Humanoid robots arent a new concept. Perhaps the first appearance of a humanoid robot was Elektro, who appeared at the 1939 World Trade Fair in New York. Elektro danced, counted to ten, smoked and rav
Humanoid robots arent a new concept. Perhaps the first appearance of a humanoid robot was Elektro, who appeared at the 1939 World Trade Fair in New York. Elektro danced, counted to ten, smoked and raved about some of Westinghouses products. Elektro also had a dog, which walked, sat on its hind legs and barked (long before Sonys AIBO was a twinkle in its inventors eye).
In the 1960s, the fair acted as a showcase for Walt Disneys Animatronics, or externally controlled puppets, using technology created to put man on the moon: the small valves used in rocket motors and an inertial navigation system.
The legacy of these entertainment robots lives on. Electronics giant Sony joined the robotics revolution in the early 1990s, with the release of AIBO, the robotic pooch now synonymous with robot entertainment. The original AIBO barked, but couldnt hear, cocked its leg without making a mess of the carpet and sulked but wouldnt die unless it ran out of battery power. It consisted of 18 joints producing 250 types of movement, and could play ball and move its head, body and all of its legs. Since then, Sony has released a second-generation AIBO, the ERS-220, which emits pulsating lights and sound and, when stimulated, goes into Boost mode, illuminating its path with a retractable headlight and becoming more energetic. Its also capable of limited communication responding to up to 75 different voice commands.
In 2001, Sony released a prototype humanoid robot, which stands just 20 inches tall and performs basic movements such as standing, kicking and dancing. Like the AIBO, Sonys Dream Robot has basic voice and image recognition built in.