ITU Internationnal telecom union report

Robotics

The interaction between robots and humans has always inspired writers of science fiction. The dream that machines could help humankind with unpleasant, dangerous or simply tedious work is inherently appealing. The current renewal of inter- est in robotics outside the world of fiction is due mainly to the increasing maturity of robotic tech- nology and falling costs. Today?s wireless and sen- sor technologies also enable an unprecedented level of interaction between robots and the world around them. Robots in the real world generally lack the glam- our of their fictional paragons: they are machines designed to execute one or more tasks repeatedly, with speed and precision. There are as many (if not more) different types of robots as there are tasks for them to perform. A robot can be under the direct control of a human operator, or fully auto- mated. The branch of engineering called robotics contains elements of electronics, mechanical en- gineering, computer science, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology and bioengineering. Robots that are mobile can be classified as either androids or humanoids. Androids are usually fitted with wheels or tracks, robot legs being inherently unstable and difficult to engineer. They can be used for activities in extreme environments, res- cues, or other onerous tasks. They can also serve as pets, such as the well-known Sony AIBO15. Human- oids, on the other hand, are designed to closely re- semble human beings in form. Ideally, humanoids can walk and perform some basic human activities, such as carrying an object or recognizing speech (box 2.5). In order to make humanoids more acces- sible, a start-up company in France, for example, is planning to build an inexpensive, Wi-Fi-enabled humanoid robot, for the consumer market by early 200716. Given the renewed interest in robotics, demonstrations of robots and robotic skills are multiplying across the globe. An exciting annual event for humanoids is the RoboCup soccer championship, held in 2006 in Bremen (Germany), at which teams of humanoids demonstrate how they master the complex skills needed for the sport, particularly as dexterity does not come easy to them. source rapport 2006 ITU

Par  Jean Louis Frechin