replicate aspects of electro-chemical ‘synaptic transmission’ in the human brain. In “Neuronal Circuits and the Development of Smart Robots”, I reported on a project with potentially widescale applications in the advancement of sophisticated robot, involving the creation of logic circuits from rat cell neurons grown in a geometric design. The possibility of creating innovative hybrid circuits that are part organic and part mechanical is a present reality that must be factored into the future of humanoid robotics development.
The next generation of humanoid technologies will also depend on breakthroughs in the area of neuromorphic engineering and the incorporation of a host of architectures that can closely mimic human anatomical functions: haptic, optic, muscular, and kinetic systems—to name a few. Neuromorphic engineering is a new field that represents the intersection and integration of the latest advances in biology, electrical engineering, and robotics:
“Neuromorphic engineering takes inspiration from the signal processing structures found in the brain and physical attributes of animals to design new computers and robots capable of the amazing sensorimotor feats seen in nature. From neurons to behavior, the low-power, robust, real-time, and adaptive nature of biological systems serves as a proof-of-concept of the unique implementation developed by evolution. These principles have been applied to software models of sensory processing, VLSI implementations of neural circuits, and robot design.”
Some of the most impressive architectural applications of neuromorphic engineering reported to date—at least for the field of robotics—involve carbon nanotube muscles. This innovation is devised of tangled carbon nanotubes that expand in width by 220% when a voltage is applied and then return to their normal size once it is removed, in a mere matter of milliseconds. The potential of this new carbon nanotube muscle has wide-ranging applications in the field of robotics, with the ability to function as artificial muscle fibers—for example, to move the limbs of a walking bipedal robot.
Zygbotics embraces a holistic approach to the study of robotics in general, and humanoid robotics in particular. And so I have the goal in mind of understanding not only the technological aspects of robotics—but also the socio-cultural and educational dimensions of this expanding industry. Throughout the site therefore you will find posts that offer features and analyses on the future of robots in society, addressing the questions, for example, of what the implications will be of humans interacting with sociable robots, how will robots be treated in our integrated global civil society, and will robots someday be capable of learning alongside of humans in our classrooms.
Finally, I should add that the major subtext within my discussions so far has been Japan, since this country clearly demonstrates its position as global leader in the area of humanoid robots—and is fast developing into a veritable “robot nation.” In just the past two weeks, Zygbotics has reported on some of the major new robotic innovations coming out of Japan, such as the HRP-4C girl robot, plans for introducing robotic nurses in five years, and a mind-reading humanoid. An important aim of the site will be to engage directly the question of Japanese and American socio-cultural differences in relation to the field of robotics, and especially how these differences influence the way both countries approach humanoid robotics.
Robotics stands poised to become one of the most expansive and exciting technologies of the 21st century. Zygbotics therefore aims to enlighten, inform, and educate the next generation about this new paradigm through knowledge-based discussion and commentary on the latest advances in the world of humanoid robotics. Thank you for your visit and interest. Please feel free to leave a comment on the site, or else to direct message me via Twitter with any additional questions or comments.
Tags: carbon nanotube muscle, future flashback, future of robotics, humanoid robot, humanoid robotics, nanoelectronics, neuromorphic engineering, neuronal circuits, Zygbotics
