Documents from the 3rd century BC suggest the presence of automata at the court of the Han dynasty in China. As noted in the Encyclopedia Britannica, these early examples included a mechanical orchestra commissioned for the emperor. Over time, these mechanisms evolved into remarkable technical achievements, particularly during the Age of Enlightenment. However, the breakthrough in robotics came in the 20th century with the integration of industrial robots on vehicle assembly lines, sparking a revolution in the automotive industry. The 21st century notably marked the arrival of robots equipped with artificial intelligencewhich represents a significant step forward in the development of autonomous machines capable of learning.
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What were the first robots equipped with artificial intelligence?
THE first mobile robot with early artificial intelligence and autonomous operational capabilities in an environment are considered Shakey, introduced in 1968. A highly advanced machine for its time, it incorporated television cameras, laser and collision sensors, as well as a radio connection to a computer.
However, the term “artificial intelligence” was coined a decade before Shakey attended a 1956 conference at Dartmouth University in the United States. Even earlier, mathematicians like Alan Turing explored similar concepts in the 1940s.
During the 1970s and 1980s, the development of artificial intelligence experienced some stagnation due to perceived insurmountable challenges, commonly referred to as “Winter AI.”
Fortunately, in the 1990s, interest in AI increased with the emergence of Deep Blue, an artificial intelligence system that defeated Kasparov in chess. This evolution has continued to the present day with the introduction of ChatGPT and multimodal AIs. Notably, Boston Dynamics has struck a deal to integrate OpenAI's AI into its machines, enabling robots with intelligence that can learn autonomously and improve their performance over time.
Current robots
Currently, many companies are in various stages of developing prototypes, ranging from bipedal humanoids to quadrupeds similar to Boston Dynamics' “dogs.” Notable initiatives include:
- Sophia: Unveiled in 2016, it was one of the first modern machines capable of detecting and responding to human emotions.
- Apollo: A humanoid created in the laboratories of the University of Texas.
- Figure: Amazon's ongoing development of a biped intended to collaborate with humans in warehouses.
- Atlas: One of the most important bipeds, developed by Boston Dynamics.
- Optimus: Elon Musk's personal company aimed to compete in the field of robots with artificial intelligence.
- Phoenix: A multifunctional biped robot launched in March 2023, adept at translating natural language into physical actions.
- Ameca: An advanced robot capable of displaying human-like facial gestures and engaging in conversation, although its current capability does not extend to autonomous movements.
Robotic applications with AI
While some robots have a striking appearance, others are quietly transforming real-world production systems in various industries:
- Health: Advances in artificial intelligence and robotics are revolutionizing medical diagnostics and physical therapies, in addition to surgical applications like robotic arms.
- Automotive: Robots equipped with artificial intelligence play a vital role in tasks ranging from body welding to painting and assembly in the automotive industry. Collaborative robots, or cobots, are used when multiple models work on an assembly line. This technology is also applied in other sectors such as robotic recycling.
- Customer service and reception: The use of robots in industries like customer service and hospitality is increasing. A hotel in Nagasaki has reached the milestone of becoming the world's first fully robotic establishment in areas such as reception, cloakroom and check-out.
- Agriculture: The fusion of robotics and artificial intelligence is transforming processes such as precision viticulture. Robotic harvesters, for example, can discern the ripeness of fruits and selectively select only the best ones.
- Commerce and logistics: Automated identification, transportation and placement of packages is a significant advantage of AI-based robotics. Amazon has initiated the use of robots to assist warehouse workers in their tasks.
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