Astro Boy, the son of science, was born around 70 years ago. Humanoid robots that appear and act just like humans have long been a popular science fiction trope. And now we see a surge in humanoid robot R&D in the business sphere.

The time when the scientific progeny can peacefully cohabit with humans is getting closer.

Where have humanoid robots come and what do they have in store for the future?

What Is A Humanoid?

A non-humanoid possessing humanoid traits is said to be a humanoid. Humanoid is derived from the English terms “human” and “-old,” which signify “resembling” in this context. The word was first used in 1870 to describe natives of European-controlled territories. Humanoid robots, often known as androids, are robots designed to look and act like humans. Humanoid qualities in reported sightings of yetis, sasquatches, and bigfoot continue to pique our interest.

In its purest form, a humanoid robot is an actuated biped robot the size of a human that has a torso, limbs, and a head, and is programmed to do tasks normally associated with humans.

There are three areas in which humans excel above machines: Humans can discover, enquire, and be receptive to novel concepts and approaches.  Computers will never be able to match human imagination. Empathy is a uniquely human trait that allows us to connect with others and form lasting bonds.

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Top Five Humanoid Robots

1) Nadine
2) Geminoid DK
3) Junco Chihiro
4) Jia Jia
5) Sophia

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Why Are Humanoids Important?

Humanoid robots are increasingly commonplace in many scientific fields as valuable research aids. To create humanoid robots, scientists investigate the mechanics of the human body (biomechanics). However, the effort put into trying to recreate the human body leads to new insights into how it works.

Some of the most cutting-edge technology in the world is being used to develop humanoid robots. Boston Dynamics created the humanoid robot Atlas and the quadruped robot SPOT with funding from DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency). Atlas shot to fame after posting videos of its parkour feats to YouTube.

Humanoid robot research is being conducted by a growing number of corporations and universities. Kawasaki’s Kaleido is the humanoid robot closest to taking over tedious jobs for human safety, but robots that can perform remarkable acts like backflips, playing instruments, or cooking are garnering more attention from the media.

About 85 kilograms in weight, this humanoid robot is about 180 centimeters tall. Because Kaleido is so similar to an adult human in size and strength, it may perform activities that are too perilous for humans to handle alone.

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FAQ’s: Humanoids And AI

Who is the first humanoid robot?

At around the same time, Ichiro Kato of Waseda University in Japan created WABOT, the first humanoid robot to be statically and later dynamically balanced. These researchers have paved the way for the development of humanoid robots and deserve to be acknowledged as such.

Is a humanoid an artificial intelligence?

Humanoid robots are machines designed to look and behave like humans. These robots are often designed to mimic human-like expressions, interactions, and movements, and they are equipped with a wide variety of cameras, sensors, and, more recently, artificial intelligence and machine learning technology.

What is the purpose of humanoid robots?

Humanoid robots are meant to look like people and execute a variety of jobs that would be easier for them to do if they had human proportions and mobility.

What Is an Autonomous Mobile Robot (AMR)?

Autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) are mobile robots that can navigate their environment without human intervention. Production and logistics professionals frequently employ it for transport-related operations.

What Is an Industrial Robot?

Within a manufacturing facility, these robots are used to transport raw materials, finished goods, and specialized equipment. Because of their articulated architecture, they can mimic human motions in industrial process activities while still outperforming humans in terms of efficiency and accuracy.

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Bring up robot-human relations, and you’re bound to conjure images of famous futuristic robots, from the Terminator to C-3PO. But, in fact, the robot invasion has already begun. Devices and programs, including digital voice assistants, predictive text and household appliances, are smart, and getting smarter. It doesn’t do, though, for computers to be all brain and no heart.

Computer scientist Aniket Bera, an associate professor of computer science in Purdue University’s College of Science, is working to make sure the future is a little more “Big Hero 6” and a little less Skynet. From therapy chatbots to intuitive assistant robots to smart search and rescue drones to computer modeling and graphics, his lab works to optimize computers for a human world.

“The goal of my research is to use AI to improve human life,” Bera said. “Humans, human behavior and human emotions are at the center of everything I do.”

Bera is an expert in the interdisciplinary field of affective computing: using machine learning and other computer science methods to program artificial intelligence programs to better incorporate and understand human behavior and emotion.

Artificial (emotional) intelligence in Advanced Robotics

Computers are tools, and they’re only as good as we program them to be. When you ask Siri to play a song or Alexa to set a timer, they respond to the context of your words. But humans don’t communicate using only words: Tone of voice, context, posture and gestures all play a monumentally important role in human communication.

