Robot Trends - China

 China's Robot Revolution

China’s robot revolution

China’s robot revolution

The world’s largest economy has embarked on an audacious effort to fill its factories with advanced manufacturing robots. The government of China hopes this will help the country retain its vast manufacturing industry as workers’ wages rise, and manufacturing becomes more efficient and technologically advanced around the world. The project will require robots that are significantly more advanced and cost-efficient, and the economic and technological ripples could be felt around the world. China is no stranger to technology-driven upheaval, of course, and it has already invested heavily in robot technology, however, the scale of its new robot revolution will be remarkable. The province of Guangdong, the heartland of Chinese manufacturing, has already promised to invest $154 billion in installing robots. The founder of Foxconn, a company that employs vast armies of workers who make devices such as Apple’s iPhone, has said that his company will install more than a million robots in the next few years. Expect to see signs that this bold endeavor is either working or faltering, and clues to what it might mean for the rest of the world, in the coming year.

Smarter learning

Robots have always been very effective for precise, repetitive work, but for the most part they’re also dumb as rocks. This is why robots are traditionally used only in carefully designed settings. It also explains why they cannot easily adapt to a new task, and cannot cope with an unfamiliar or uncertain situation. Things are changing, however, thanks to new techniques and algorithms that are enabling robots to learn much more quickly and effectively. There are various methods for enabling robot learning, and some are already producing very promising results in research labs around the world. One approach in particular could be poised to have a big impact in industrial robotics. Deep learning, which uses large simulated neural networks, has already proven indispensable for training robots to understand the contents of images, video, and audio. Some companies now aim to use the approach to train robots how to see, grasp, and reason.

Knowledge sharing

Another trend to look out for this year is robots sharing the knowledge they have acquired with other robots. This could accelerate the learning process, instantly allowing a robot to benefit from the efforts of others. What’s more, thanks to clever approaches for adapting information to different systems, even two completely different robots could teach each other how to recognize a particular object or perform a new task. Several projects are underway that are aimed at providing simple, efficient ways for robots to combine their know how via the Internet. And it isn’t hard to imagine how this could be applied in industrial settings, for tasks such as identifying and grasping different objects.

Robots get more personal

Several “personal” robots are set to debut this year, and it will be interesting to see how well they are received. With hardware becoming cheaper and software becoming more capable, it isn’t hard to see why some believe the time is right for robotic home companions and helpers. However, giving a robot a genuinely engaging personal touch isn’t easy. Some prototypes have been disappointing, while the ones that have proven successful have had only limited roles, such as meeting and greeting people in stores. And even in limited scenarios these robots will need to be designed and programmed very carefully in order to push the right social and emotional buttons.

Droning on

2016 seems likely to be the year that autonomous drones finally, well, take off. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration released regulations for registering drones at the end of 2015, and it is testing technology that could help automate air traffic control for automated vehicles. While you might not see the skies filled with drones immediately, expect increasingly smart and autonomous drones to be tested in many industries, especially ones where automated surveillance and inspection is useful. And if companies like Amazon, Google, and others have their way, then perhaps some of next year’s holiday gifts might even be delivered through the air.

 

The world’s largest economy has embarked on an audacious effort to fill its factories with advanced manufacturing robots. The government of China hopes this will help the country retain its vast manufacturing industry as workers’ wages rise, and manufacturing becomes more efficient and technologically advanced around the world (see “China Wants to Replace Millions of Workers with Robots”). The project will require robots that are significantly more advanced and cost-efficient, and the economic and technological ripples could be felt around the world.

China is no stranger to technology-driven upheaval, of course, and it has already invested heavily in robot technology (see “Robots Rising” and “Migrant Workers in China Face Competition from Robots”). However, the scale of its new robot revolution will be remarkable. The province of Guangdong, the heartland of Chinese manufacturing, has already promised to invest $154 billion in installing robots. The founder of Foxconn, a company that employs vast armies of workers who make devices such as Apple’s iPhone, has said that his company will install more than a million robots in the next few years.

Expect to see signs that this bold endeavor is either working or faltering, and clues to what it might mean for the rest of the world, in the coming year.

Smarter learning

Robots have always been very effective for precise, repetitive work, but for the most part they’re also dumb as rocks. This is why robots are traditionally used only in carefully designed settings. It also explains why they cannot easily adapt to a new task, and cannot cope with an unfamiliar or uncertain situation. Things are changing, however, thanks to new techniques and algorithms that are enabling robots to learn much more quickly and effectively.

