Humanoid robots are generating a lot of expectation for their futuristic component. Right now, Boston Dynamics’s new totally electric atlas It moves in almost aliens, and The humanoids of figure They already learn to handle coffee makers and washing machines. The feeling is that the Robots revolution is just around the corner, but in its design they hide a problem that is slowing its true potential. And the solution does not go through adding more calculation power.
The ‘silly’ body of robots. A recent study From Sony’s own robotics division, he points out that the root problem that limits his own machines is the “limited number of joints”, which creates a “disparity between their movements and those of the subjects they imitate.” That in this case are humans.
As explained by the director of the Mechanical Intelligence Research Group at the London South Bank University, the current approach to the robotic industry is “the first brain.” Incredibly complex software is designed that has to centralized a body that is, in essence, a metal knead and engines connected by slightly flexible joints.
An attempt to resemble the human that fails. If we move as we moveS In day to day, it is not for ‘magic’, but because we are an almost perfect machine that has about 360 joints, 206 bones and numerous ligaments. This makes the column flexible or the joints adapt to any movement. But humanoid robots are simple rigid structures that constantly fight against their own weight and inertia. In order not to fall, they need to perform millions of microcorrections per second, also consuming a lot of energy.
According to the data, a Tesla Optimus robot to make a simple walk Consume about 500 wattswhile a human being for a more demanding walk Consume 310 watts.
The clumsy that they are is increasingly evident. The famous Optimus video folding a shirt It is, in reality, a demonstration of its great physical weakness. A human can fold the shirt almost without looking, using the touch to feel the key and guide their movements. Optimus with his rigid hands depends on his powerful vision and his brain to meticulously plan every tiny movement.
The same goes for Atlasthat although it makes spectacular acrobatics, I could not walk safely on a rock covered in moss because the feet cannot feel the surface to adapt to it.
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The solution is already explored: mechanical intelligence. This It is a concept that nature perfected millions of years ago and that researchers around the world are beginning to apply in robotics. The idea is simple: design the physical structure of a machine to perform ‘calculations’ and passively adaptations without the need for a central brain or extra sensors.
In nature there are many examples of this. For example, the tendons of a hare act as intelligent docks that absorb the impact by landing and release that energy to boost the next stride. The human hand is also able to passively adapt to any object and the yolks of our fingers conform to moisture to achieve the perfect friction level.
The investigation is already demonstrating the value of this approach. For example, there are robots with legs inspired by the tendons of a cheey that can run with notable energy efficiency.
The efforts are put to increase their presence. Companies are clear that humanoid robots are the future. Some like figure They have already created a system to make large -scale robotsor even China is doing exhibition of your best models To make it clear that they have gone from theory to practice, and even They put them on sale. And such is the number of companies that have been launched towards this market, which It costs to differentiate each other.
But they already do very common tasks such as Play football or participate in Kickboxing tournaments between robots. And even work for an hour remembering exactly what their hands ‘feel’.
Images | Julien Tromeur
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