How is AI Transforming the Field of Robotics?

Though there are many subsets of Artificial Intelligence (AI), such as Machine Learning (ML) and Neural Networks, there are also a vast number of adjacent technology fields integrating AI and Deep Learning (DL), including robotics and automation. 

Although depictions of sentient machines in Hollywood movies tend to depict AI and robotics as the same thing, there is a large gap between the two studies, but as technology continues to innovate, that gap is dwindling. So, what is the connection between artificial intelligence and robotics?

Brief History of Robotics

The field of robotics is a scientific study that goes back many centuries, longer than what most people would assume. The concept of automatons and self-working entities can be observed as far back as ancient times. However, modern robotics didn’t begin until the 20th century. 

The term ‘robot’ was first coined by Czech writer Karel Čapek in his play called Rossum's Universal Robots which first started in 1920. Years later, after the second world war, researchers like George Devol and Joseph Engelberger began building programmable robots in the 1950s.

Within a few years, Unimate - the first modern robot - was developed by Devol at Unimation. The machine was an all-purpose robotic arm that, as the patent claims, could fulfill the needs of “cyclic digital control.” In 1961, General Motors began purchasing and installing units in their factories, improving production and causing other automotive companies to do the same. 

Although the robotic arm helped to improve efficiency at industrial factories, there were still many technical limitations to the robotic arm. Despite having capable hardware to perform required tasks, it was clear that software needed to improve if robotics wanted to maintain its innovative edge in factories. 

Introduction to AI in Robotics

Knowing that advancements in robotics are largely a software issue, it becomes clear that AI is one of the best candidates for robotic integration because of its ability to interpret real-time data in fields of AI such as computer vision and reinforcement learning. 

Early in its integration, robotics was seen largely as a factory product, helping to automate repetitive tasks normally seen on assembly lines. By incorporating AI, robots have been able to train themselves on more complex tasks to identify different parts and pieces and plan paths to move materials from one area of a factory to another. 

The Impact of AI on Robotics

Over time we’ve seen these subtle advancements in AI robotics from factories begin to filter into more commercial products available to ordinary consumers. The Roomba is one example of how an ordinary vacuum cleaner can be fitted with reinforcement learning to automate regular household cleaning. 

This can be observed on an even larger scale with the growing popularity of self-driving cars which rely on computer vision to analyze road conditions in front of them and reinforcement learning to help make decisions based on traffic data. 

Challenges in Integrating AI into Robotics

As mentioned before, advancements in robotics is largely a software issue. Hardware capabilities for robotics have been efficient since they were first developed by Unimation, but the programming to make a machine understand all its different limbs and how to use them is a challenging aspect of research that is still being studied today. 

There are a growing number of concerns around the ethics of AI robotics and the fear that they will replace a large number of menial jobs that people rely on. The trucking industry is one example that is hesitant to welcome robotics because self-driving cars mean fewer employed truckers, however, the money saved by these changes is hard for most companies to ignore. 

The Future of AI in Robotics

As AI algorithms continue to advance at a rapid pace, there is no doubt that robotics will follow in its wake. More exciting is how these innovations are happening less in factory environments and more in consumer-oriented situations like household cleaning and daily commutes. 

While we may not see the T-1000 from Terminator any time soon (fortunately), there is a huge variety of ways that AI robotics will impact our world from reshaping global logistics with self-automated cargo vessels to more conceptual companion pet robots to take care of at home.