Science today has overtaken science fiction and we’re already in the world of the almost-human robot. American androids such as Valerie, Chris Willis’s scarily brilliant creation, are said not only to wash the dishes and do the laundry, but also to talk.
Humanoids are creeping closer to the real thing in Japan where the Government is investing billions in robotic research at 60 universities, as major companies, such as Honda, Mitsubishi and Sony, lead the way in developing robots to do chores and connect us wirelessly to the internet. Toyota has created Partner Robot, which can play the trumpet with the deftness, it claims, of Louis Armstrong.
Now we face a choice: either we focus sensibly on science — that is, creating robots that will do useful jobs for us — or we lurch into science fiction by transforming the next generation of Valeries into substitute human beings.
Already there are robots that can watch TV with you and can give you a hug. This obsession with ever more lifelike mechanical clones of you and me is the wrong road to travel, leading to the wrong sort of robot.
It’s function we want from a machine, not companionship. Pretend people are not even a substitute for a dog or a cat — let alone for your family and your friends.
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It doesn’t matter what robots look like, as long as they do the job better than us mortals. They will succeed or fail according to how efficient they are as labour-saving devices, so we should start with the basics of battery life rather than replicate the looks of Yul Brynner’s vengeful robot in Westworld.
The Japanese are light years ahead in humanoid robotic research and development. They believe passionately that robots are part of the future of mankind. The Japanese Ministry of Education has recently set up a programme of training courses to accustom young children to robots and to learn how to interact with them.
As usual, the Japanese have a point. People are living longer and the falling birth rate means that there will not be enough young people to look after Japan’s elderly by 2030. Robots are seen as a potentially reliable and cost-effective alternative to leaving your home and going into care. So a robot that acts as your home-help could keep you independent for longer.
So far, so good, because this robotic research is simply about a machine that does the work for you. Not a new partner.
Isaac Asimov’s Second Law of Robotics says that a robot must obey the orders given it by human beings. Simply obey — not love and honour — because all you want is your house cleaned or the lawn mowed. When it comes to hugs and kisses I think most of us prefer the real thing, even if good old Homo sapiens occasionally prove unreliable. A robot for washing and doing your ironing, on the other hand? Why not? We’ve already had so many successful single-function robots in history, such as car assembly lines and medical equipment. What these successful robots have in common is that they perform tasks that are considered too dull, dirty, delicate or dangerous for people.
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At Dyson, we also use robots for our testing, research and development. The Ball, for instance, had its manoeuvrability analysed using a robot. It’s servo-driven and uses a six-axis, modular construction, designed for a variety of industrial applications. It has a “double-jointed” arm, which increases flexibility so that the robot can do complex repetitive actions that can mimic the human arm. We have human test technicians too, but it would be a bit unfair to ask someone to repeat exactly the same movement several thousand times.
Soon humanoids will start arriving, able to perform specific tasks and react autonomously to unforeseen circumstances — in other words, artificial intelligence. They will replace semi-qualified personnel: for example, security guards, reception hostesses that speak 50 languages, salesmen that know every item of stock and, to some extent, even secretaries.
Four-legged robots are under development to follow travellers and carry their luggage at airports. In Sweden, DeLaval, the milking technology leaders, have invented a milking robot so that cows can choose when they want to be milked — a significant labour saver for farmers, and the cows like it too.
But domestic robots are where the amazing possibilities lie. The pressures that make our society more busy and less time-free are pushing the direction of robots today. Even I admit that vacuuming can be a chore. So at Dyson we’re working on a robot to do it for you.
There are already so-called robot vacuum cleaners out there. But they just spasmodically bounce around the room. So busy bouncing that they have trouble picking up dust and dirt. To be a true robot, robotic vacuum cleaners have to navigate accurately and clean properly. They need to do the job better than us (that’s the point, right?). It takes time, but our engineers are getting there. It won’t be out until the performance is perfect, its battery life is long-lasting and at the right price. Robots shouldn’t be glorified gadgets any more than they can be substitute human beings.
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Like them or fear them, the robots are coming — so let’s sure we get it right. What will come next? Time travel, anyone?
The author is of chairman of Dyson