IS 376October 1, 2013

“The Rise of the

ROBOT WORKER”

By Erico Guizzo and Evan Ackerman

IEEE SpectrumOctober 2012

“Robotics, The New Industrial

Revolution”By German Carro Fernandez, Sergio

Martin Gutierrez, Elio Sancristobal Ruiz, Francisco Mur Perez, and Manuel Castro

Gil

IEEE Technology and Society Magazine

Summer 2012

October 1, 2013IS 376 Page 2

WORKPLACE AUTOMATIONAutomating processes that were once performed by

humans is an age-old means to relegate tedious tasks to machines, which are better able to perform them consistently and correctly, without succumbing to

boredom.Examples:

Printing instead of

photocopying

Universal Product Codes instead of price stickers

Direct deposit

instead of payroll checks

Self-checkout instead of regular checkout

Pre-recorded drive-through

greetings

Automated doctor

appointment reminders

In The Office:

In The Grocery: In Daily Interaction:

October 1, 2013IS 376 Page 3

ROBOTSThe term “robot” was coined by Karel Čapek in his 1921

play “R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots)”, about a factory that produces artificial people, who ultimately rebel and

drive humanity to extinction.

October 1, 2013IS 376 Page 4

INDUSTRIAL ROBOTSRobots are extremely popular in factories, where their

endurance, speed, precision, and programmability make them perfect for such jobs as:

• Assembly

• Painting• Welding• Packagi

ng• Palletizi

ng• Loading• Inspecti

ng• Testing

October 1, 2013IS 376 Page 5

INDUSTRIAL ROBOT STATISTICS

October 1, 2013IS 376 Page 6

TECHNICAL PARAMETERSIn order to program industrial robots to perform precisely,

various parameters must be specified and closely monitored.

Working EnvelopeThe region of

space that the robot is able to

reach.

KinematicsThe arrangement of rigid sections and flexible joints making up the robot.PayloadThe amount of weight the robot is capable of lifting.

Degrees of Freedom

The set of rotational and

translational movements of

which the robot is capable.

PrecisionThe accuracy with which the robot can reach a particular position.RepeatabilityThe robot’s ability to return to an exact position.

October 1, 2013IS 376 Page 7

BAXTER$22K factory robot from

Rethink Robotics Behavior-Based

Intelligence(adapts to changing

environment)

Human Presence Detection(360° sonar & front-face

camera)User Interface(navigator

on arm; expression

on face)

Force Sensing

& Control(at each

joint)

Vision-Guided

(movement & object

identification)

Natural Compliance(spring-based sensors detect bumping into

people/objects)

Direct Training

(tasks taught via

arm movement

, not programmi

ng)

October 1, 2013IS 376 PAGE 8

VIVA KIVA!Kiva Systems in Massachusetts has developed a robot

that works in warehouses to identify and retrieve warehouse inventory, usually for mail order businesses.

Full pallets of products are delivered to

cabinet replenishment

stations.

Items are selected from cabinets to be

included in specific orders.

Completed orders are delivered to

the loading dock.

October 1, 2013IS 376 Page 9

DANGER! DANGER!Robots are commonly used for tasks that would be too

dangerous for humans.

Explosive Ordnance Disposal

Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle

On-Orbit Servicing

Search & Rescue Underwater Oil Capping

Firefighting

October 1, 2013IS 376 Page 10

ROBOT AVATARSTelepresence robots are designed to stand in for humans

who are in remote locations, in this case with a video screen hat and camera and laser pointer eyes.

Using a Web browser, the human controls the robot from home, using the robot’s mobility and voice and video capabilities to participate in meetings and interact with coworkers.

Stuffed

Animal

October 1, 2013

THE UNCANNY VALLEY

IS 376 Page 11

Familiarity

Human

Likeness

Industrial

Robot

Humanoid

RobotBunra

ku Puppe

t

Corpse

Zombie

Prosthetic

Hand

Healthy

Person

StillMoving

In 1970, cognitive scientist Masahiro

Mori noticed a relationship

between how close an object

approximates a human likeness and the ease with which people respond to

the object.

A child hugs a doll more than a pillow. An industrial robot looks utilitarian, while primitive

humanoid robots look “cute”.

Mori observed that past a certain point,

however, a simulated human likeness strikes

people as “creepy” unless it literally

cannot be distinguished from a

real human.

October 1, 2013

EMOTIONAL ATTACHMENT

IS 376 Page 12

Recent research indicates that military personnel are

increasingly forming emotional attachments to

their EOD (explosive ordinance disposal) robotsWhile soldiers insist that

attachment to their robots does not affect their performance, they

acknowledged they felt a range of emotions such as frustration, anger and even

sadness when their field robot was destroyed.

This has resulted in speculation that outcomes on the battlefield could be compromised by human-robot attachment, or the

feeling of self-extension into the robot described by some

operators.

It has been suggested that the next generation of EOD robots should be designed to have less personality,

and be more like tools, so that they're harder to form

relationships with.