It has been anticipated from a long time that droids doing our daily work, whether it is related to washing cars or for fighting wars. Today, technically advanced robots are being developed by engineers, Government, and Private sector. The sole objective behind these developments is not other than minimizing the human efforts. Now-a-days, the ambit of robotics is not confined to comics and movies only; instead they have their wide application in real life. Robots and their ancillary machines have become an essential part of our life. We can’t even think to do a single piece of work without taking help of robots. Apart from this, in the present era our environment is encapsulated with machines particularly robots. They affect our life from bedroom to boardroom. Some nations are trying to develop humanoid robots so that wars will be fought and hence, reducing the human resources loss during such wars. It can be clearly infer from the recent disaster that we as humans have our own limitations to accomplish in dangerous situations. So for better disaster management too we cannot afford more to ignore the importance of robots. Here is a list of top 10 most technically advanced robots.
1. Asimo
Designed by Honda to be used as a personal assistant, this robot has many applications and can be run by a controller or a computer. Asimo is a very sensible robot in the sense that it can sense the sound, posture and even face of people and distinguish between them and also, respond to them accordingly.
2. Atlas
Recently, DARPA unveiled the most technologically advanced robot to this day. It was manufactured by Boston Dynamics who designed it to act as a human responder in situations like nuclear meltdown. The dexterity with which this robot can react to situations is unprecedented and has not been observed till yet in any other robot.
3. Morpheus
Controlling a robot with gestures or controllers is quite normal in this technologically advanced world but can one imagine controlling a robot by using mind. Yes, the technology enabling mind-control is available and has gained significant popularity with time. Morpheus- a robot launched recently is based on mind-control technology as it has the ability to follow directions given by thoughts.
4. Actroid
The next technologically advanced robot that we have in this list is Actroid. It is an advanced version of HRP-4C which also had a humanoid face. It was first made by Kokoro Company Ltd which is known to be an advanced player in this market. Actroid has a special ability to respond to different kind of tactile data in a different way due to the air-powered actuators placed at several points in the body. For instance, if it apprehends that it is going to be slapped then it will move out of the way but wouldn’t respond the same way in case of a gentle tap on the shoulder.
5. FACE
Ever since the Uncanny Valley theory was propounded, the scientists have shied away from making robots who look alike human beings. However, scientists at University of Pisa are attempting to prove this theory wrong. In this regard, they have made a robot called FACE which has been considered as a breakthrough in this field for the kind of perfection this robot has achieved in mimicking human expressions. While most robots that are capable of imitating human expressions can do so in not more than 5-6 ways but FACE has ability to show stages between changes of emotions. The most important application of this robot can be teaching children who suffer from autism to understand the mindset of people by reading facial expressions.
6. Paro
Who, on earth, would not like baby harp seals? Certainly, the Japanese company AIST likes it. So, they came up with an amazingly realistic robotic seal named as PARO which can be used for therapy. Paro behaves just the same way as a cute little harp seal would. This robotic seal has got five sensors in its body (audio, light, tactile, posture, and temperature) which assist it to move its head and flippers and also, help her to make sound after assessing the environment. The reason n why she has also been called as a good therapeutic buddy is because of its human behaviour due to which it reciprocates the same treatment as it gets from others. For instance, if someone hugs it then, in a much similar manner it tries to the same. Also, if it recognises any kind of disapproval to its actions then, it will remember it and never repeat such act.
Due to the positive psychological and social effect that it has had on patients, it has certified by Guinness to be the world’s best therapeutic robot. While it not only acts as a stress buster, it also increases interaction among the patients and its caretakers. It has many applications in hospitals and nursing homes. It can give the love of pet animal while remaining a robot for therapy.
7. HRP-4C
So far, the robots that have found a place in this list have clearly been robotic but the HRP-4C (Miim) clearly stands out in the list primarily because its resemblance to a real human being. This masterpiece again comes from the Japanese technology giant AIST. This robot most clearly resembles a young Japanese woman and is capable of recognizing faces, speech and noise.
Another reason why she stands out from the others is her amazing capability to imitate human expressions with considerable success. Her mimicry skills combined with her dancing ability has earned her the title of being ‘super-realistic’. She created a lot of buzz when she was launched as she was uncovered during a catwalk in 2009. While her face clearly resembles to that of a human being but her body doesn’t.
8. LS3 quadruped
Boston dynamics has come up with its LS3 quadruped which is considered to be a leader among its class robots. It seems much slower than the Cheetah, but it is more efficient as it can carry 400 pounds (181 kg) of weight for up to 20 miles (32 km) without stopping. It was taken into the woods for its testing, where it followed a leading human through treacherous terrain and established its competency. It could be differentiated from a real mule in their basic traits of not hearing their masters, but this one follows verbal commands and finds its way to GPS coordinates at its own. More testing’s are due to it.
9. EKSO BIONICS
The Ekso Bionics exoskeleton would be considered as a life-changing technology for its steps towards development of wearable robots. This robot consists in mechanized legs which would measure the wearer’s intention and work on their own power. It is very much welcomed in the market with the argument that it is nothing more than a bipedal alternative to wheelchairs. It will be of best use for impaired people as includes new walking feature for improved rehabilitation and a wireless usage monitor.
10. Human Support Robot:
It has been a decade now that Toyota was working in the field of developing Human “Partners” robots, and the time they started up with exorbitant technological modal, such as their robot band, now they are aiming at the health care sector. For the purpose of putting their efforts into effect they tested a prototype in Japan called the Human Support Robot (HSR). This prototype could easily be distinguished from its predecessors as it has wheeled locomotion. This robot would be of best use for bedridden patient for retrieving things nearby in the room. It would be controlled by a tablet Pc. There were many examples of this sort of robot in the past, but this one seems a little better.
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