Introduction
From clockwork marvels to AI-driven wonders, humanoid robots have captivated our imagination for centuries. The travelers started with the preindustrial automatons in the 18th and 19th centuries, including Jacques de Vaucanson’s mechanical duck and Leonardo da Vinci’s humanoid figures. These early machines helped form the basis of contemporary robotics because the visionaries wanted robots to behave like human beings. More improvements took place in the 20th century, and robots such as WABOT-1, built in 1973 by Waseda University, had the features of walking and speaking Japanese.
With the advancement in different technologies, humanoid robots have also advanced in performing various tasks with the help of newly designed AI, sensors, and actuators. Humanoid robots embody modern technological advancements, flexibility, intelligence, and interaction abilities. Let’s explore top 6 humonaid robots of 2024!
What is a Humanoid?
Humanoid means the cloning of human form and mannerisms in a robot. Designers generally build such robots with a head and trunk, two arms, and two legs to operate like humans in response to their environment. Conveyors can be designed with elements such as sensors and cameras, as well as the most up-to-date AI algorithms, to detect objects and deliver the motions that a humanoid needs to accomplish based on human-refined abilities.
Also Read: Top 15 AI Robots of 21st Century
How are Humanoids Being Used Today?
Here are some critical applications where humanoids can help enhance efficiency, safety, and user experience:
- Customer Service and Hospitality: They are employed as information agents for customers. They welcome customers, convey information, and answer inquiries at hotels, airports, and retail outlets. They can efficiently improve customer experience because they can discern human emotions.
- Healthcare and Assistance: In healthcare, humanoid robots can help care for patients, rehabilitate them, or assist in therapy. They also positively impact elderly and disabled persons by helping them in their everyday activities, thus leading comfortable lives.
- Manufacturing and Logistics: These are products like HRP-5P, which are modeled to undertake activities that require manual strength in production processes and construction work. These robots can grasp tools, prepare parts, and mechanically manipulate goods, which enhances prospect productivity and lessens the hazards to human personnel.
- Entertainment and Companionship: Humanoid robots offer entertainment services to customers through theme parks, museums, and exhibitions. They also serve social purposes, acting as companions for people, especially older people and those who live alone.
- Security and Surveillance: Some aquatic humanoid robots are equipped with sensors and artificial intelligence to perform security and surveillance. They can monitor certain regions, look for suspicious activities, and call out any security threats to increase security within the population and its structures.
Top Humanoid Robots in 2024
1. Sophia
Hanson Robotics, a Hong Kong firm, created Sophia, a social humanoid robot that came online on February 14, 2016. Compared to earlier models, she is likable in appearance and behavior and resembles Audrey Hepburn.
Sophia incorporates cutting-edge artificial intelligence, enabling her to respond to questions, identify faces, and process speeches through natural language processing. Her abilities entail making faces, talking, and learning from the conversations that she has. Sophia is famous; she takes interviews and participates in conferences worldwide, and the media pays much attention to her. She also made history in July when Saudi Arabia awarded her citizenship, marking the first time a robot received a nationality.
2. Atlas
Boston Dynamics, an American company, designed and built Atlas, a humanoid two-legged robot. In 2013, it was popularized in the global automobile market. Atlas is used for search and rescue. It can maneuver through any ground and jump over obstacles. It is about 5’9″ tall and can weigh as much as 190 pounds.
This character is extraordinary because he is agile and balanced and can execute various motions, such as running, leaping, and flipping backward. It has complex control systems and sensors for balance and dynamic work like a human. Atlas demonstrates the progression of robotics engineering, and researchers employ it to innovate robotics and artificial intelligence.
3. Asimo
Honda developed ASIMO, or Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility, as a human-shaped robot. It is a concept model publicly introduced in 2000 as a multifunctional mobile supporter. I stand at about four feet 3 inches tall and have an average weight of about 119 pounds. Also, its essential mobility functions, such as walking, running, climbing stairs, and even dancing, are most noteworthy.
ASIMO likewise has face, voice, and object recognition abilities. It can relate to people and perform chores such as delivering items and offering help. The demonstration of ASIMO was essential in advancing robots in mobility and intelligence, and it was imported into Honda.
4. Pepper
The Japanese firm SoftBank Robotics Corporation unveiled Pepper, a new generation humanoid close companion robot, in June 2014. As a social creature, Pepper has means of face recognition and understanding people’s basic emotions to communicate with them. Slightly shorter than a typical human being, Pepper is about 4 feet tall and weighs approximately 62 pounds; it has a touchscreen on the front body that displays and allows communication with its clients. It can include, but is not limited to, greeting clients, informality, and retail and customer relations services. Pepper’s design and abilities focus on social aspects and communication between humans and robots, making this model widely used in business and education.
5. Nao
NAO is another type of autonomous robot, a humanoid robot by Softbank Robotics, and was first launched in 2006. Staring with a height of 23 inches and about 11 pounds, it is specifically meant for educational and research usage. It has as many as 25 degrees of freedom for its motion and can perform the walk, dance, and other gestures.
NAO has sensors for detecting the environment, cameras, microphones for face and object recognition, and voicing recognition and response. That is why its application is widespread in schools, universities, and research laboratories worldwide for learning robotics, computer science, and interaction with robots.
6. Nadine
Professor Nadia Thalmann and her NTU team in Singapore designed Nadine, a highly developed humanoid social robot for social interaction. They include skin and hair like that of a human being, and they imitate human behavior to that of humans. Nadine can indicate feelings through the face and the entire body.
As for the aspects of anthropomorphism, Nadine has the function of recognizing and estimating human emotions. She can smile, frown and look surprised when receiving or making calls, this makes conversation more realistic. Nadine possesses high levels of NLP, which means she can speak, answer questions, and recall information about previous discussions. This makes him suitable for customer service, companionship, and education.
Conclusion
Advanced technology like humanoid robots is fast revolutionizing different sectors through aspects like flexibility, safety, and operational interaction with the user. Thus, as technology evolves, humanoid robots will become exponentially more relevant as they surpass the previously unthinkable boundaries in close human-robot interactions.
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A 23-year-old, pursuing her Master’s in English, an avid reader, and a melophile. My all-time favorite quote is by Albus Dumbledore – “Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times if one remembers to turn on the light.”