“When a friend asks you how you are, you can say, ‘I’m fine!’ in an upbeat tone, and it means something completely different than if you say, ‘I’m fine,’ like Eeyore,” Bera said. “Computers usually just pay attention to the content and ignore the context.”

That literality is fine for devices that are merely trying to help you with mundane tasks. However, if you are using AI for more complex purposes, the devices need a little more of Captain Kirk’s outlook and a little less of Spock’s. Bera is using his expertise in machine learning to program devices to incorporate an understanding of nonverbal cues and communication.

“We are trying to build AI models and systems that are more human-like and more adept at interacting with humans,” Bera said. “If we can maximize AI’s ability to interpret and interact with humans, we can help more people more efficiently.”

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Bera and his team are working on a multi-sensory approach to this “emotional” AI, which involves observing and analyzing facial expressions, body language, involuntary and subconscious movements and gestures, eye movements, speech patterns, intonations and different linguistic and cultural parameters. Training AI on these sorts of inputs not only improves communication, it also better equips the AI to respond to humans in a more appropriate and even emotive manner.

Bera explains that the United States and most of the world are undergoing a shortage of mental health professionals. Access to mental health can be difficult to find, and sessions can be tough to afford or to fit into a person’s busy schedule. Bera sees emotionally intelligent AI programs as tools that might be able to bridge the gap, and he is working with medical schools and hospitals to bring these ideas to fruition.

AI-informed therapy programs could help assess a person’s mental and emotional health and point them toward correct resources, as well as suggest some initial strategies to help. Talking to an AI for some people, especially those who are neurodivergent or have social anxiety, may be lower stakes and easier than talking to a human. At the same time, having an AI assistant to take note of a person’s nonverbal communication and speech patterns can help human therapists track their patients’ progress between sessions and enable them to provide the best possible care.

Navigating emotional environments

Another area where enabling AI programs to better grasp human emotions is when robots share physical space with humans.

Self-driving cars can understand and interpret painted markers on the pavement, but they can’t identify human pedestrians and assess what they might do based on their movement.

A confused child, an angry adolescent or a panicking adult are all sights that might make a driver of a vehicle slow down and be more cautious than they might ordinarily be. The human driver knows intuitively that these are people who might make irrational or sudden moves and could put them at risk of collision with a vehicle.

For robots to be able to make that same conclusion using nonverbal and postural cues could help self-driving vehicles and other autonomous robots more safely navigate physical environments. Bera is working with collaborators on programming the brains of a wheeled robot called ProxEmo that can read humans’ body language to gauge their emotions.

In the future, similar protocols could help other types of robots assess which individuals in a crowd are confused or lost and help them quickly and efficiently.

Rescue rovers

Some physical environments – the scenes of natural disasters, battlefields and perilous environments – are too dangerous for humans. Historically, in those cases, humans have harnessed nonhuman partners, including coal mine canaries, rescue dogs and even bomb-sniffing rats, to go where no human can.

Of course, it would be even better if we could not risk any lives at all – not just spare the human ones. Bera and his team are working with commercially available drone models, like a four-footed robot “dog” – to create autonomous rovers that can, for example, search for survivors after an earthquake.

“Most people who die in the earthquake don’t die in the actual quake,” Bera said. “They die from being trapped in the rubble; they die because first responders couldn’t find them fast enough. A drone can scan the environment and crawl through debris to detect signs of life, including heartbeats, body heat and carbon dioxide, much more safely than even dogs can. Plus, there’s no risk to a living dog if we send in the robot dog.”

Understanding how humans move can help the robots navigate disaster scenes, stay out of the way of human first responders and help locate, reach and rescue survivors more efficiently than either humans or dogs could on their own. Think of Wall-E and EVE working together to restore the trashed planet Earth.

“The idea is to build a future where robots can be partners, can help humans accomplish goals and tasks more safely, more efficiently and more effectively,” Bera said. “In computer science, a lot of time the biggest problems are the humans. What our research does is put the human back into problem solving to build a better world.”

