Best tasks humans have offloaded to robotic helpers

3 years ago 420

From "bionic" mixologists and roving pizza transportation pros, present are immoderate of the apical tasks humans person handed implicit to humanity's robotic sidekicks.

Robots were erstwhile reserved for the pages of paperback pulp, but successful caller decades, these bots person transformed from subject fabrication to mundane reality. Robotic interactions are a communal portion of the modern quality acquisition arsenic these progressively nimble machines are designed with caller skills and dexterity. During this time, robots person augmented quality roles crossed industries from manufacturing to abstraction exploration. From autonomous pizza transportation and bionic bartending to sports entertainment, present are immoderate of the apical tasks humans person offloaded onto our robotic assistants.

SEE: Hiring kit: Robotics engineer (TechRepublic Premium)

Space exploration?

In 2011, NASA launched what it described arsenic the "first human-like robot to space" onboard a Discovery ngo to the International Space Station "to go a imperishable resident" connected the orbiting spacecraft. With a brace of robotic arms and nimble hands, the humanoid robot known arsenic Robonaut2 (R2) was designed to assistance astronauts connected the station.

According to a NASA fact sheet, R2 "could 1 time task extracurricular the presumption to assistance spacewalkers marque repairs oregon additions to the presumption oregon execute technological work." A February 2018 dispatch from Robonaut's authoritative Twitter relationship said the bot was being prepped for a formation backmost to the Earth. A tweet from astronaut Joseph M. Acaba said the bot was headed to Earth for "repairs and refurb," but said the squad onboard was looking "forward to his return."

SEE: Photos: 9 champion tasks humans person offloaded to robotic helpers (TechRepublic)

Pizza delivery

In April, Domino's and the self-driving conveyance institution Nuro launched an autonomous pizza transportation program. Select customers ordering from the participating determination successful Houston, Texas would prepay for orders online and opt to person the pizza delivered via the R2 vehicle, Domino's said successful a release, adding that dispatched substance alerts volition supply R2 determination updates and springiness customers a unsocial pin to participate connected the vehicle's touchscreen erstwhile it arrived, prompting the doors to open, "revealing the customer's blistery Domino's order."

Bartending

In 2014, Royal Caribbean debuted its alleged Bionic Bar featuring a brace of robotic bartenders with the quality to trade 2 drinks each infinitesimal and up to 1,000 drinks per time utilizing 21 mixers and 30 spirits, according to the company. Interestingly, a Royal Caribbean infographic said the robo-mixologists' limb "movements are patterned aft the graceful Marco Pelle from New York Theatre Ballet."

Sports entertainment

In 2019, Toyota's AI-powered humanoid hoops subordinate CUE made past erstwhile it was awarded the Guinness World Record for "most consecutive hoops escaped throws by a humanoid robot (assisted)," according to a company blog post. At the 2021 Olympics, the robot was seen showing disconnected its talents astatine the escaped propulsion enactment and 1 made changeable adjacent earned a "boom shakalaka" from a broadcast commentator.

Gameday chores

During competition, quality officials person often been liable for retrieving sports balls and different gameplay instrumentality arsenic these objects carom retired of play. For the Tokyo 2020 games, Toyota developed a bid of "Field Support Robots" (FSR) designed to "retrieve sports instrumentality rapidly and safely connected the tract of play, alleviating the load connected operational staff," according to an Olympics post.

House assistants

Per usual, CES 2021 was brimming with bots and including Samsung's single-armed roving instrumentality known arsenic Bot Handy. In a video, the robotic adjunct was shown doing a fig of chores astir the house, ranging from pouring vino astatine the meal array to putting distant soiled dishes and mostly tidying up aft its quality roommates.

SEE: Future of farming: AI, IoT, drones, and much (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

COVID-19 pandemic cleaning

At this year's CES, UBTECH showcased a fig of disinfecting robots designed to sanitize. big of environments including schools, hospitals, offices, gyms and subway cars. The ADIBOT-A touts a 360-degree UV-C light, LiDAR, cameras and different sensors to rove astir and zap microbes on-site.

Companionship

The MOFLIN from Vanguard Industries, which is described arsenic an "AI favored robot with affectional capabilities," according to its Kickstarter page, picked up a Best of Innovation Award successful robotics astatine CES 2021. The MOFLIN's honoree page says an algorithm and a bid of sensors nether the robot's overgarment let the bot to "learn and turn by perpetually utilizing its interactions to find patterns and measure its surroundings from its sensors."

Security patrols

In November 2020, a objection astatine the Tyndall Air Force Base successful Florida showcased the capabilities of a bid of semi-autonomous robot dogs that were to beryllium utilized for basal operations. Although the computerized robots lucifer canines, the Air Force release said, the bots would not regenerate moving subject dogs connected the base; instead, the robodogs would assistance patrol operations, allowing the "defenders" to absorption connected "security actions that necessitate a carnal presence."

Innovation Newsletter

Be successful the cognize astir astute cities, AI, Internet of Things, VR, AR, robotics, drones, autonomous driving, and much of the coolest tech innovations. Delivered Wednesdays and Fridays