Following orders and serving others...When will robots truly replace human labor?

In today's era, technology is developing rapidly. From smart homes to industrial manufacturing, from healthcare to space exploration, robots are changing people's lives at an unprecedented speed and scale, and are truly entering all walks of life.

It is generally believed that "replacing human labor with mechanical power" is an ideal that mankind has long pursued, reflecting the deep desire of generations of people.

What is the relationship between robots and humans? Where will the ethical issues brought about by technological progress go? Where will the future development of artificial intelligence go? ... The discussion on the comprehensive impact and potential of robotics has always been a hot topic in all walks of life. Its enduring popularity reflects the continued attention and deep expectations of mankind in this field.

“I, ROBOT”—Concept Origin

In 1921, Czech writer Karel Capek's science fiction play "Rossum's Universal Robots" first defined robots as machines that work like slaves. The play states that robots have the characteristics of obeying orders, serving people, and doing heavy work.

In a broad sense, today's robot is a mechanical system that combines mechanical structure, electronic control and computer program to perceive, make decisions, move and interact.

Perception: Robots can use various sensors (such as vision sensors, force sensors, etc.) to obtain information about the surrounding environment.

Decision-making: Based on the information obtained, the robot is able to analyze and make decisions.

Movement: The robot performs actions or tasks based on its decisions.

Interaction: Robots communicate and collaborate with humans or other entities through physical or cyber information exchange.

The movie "I, ROBOT" explores the relationship between robots and humans, the ethical issues brought about by technological progress, and the development direction of artificial intelligence. It proposes the three laws of robotics . These laws may encounter many complex situations in practical applications, especially when robots are highly intelligent, their understanding of these principles may be different from that of humans. As the plot of the movie develops, these robots encounter a moral dilemma when executing the first law, that is, how to judge what is real "harm" and how to protect humans without infringing on their free will.

Early Exploration-Technological Progress-Application Expansion-Technological Innovation

"ASIMO-Atlas-Optimus Gen2" Since the late 1960s , countries such as Japan and the United States have begun research on bipedal robots. Over time, the control algorithms, motion performance and practicality of bipedal robots have been significantly improved, from the initial simple walking to the ability to perform complex movements, and then to the exploration of disaster response, military applications and other fields. Advances in materials science and the application of 3D printing technology have promoted the lightweight and performance optimization of bipedal robots.

Compared with foreign robots, domestic humanoid robots are also developing vigorously. Since 2001, the National University of Defense Technology has begun to study humanoid robots. Since then, both Tsinghua University and Beijing Institute of Technology have successively invested in the research of humanoid robots. The humanoid robot Wukong developed by Zhejiang University has gone through multiple versions of iterations and is now able to walk and jump on complex roads at a speed of 6km/h. However, compared with foreign humanoid robots, domestic technology still has great room for development.

At present, bipedal robots have problems of slow speed and poor stability . Both the robot controller and the real-time performance of the robot operating system need further in-depth research. The zero torque point is an important method for analyzing and controlling the stability of bipedal robots. Simply put, during the movement of the robot, it is necessary to ensure that there is a point within the range of the robot's feet in contact with the ground, at which the sum of the torques generated by the inertial force, gravity and ground reaction force on the robot is zero.

Robot dog? A quadruped robot!

The development of the "BigDog-Cheetah-Wildcat-LS3-SpotClassic" quadruped robot began in the early 21st century. BigDog , developed by Boston Dynamics, debuted in 2005. It demonstrated strong off-road capabilities and load capacity, able to traverse rugged terrain and carry heavy objects. In 2012, the launch of Cheetah set a new record for the speed of quadruped robots, up to 29 miles per hour (about 46.6 kilometers per hour), demonstrating amazing running ability. WildCat was released in 2013, further enhancing the running performance of quadruped robots in outdoor environments. The LS3 project focused on providing material transportation for the military, while SpotClassic marked the beginning of the quadruped robot's shift to the civilian market, opening the door to daily life and commercial applications. The successive launch of these iconic products has promoted the advancement and development of quadruped robot technology.

The quadruped robot uses different gait instructions to achieve different ways of movement. From slow to fast, they are crawl, pace, trot, bound and gallop . Just like when we run, the faster we run, the harder it is to keep balance. The same is true for quadruped robots. They are most stable when crawling and can walk on uneven surfaces; they are faster when trotting, but can adapt to different surfaces; galloping is the fastest, but requires a relatively flat surface. These gait instructions simulate the movement postures of quadrupeds in nature, allowing quadruped robots to move flexibly in various places.