Artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics have always been closely tied together in popular consciousness, so much so that it is not uncommon for the layperson to conflate the two. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the recent surge of interest, news, and amazing developments in AI have also resulted in a massive wave of robotics companies springing up and making themselves known.
But, looking closely, you can see a pattern. Most of the new robots that have surfaced in popular media and news in the past two years are humanoids – robots that rely on bipedal locomotion and have two arms, a head, and a torso. These include the Tesla Optimus, remotely operated by humans to make drinks, the smaller Unitree G1 running across obstacles, and the newly electrically driven (rather than hydraulically driven) Boston Dynamics Atlas –each built to have a relatively human form.
Humanoids in robotics are not new to this current crop. In 2000, the world watched the Honda ASIMO slowly trundle across the stage on two legs. And while the Boston Dynamics Atlas is newly electrically driven, it was first unveiled in 2013. Considering how many robots in popular culture adopt this form, it makes sense that so many companies are moving in this direction. There is something magical about seeing a robot walk or run on two legs.
Content retrieved from: https://innotechtoday.com/what-if-robots-are-the-solution-for-the-us-healthcare-system/.
