A new study from ETH Zurich shows that robots are not yet ready to replace humans in everyday tasks.
A new study conducted at ETH Zurich has shown that humans are still significantly superior to humanoid robots, despite the fact that individual machine components have better mechanical properties. Professor Rob Reiner, who led the study, said that this is the first study to make such a comprehensive comparison between robots and humans.
The researchers were inspired by the masterpieces of cinema, where robots, like in the Terminator films, are often depicted as perfect and superior to humans. However, in reality, as the study showed, humanoid robots can not yet compare with human abilities in performing various tasks.
The study focused on humanoid robots that met certain criteria: having two or four legs to climb stairs, the ability to pass through doors, a minimum height of 50 cm, and having a hand and two hands to interact with objects. The robots also had to be quiet and environmentally friendly.
Although individual robot components, such as microphones, cameras, and drive systems, outperform human senses and muscles in key features, robots are still generally inferior to humans. For example, carbon fiber used in robots is harder than bone, but if you do not take into account the ability of bone to heal itself, the technical solution will be excellent only in the mechanical aspect.
However, when it comes to completing tasks, people are much better at it. For example, although the MIT Cheetah robot can run at 6.1 m / s, which is faster than a human jog, its power consumption is high (973 watts), and it is used only in laboratory conditions. Humans also significantly outperform robots in terms of endurance.
Robots excel at performing certain actions accurately, such as balancing on one leg, but they can't match the variety of human hand movements and manipulative finger skills.
The study also notes that robots are only capable of performing certain types of movements and are far from being able to play football, including dribbling, headbutting, and analyzing game strategy.
However, Professor Rainer emphasizes the significant progress in robotics and expresses confidence in the imminent creation of more intelligent robots that can better interact with people. System engineering and automatic control will allow better use of powerful robot components. Possible applications of robots in the future are seen in nursing homes, construction or in everyday life, where they can facilitate the work of staff and help people with disabilities.
The results of the study were published in the journal Frontiers in Robotics and AI.
A new study conducted at ETH Zurich has shown that humans are still significantly superior to humanoid robots, despite the fact that individual machine components have better mechanical properties. Professor Rob Reiner, who led the study, said that this is the first study to make such a comprehensive comparison between robots and humans.
The researchers were inspired by the masterpieces of cinema, where robots, like in the Terminator films, are often depicted as perfect and superior to humans. However, in reality, as the study showed, humanoid robots can not yet compare with human abilities in performing various tasks.
The study focused on humanoid robots that met certain criteria: having two or four legs to climb stairs, the ability to pass through doors, a minimum height of 50 cm, and having a hand and two hands to interact with objects. The robots also had to be quiet and environmentally friendly.
Although individual robot components, such as microphones, cameras, and drive systems, outperform human senses and muscles in key features, robots are still generally inferior to humans. For example, carbon fiber used in robots is harder than bone, but if you do not take into account the ability of bone to heal itself, the technical solution will be excellent only in the mechanical aspect.
However, when it comes to completing tasks, people are much better at it. For example, although the MIT Cheetah robot can run at 6.1 m / s, which is faster than a human jog, its power consumption is high (973 watts), and it is used only in laboratory conditions. Humans also significantly outperform robots in terms of endurance.
Robots excel at performing certain actions accurately, such as balancing on one leg, but they can't match the variety of human hand movements and manipulative finger skills.
The study also notes that robots are only capable of performing certain types of movements and are far from being able to play football, including dribbling, headbutting, and analyzing game strategy.
However, Professor Rainer emphasizes the significant progress in robotics and expresses confidence in the imminent creation of more intelligent robots that can better interact with people. System engineering and automatic control will allow better use of powerful robot components. Possible applications of robots in the future are seen in nursing homes, construction or in everyday life, where they can facilitate the work of staff and help people with disabilities.
The results of the study were published in the journal Frontiers in Robotics and AI.