There are various methods for enabling robot learning, and some are already producing very promising results in research labs around the world (see “Robot Toddler Learns to Stand by Imagining It, “Robots Learn to Make Pancakes from WikiHow Articles,” and “A Master Algorithm Lets Robots Teach Themselves to Perform Useful Tasks”).

One approach in particular could be poised to have a big impact in industrial robotics. Deep learning, which uses large simulated neural networks, has already proven indispensable for training robots to understand the contents of images, video, and audio. Some companies now aim to use the approach to train robots how to see, grasp, and reason (see “A Supercharged System to Teach Robots New Tricks in Little Time”).

Knowledge sharing

Another trend to look out for this year is robots sharing the knowledge they have acquired with other robots. This could accelerate the learning process, instantly allowing a robot to benefit from the efforts of others (see “Robots Quickly Teach Each Other to Grasp New Objects”). What’s more, thanks to clever approaches for adapting information to different systems, even two completely different robots could teach each other how to recognize a particular object or perform a new task (see “Robots Can Now Teach Each Other New Tricks”).

Several projects are underway that are aimed at providing simple, efficient ways for robots to combine their knowhow via the Internet. And it isn’t hard to imagine how this could be applied in industrial settings, for tasks such as identifying and grasping different objects (see “Amazon’s Robot Contest May Accelerate Warehouse Automation”).

Robots get more personal

Several “personal” robots are set to debut this year, and it will be interesting to see how well they are received. With hardware becoming cheaper and software becoming more capable, it isn’t hard to see why some believe the time is right for robotic home companions and helpers (see “Personal Robots: Artificial Friends with Limited Benefits”).

However, giving a robot a genuinely engaging personal touch isn’t easy. Some prototypes have been disappointing (see “Don’t Expect Too Much from This Robot, Buddy”), while the ones that have proven successful have had only limited roles, such as meeting and greeting people in stores. And even in limited scenarios these robots will need to be designed and programmed very carefully in order to push the right social and emotional buttons (see “A Japanese Robot Is Learning the American Way”).

Droning on

2016 seems likely to be the year that autonomous drones finally, well, take off. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration released regulations for registering drones at the end of 2015, and it is testing technology that could help automate air traffic control for automated vehicles (see “FAA Will Test Drones’ Ability to Steer Themselves Out of Trouble”).

While you might not see the skies filled with drones immediately, expect increasingly smart and autonomous drones to be tested in many industries, especially ones where automated surveillance and inspection is useful (see “A Drone with a Sense of Direction,” “New Boss on Construction Site Is a Drone,” and “This Surveillance Drone Never Needs to Land”). And if companies like Amazon, Google, and others have their way, then perhaps some of next year’s holiday gifts might even be delivered through the air (see “Amazon Lays Out Its Vision for a Sky Thronging with Delivery Drones”).

Robot Hotel

the world’s first hotel staffed by robots, which opened last month near Nagasaki, Japan (where else?), immediately went viral, but few of the reports actually involved a visit. I went along last week to see if Henn-na hotel lived up to the hype.

I arrive at 2.55pm. All is quiet. Behind reception is a motionless but lifelike girl robot wearing a cream jacket and a smirk. She has a sign saying “only Japanese”, so I approach another robot, this one designed, bizarrely, to look like a velociraptor and sporting a bow tie and a bellhop hat. I say hello. Nothing. I wave and he stares past me, his arms outstretched but unmoving.
“I’d like to check in please,” I shout, wondering if the robots are voice-activated. A door opens to the right and a real live human in a black T-shirt appears. “Check-in is 3pm” he says, and goes back into his room.
Robots are taking off in Japan and several companies manufacture them for service. In April the Tokyo branch of Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi put a humanoid robot on reception; Nestlé is investing in robots to sell coffee makers in stores across the country; and robots guide visitors round the capital’s National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation.

