Humanoid robot
Some of the earliest accounts of the idea of humanoid automata date to the 4th century BCE in Greek mythologies and various religious and philosophical texts from China.
In Homer's Iliad, Hephaestus created golden handmaidens and imbued them with human-like voices to serve as speaking tools or instruments.
[2] Another Greek myth details how Hephaestus crafted a giant bronze automaton named Talos to protect the island of Crete from invaders.
[6] In the 1400s, Leonardo da Vinci conceptualized a complex mechanical robot clad in a suit of armor, capable of sitting, standing, and independently moving its arms.
[9] Small karakuri puppets found in homes, called zashiki kurakuri, were placed on tables to dance, beat drums, or serve drinks.
[10] In the 18th century, French inventor Jacques de Vaucanson created a significant humanoid automaton called The Flute Player.
It consisted of a system of bellows, pipes, weights, and other mechanical components to simulate to the muscles necessary to play the flute.
Researchers study the human body structure and behavior (biomechanics) to build humanoid robots.
Humanoid robots are a valuable resource in the world of medicine and biotechnology, as well as other fields of research such as biomechanics and cognitive science.
[12] Humanoid robots are being used to develop complex prosthetics for individuals with physical disabilities such as missing limbs.
[13] Although the initial aim of humanoid research was to build better orthosis and prosthesis for human beings, knowledge has been transferred between both disciplines.
Humanoid robots have had a long history in the realm of entertainment, from the conception and ideas in the story of Prometheus to the application and physical build of modern animatronics used for theme parks.
[14] Stuntronics are humanoid robots built for serving as stunt doubles, and are designed to simulate life-like, untethered, dynamic movement.
[14] Several Disney theme park shows utilize animatronic robots that look, move and speak much like human beings.
Various humanoid robots and their possible applications in daily life are featured in an independent documentary film called Plug & Pray, which was released in 2010.
[15] Modern examples of humanoid robots, such as the Honda Asimo, are revealed to the public in order to demonstrate new technological advancements in motor skills, such as walking, climbing, and playing an instrument.
Sensors can be classified according to the physical process with which they work or according to the type of measurement information that they give as output.
[16] Proprioceptive sensors sense the position, orientation, and speed of the humanoid's body and joints, along with other internal values.
[28] To maintain dynamic balance during the walk, a robot needs information about contact force and its current and desired motion.
[31] They include structures with variable flexibility, which provide safety (to the robot itself and to the people), and redundancy of movements, i.e. more degrees of freedom and therefore wide task availability.
[115] Opposite portrayals where humanoid robots are shown as scary and threatening to humans are the T-800 in Terminator and Megatron in Transformers.
This theme incites audience sympathy while also sparking unease at the idea of humanoid robots mimicking humans too closely.