Source: Purdue University

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Aeolus Robotics introduced aeo, a dual-arm humanoid robot that provides new applications for a variety of service tasks including delivery, security, eldercare, kiosk operation, and ultra-violet germicidal disinfection. The company’s hands-on approach to service, operated by aeo, combines unique mobility with advanced functionality to perform tasks such as opening doors, picking up objects and riding elevators.

aeo is available as a robot as a service and features plug-and-play attachments and integration with third-party developers such as Asratec of Japan and Malibu AI in Taiwan. The dual arms have seven degrees-of-freedom (DOF) allowing aeo to perform tasks, such as delivery or disinfection with one arm, while the other arm is free for mobility tasks such as operating elevators and opening doors. aeo features the third-generation arms by Aeolus with an eight-pound single-arm lift capacity. aeo’s vision algorithms provide a wide range of capabilities from determining the posture and position of residents for eldercare safety to detecting open windows or misplaced backpacks for aeo’s security services.

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“Our goal is to create robots that will enhance quality of life and advance the positive impact robots already have on society. Our first single-arm robot in 2018 pushed the state-of-the-art for what a robot assistant could achieve, but we wanted to do more,” said Alexander Huang, Global CEO of Aeolus Robotics. “Our experience deploying robots in environments as diverse as senior care, hospitals, public transportation offices and hotels, led us to develop our dual-arm humanoid robot aeo — what we consider a truly capable, multifunctional service robot for real-world facilities.”

The aeo robot is deployed in Japan, Hong Kong, and Taipei. In Japan, aeo is serving some of the largest eldercare providers, such as Medical Care Service, Inc., Cocofump, and HIMEDIC, Inc., along with some of the largest Japanese real-estate and property management companies, including Tokyu Group and Globeship Corporation. aeo currently offers a broad range of services such as night shift patrol for resident safety, delivering medical supplies across hospitals, disinfecting facilities, patrolling throughout offices and schools for intruders and misplaced items, and more.

“Our company operates a timeshare membership hotel, which includes a senior care department that operates as a combination of hospitality, medical care and nursing care,” said Kayo Kojima, General Manager of Senior Life Central Japan, HIMEDIC, Inc. “The robot is already one of our colleagues and a key member of our team. The robot takes on completing simple tasks that frees up our staff to have more time to interact with patients and staff.  As a result, the resident and patient care interaction and hospitality services we provide will improve.”

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BeBop’s Humanoid Fabric-Based Robo-Finger is Far Superior to a Human Finger
Exceeding Human Abilities for Spatial Resolution & Sensitivity

Features 80 Sensors on 2mm Pitch with Each Sensor Measuring 4 grams to 50 kg (.14 oz to 110 lb) at 80db Response Rate

BeBop Sensors,, the world leader in smart fabric sensor technologies, announced today the availability of the RoboSkin Robo-Finger humanoid robotic finger. The BeBop Sensors Robo-Finger Evaluation System is a fabric-based sensor system that offers spatial resolution and sensitivity that far exceeds human abilities for a true partnership between humans and their robot helpers. The RoboSkin finger’s 80 sensors are located within 2mm of each other, with each sensor featuring a greater than 80dB response rate and measuring 4 grams to 50 kg (.14 oz to 110 lb) for data far superior to the capability of a human finger. Since the Robo-Finger is based on BeBop’s fabric sensing technology, the dimensions and behavior are highly customizable by Bebop, much like a tailor fitting a suit.

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Robo-Finger Can Sense a Penny

Humanoid Robots – a World Designed with and for Humans

BeBop Sensors’ Founder and CTO Keith McMillen said, “A growing number of companies are designing humanoid robots that can fit in the home and use human tools. We have been working with these roboticists refining our Robo-Finger for three years. We are pleased we can make this important contribution to the worldwide effort to bring humanoid robots into our lives to help people live longer, healthier, and more enjoyable lives.”

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The Missing Component to Make Robots More Human – the Sense of Touch

Advances in robotics, such as vision and language, are missing a key element – the sense of touch, essential for practical human/robot interaction. As robots are quickly becoming part of our world, they need to interact and learn by sense of touch and feel. Flexible, reliable, and highly proprietary, BeBop Sensors’ RoboSkin provides this essential touch factor, with millions of sensors in daily use throughout the world and over 33 U.S. and international patents.

 

Availability

The RoboSkin Robo-Finger Sensor Evaluation System is available immediately to qualified customers. The evaluation system comes with the BeBop Sensors’ Chrome app that supports recording of all data, the ability to apply signal processing, full 2D and 3D visualization, as well as streaming raw or processed data to a Web Socket port. Customized configurations are available.

BeBop Sensors’ CEO Francois Jeanneau said, “We can give any part of a robot tactile response. The finger was the most challenging, so we started there. We are seeking partners, researchers, and funders to advance the uses of fabric sensing.”