The hotel’s owner, Hideo Sawada, says he wants to make this “the most efficient hotel in the world” by reducing manpower and having 90% of staff be robotic. The hotel is in the Huis Ten Bosch theme park in Sasebo, Nagasaki. Designed to resemble the Netherlands, the park is a sort of Dutch Disneyland, with gardens, windmills and tea shops – and so far most hotel guests have been Japanese families visiting the park. The hotel itself is a beautifully designed modernist property, with techy additions such as aircon that adjusts to guests’ body temperature.
At 3pm the velociraptor jerks to life and says, in an American accent, “Welcome to the Henn-na hotel. If you want to check in, press one.” I start tapping the screen but the man in black appears again and asks for my passport, leaving the robot to fall into a state of inertia. How disappointing.
The hotel’s other robots include a giant mechanical arm in a glass case that stores luggage in individual drawers for ¥500 (£2.50). There’s also a foot-high “concierge” who explains breakfast times and locations (only in Japanese) and orders taxis. Robot “porters” are two rechargeable luggage trolleys – but only for residents of one luxury wing.
Using facial recognition software, I let myself into my room and find, on my bedside table, Chu-ri-chan, a cute little electronic creature. She will switch on the lights and offer weather forecasts and wake-up calls. She’ll also perk up after being silent for an hour and scare the crap out of you. Robots may be the future, but for hotel hospitality, you still can’t beat the human touch.

Creating a Prototype

• testing the design
• troubleshooting the design

You should ideally think of at least three different ways to solve the problem before you concentrate on any one in particular. Sketches and notes are required at this stage. You can also create prototypes using lego for this step. Once you have created a lego prototype, take a digital picture of it. Print out the picture and jot your notes below the picture in your log book. Once you have settled on one solution, go back over the list of specifications you have made. Make sure that each specification is satisfied.

Now it the time to produce some working drawings. These are the drawings that will assist you as you begin constructing the prototype of your structure. (Here again, lego and a digital camera might be your best friend.) You may choose to do your drawings by hand or you might want to use a draw program on the computer to assist you.

Determine a working schedule for yourself. Draw up a timetable showing how much time you expect to spend on each part of the design process. Your planning should also ensure that you have all the necessary materials and equipment that you need to complete your project.

Design

Researching and Designing

• gathering information
• identifying specific details of the design which must be satisfied
• identifying possible and alternative design solutions
• planning and designing a appropriate structure which includes drawings

Having written a brief, you are now ready to gather information which will help you to produce a successful design. First you will need to decide what information you require. This will be different from project to project and will also depend on the amount of information and knowledge you already have. A useful step will be to use the following chart. Ask the five questions, then read the column headed Gathering Information. This will help you plan the type of information you will need to gather.

Gathering Information
1. What is the practical function of the design? (What must my robot do?)	A design's practical functions can include: movement How will the robot move within its environment? If it were put in a different environment, would it still be able to move within this new space? manipulation How will the robot move or manipulate other objects within its environment? Can a single robot move or manipulate more than one kind of object? energy How is the robot powered? Can it have more than one energy source? intelligence How does the robot "think?" What does it mean to say that a robot "thinks?" sensing How will my robot "know" or figure out what's in its environment? If it were put in a different environment, would it be able to figure out this new environment
2. What part does appearance (shape and form, surface texture, colour, etc.) play in the design's function? What does the robot look like? Is there a reason for it to look as it does?	Shape and form are important to a design's aesthetic qualities, ergonomics, strength, stability, rigidity, safety Surface texture, finish and colour can be appropriate to a design's:aesthetic qualities, mechanical, optical and thermal properties, durability, etc.
3. What materials are suitable for the design?	The properties of a material will determine its suitability for a design. For our work with robotics we have chosen to work with LegoT™. However, there are many different types of materials that can be and are used in the construction of robots. strength, hardness, toughness, density durability and the aesthetic qualities determined by colour, surface texture, pattern, etc. The materials cost and availability are also important factors.
4. What construction methods are appropriate to the design?	Construction techniques fall into the categories of: cutting and shaping fabrication - the assembly of the parts using screws, bolts, glues, solder, etc moulding - by the application of a force on the material casting - using a mould to form the shape of a solidifying material A particular material can only be worked in a limited number of ways. The method of construction therefore will be determined by the chosen material, the availability of manufacturing facilities, the skills of the work force and the production costs.
5. What are the likely social and environmental effects of the design?	The manufacture, use and disposal of any product will have both beneficial and detrimental effects upon people, wildlife and the environment. The designer therefore, has an enormous responsibility to consider very carefully the potential effects of any new design. This will include: health and safety factors, noise, smell, pollution, etc.

Gathering information can involve reading, listening, conducting interviews and observing.

A specification is a detailed description of the problem to be solved. It should 'spell out' exactly what the design must achieve.