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Where Do The Ideas For Different Kinds of Robots Come From? 10 Points

Robots were first conceived in Japan during the 18th century samurai era. Hanzo Hosokawa created one of the first robotic tea-serving dolls called 'karakuri' that could carry out complex serving tasks using an intricate system of gears and springs without any metal parts. Hosokawa's dolls established the concept of robots interacting with humans and their engineering blueprints influenced the development of modern service robots. The term 'robot' was later coined by Karel Capek in his 1921 play R.U.R. where artificially created human-like beings were used for forced labor, establishing the trope of untrustworthy machines in fiction. Real-world robots are defined as intelligent physical machines

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195 views

Where Do The Ideas For Different Kinds of Robots Come From? 10 Points

Robots were first conceived in Japan during the 18th century samurai era. Hanzo Hosokawa created one of the first robotic tea-serving dolls called 'karakuri' that could carry out complex serving tasks using an intricate system of gears and springs without any metal parts. Hosokawa's dolls established the concept of robots interacting with humans and their engineering blueprints influenced the development of modern service robots. The term 'robot' was later coined by Karel Capek in his 1921 play R.U.R. where artificially created human-like beings were used for forced labor, establishing the trope of untrustworthy machines in fiction. Real-world robots are defined as intelligent physical machines

Uploaded by

Julianne Love Igot
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© © All Rights Reserved
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1. Where do the ideas for different kinds of robots come from?

10 points

Robots are a driving force in the Japanese economy and have captured the Japanese
popular imagination, spawning countless movies, comics and even restaurants. While
this may seem cutting edge, the modern concept of robots can actually be traced back
to Japan’s samurai era.

Enter Hanzo Hosokawa, an 18th Century astronomer and inventor who created one of
the first robotic tea-serving dolls, known as ‘karakuri’. Hosokawa’s mechanical dolls,
dressed in their traditional kimono, were able to carry out incredibly complex operations
and tasks, and are still functioning today. The doll pictured above is approximately 26
centimeters (10.25 inches) tall. It can carry a cup of tea on a tray, bow its head and
even serve the tea. After the empty cup is returned to the tray, the doll then turns and
departs. Throughout the process it travels a total distance of about 1.7 meters (5.6 feet).

In the 18th Century batteries were hard to come by. This robot-doll therefore relied
entirely on an intricate system of gears and springs to power its movements and turns.
What is perhaps even more remarkable is the fact that it does not use any metal nails or
screws, and is crafted from all-natural materials.

Beyond engineering, Hosokawa's doll was ahead of its time in terms of level of
interactivity with human beings, leading the way for modern service and manufacturing
robots. Hosokawa's legacy also includes his groundbreaking karakuri manual, one of
the first instruction books on mechanical engineering.

- The definition of “robot” has been confusing from the very beginning.

The ideas of robots first appeared in 1921, in Karel Capek’s play R.U.R., or Rossum's
Universal Robots. “Robot” comes from the Czech for “forced labor.” These robots were
robots more in spirit than form, though. They looked like humans, and instead of being
made of metal, they were made of chemical batter. The robots were far more efficient
than their human counterparts, and also way more murder-y—they ended up going on a
killing spree.

R.U.R. would establish the trope of the Not-to-Be-Trusted Machine (e.g., Terminator,
The Stepford Wives, Blade Runner, etc.) that continues to this day—which is not to say
pop culture hasn’t embraced friendlier robots. Think Rosie from The Jetsons. (Ornery,
sure, but certainly not homicidal) And it doesn’t get much family-friendlier than Robin
Williams as Bicentennial Man.
The real-world definition of “robot” is just as slippery as those fictional depictions. Ask
10 roboticists and you’ll get 10 answers—how autonomous does it need to be, for
instance. But they do agree on some general guidelines: A robot is an intelligent,
physically embodied machine. A robot can perform tasks autonomously to some
degree. And a robot can sense and manipulate its environment.

2. Can you think of a situation in which a robot would be necessary or at least


helpful? What specific characteristics would designers need to include in such a
robot? 20 points

A robot is a reprogrammable, multifunctional manipulator designed to move


material, parts, tools or specialized devices through various programmed motions for
the performance of a variety of task. Autonomous Mobile Robots (A.M.R.s), Automated
Guided Vehicles (A.G.V.s), Articulated Robots, Humanoids, Cobots, and Hybrids are
the many sorts of robots. However, the concept of robots first emerged in Karel Capek's
play R.U.R., or Rossum's Universal Robots, in 1921. The term "robot" is derived from
the Czech word "forced labor," although these were robots in spirit rather than form.
They resembled people, except instead of metal, they were composed of chemical
batter. The robots were significantly more efficient than their human counterparts, as
well as far more murderous—they went on a killing spree. R.U.R. would establish the
stereotype of the Untrustworthy Machine (e.g., Terminator, The Stepford Wives, Blade
Runner, etc.) that has persisted to this day—which isn't to say that pop culture hasn't
welcomed kinder robots. Consider Rosie from The Jetsons. (Ornery, maybe, but not
homicidal.) It doesn't get much more family-friendly than Robin Williams as Bicentennial
Man.

SOURCES:

https://spectra.mhi.com/where-do-robots-come-from

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