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Robotics innovator Beyond Imagination, Inc. has entered into an agreement with SELF Labs, Inc. to provide at least 1,000 humanoid robots for use in agricultural “grow boxes”‘. This is believed to be the largest deal of its kind.

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SELF and Beyond are announcing a partnership to develop automated off-the-grid grow boxes. Each box will be equipped with solar panels, windmills, atmospheric water generators, 5G, and an advanced version of Beyond Imagination’s Beomni robot with its Omni-Purpose AI Brain. By aligning the visions of Milan Cheeks of SELF and Dr. Harry Kloor of Beyond, this futuristic take on farming will be made possible through a uniquely powerful combination of Omni-Purpose AI, humanoid robotics, blockchain, and game technology.

The deal with SELF represents one of the largest agreements to purchase humanoid robots in the world. Cheeks says that “We are committed to purchasing at least 1,000 robots in the next five years, but if the effectiveness of our combined technology is as we project, that number could easily grow to ten thousand or more.” According to a recent report by Markets and Markets, the humanoid robotics market will reach an estimated USD 17.3 billion by 2027, registering a CAGR of 63.5% between 2022 and 2027. The agreement with Beyond is in alignment with this prediction. Dr. Kloor commented, “Beyond Imagination expects to represent a billion USD or more of that market share by 2027, and with our partnership with SELF Labs we are well on our way to that goal.”

Each grow box will be connected to a SELF Labs-powered trivia-based simulation game called Cultivate Coin, which allows users to choose a role, learn about farming and the growing process, learn how to operate a grow box business, earn rewards, and most of all take part in the growing process virtually.

The Beomni Omni-Purpose AI powered humanoid robots supplied by Beyond will work autonomously inside of the boxes to tend to the growing crops. The boxes will run on solar energy, and by using atmospheric water generator technology will not require any outside sources for power or water, making them self-sufficient.

Most robots are targeted at narrow verticals or are merely elaborate R&D demos. Beomni is different. Its thinking general-purpose robotics platform learns from human pilots who train its AI Brain to tackle increasingly sophisticated tasks autonomously. Beomni, combined with Beyond’s Cloud Platform and evolving AI, can tackle limitless tasks without requiring special peripherals like industrial robots. Beomni is a fully mobile robot that is designed to work safely around humans. It is the world’s first fully functional general-purpose robotic system, and the first to be beta tested at a medical facility. According to Dr. Kloor, “Working with SELF and its community will enable us to rapidly train Beomni’s AI Brain to plant, care and tend, harvest, and box the crops in SELF’s grow boxes.”

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Beomni has advanced significantly since it was revealed at CES in 2022. In April, the company demonstrated that Beomni can be operated from anyplace in the world. Additional prototyping and on-site evaluation projects are currently underway. The version Beyond will deploy in the grow boxes will be even more advanced, and will be part of Beyond’s 2.0 product line of Beomni robots.

“I’m excited to bring this idea to life!” said SELF Labs founder Milan Cheeks. “Adding decentralization and automation to the farming industry will benefit everyone. While there is no single solution to solve world hunger, our automated off the grid grow boxes is one tool that will go a long way in meeting the UN’s goal to reach zero hunger by 2030.”

The first box will be crafted at Box For Grow in New Hampton, NY. Once assembled, it will begin operation for use within the United States.

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Beyond Imagination, Inc. is building humanoid robots to solve the world’s labor crisis by expanding access to jobs around the globe.

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“We are thrilled to have been invited to demonstrate the advances we’ve made in Beomni’s development at the Explorers Club. Beomni will be a great vehicle for explorers on earth and beyond! We share the spirit of exploration and discovery that is the hallmark of the Explorers Club.”

This week, the Beomni robot will appear at Explorers Club Headquarters and at the annual dinner on Saturday April 23^rd in New York City. At the same time, across the country in Beverly Hills, CA, attendees at the Abundance360 Annual Summit will be able to remotely pilot the robot from 2,800 miles away.

Beomni is the world’s most sophisticated general-purpose humanoid robot, capable of performing an almost unlimited number of tasks. Beomni’s AI Brain learns from its human pilots and becomes increasingly autonomous over time.

Beomni will help solve the labor crisis by creating a global elastic labor force, lifting millions of people out of poverty by giving them access to jobs around the world. For example, the International Labour Organization (ILO) reports that “More than 2.3 million workers die every year as a result of occupational accidents or work-related diseases.” With Beomni, dangerous work will become completely safe because the robot will be the one taking the risks.

Elder Care is a $932B market today. We will help solve the elder crisis by enabling families to care for their own regardless of the distance between them and by multiplying the effectiveness of existing health care workers.

CEO and Founder Dr. Harry Kloor says, “We are thrilled to have been invited to demonstrate the advances we’ve made in Beomni’s development at the Explorers Club. Beomni will be a great vehicle for explorers on earth and beyond! We share the spirit of exploration and discovery that is the hallmark of the Explorers Club.”

Astronaut and Explorers Club President Richard Garriott adds, “For the last decade, I have been a power USER of early telepresence robotics devices, so I deeply appreciate the advancements in Beomni. We welcome the opportunity to showcase Dr. Kloor’s creation alongside other world-changing technologies at our event. Smart technologies like Beomni will play an important part in helping solve the challenges the world is facing. On Earth, in space and on planets beyond Earth, robots like Beomni will play an essential role!”

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The robot will be on display all week at the Explorers Club headquarters so members can have an opportunity to pilot it. On Saturday, Beomni will move to The Glass House, where the annual dinner is being held. Beomni will be serving drinks and hors d’oeuvres at the reception, and at the afterparty guests will also have the opportunity to pilot the robot.

Meanwhile, across the country in Beverly Hills, a second Beyond Imagination team will be set up at the Abundance360 Annual Summit. From there, Beomni will be operated from coast to coast. Members in attendance at the A360 Summit will be able to perform tasks, pick up and examine objects and even shake someone’s hand across the country.

Abundance360 Founder, Peter Diamandis remarked, “Beyond Imagination dramatically changes the paradigm of how companies will provide services in the future, how and where you will receive healthcare, where you work and play.”

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—First Ever Tele-Examination Pilot Study at TRU PACE Center—

Beyond Imagination, in conjunction with Dr. David Wensel at TRU PACE Center in Lafayette, Colorado, started the first of many planned real-world tests of their newly completed, fully functional Version 1.0 robot known as Beomni. This is the first public trial of Beomni, one of the world’s most advanced humanoid robots, with an evolving AI brain which will take tele-medicine to the next level.

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The pilot study, which ran from November 9th through November 12th, consisted of Beomni interacting with both medical personnel and clients at the center. The purpose of the pilot was to leverage the capabilities of the robot to perform tasks relevant to medical care scenarios, specifically those related to assisted living facilities.

Dr. David Wensel is Chief Medical Officer at TRU Community Care. His expertise is in hospice, palliative care, and home health.

“Beomni impressed and delighted both staff and clients alike and exceeded everyone’s expectations. We are looking forward to further studies with Beomni in the PACE health network because I believe that Beomni will play a big role in the future health of our seniors,” Dr. Wensel said.

Dr. Harry Kloor, CEO and Founder of Beyond Imagination said, “We are excited that PACE sees the almost limitless potential of our humanoid robots in healthcare and agreed to run this first pilot study with us. We look forward to continuing to partner with them to bring a highly effective solution to market.”

Beyond Imagination’s robots are operated via a human partnership with an “AI Brain” that augments and enhances human capabilities. This AI includes multiple “lobes”, each related to a specific skill or set of skills that the robot can perform.

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According to Dr. Kloor, Beomni will provide the ultimate in “continuity of care” through its Beyond Whole Health turnkey clinic solution. This will enable people to see their own physicians where they shop, work, and live. Not only will you be able to keep your doctor — you’ll also be able to see them wherever you are. Ultimately, Beyond Whole Health will be available in homes, finally allowing doctors to make house calls once again.

Dr. Wensel says that every day personnel shortages negatively influence his medical practice. With the Beomni platform, it will be possible to deliver better care, more quickly, to more locations, enabling his practice to serve patients more efficiently. Also, with the increasing shortage of homecare services available, this technology will allow frail seniors to live more independently and safely in the community for a longer time. “I believe in this technology because it will allow our practice to be more cost effective, deliver better healthcare faster, and most importantly improve the quality of life for all of our patients,” he says.

Beyond Imagination is actively seeking investors for its Seed 2 round. Details will be provided to qualified investors upon request. In-person demos are available by appointment for media and investors. Additionally, Beomni is available for television appearances in the greater Denver/Boulder area. Beyond Imagination is also seeking additional partners for pilot studies in medicine and beyond.

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