- [Narrator] As New York
Times best-selling author and robotics engineer,
Daniel H. Wilson said: "There are an endless number of things to discover about robotics. A lot of it is just too
fantastic for people to believe." Indeed, we're conditioned
to think robots are always in some distant far-flung future. With an endless stream of sci-fi films, books, and shows depicting
a robotic future, it's hard to accept
it's actually happening. However, the ingenious
innovations pouring out of robotics labs around the world are heralding a new age
of advanced AI robots. Far from dumb machines, these increasingly human-like automatons have silicon minds that process faster and faster by the year. In this video, I'll explore the robots at the bleeding edge of
artificial intelligence. These are the first generation of robots set to change the world as we know it. Number 10: Digit. Meet Digit. This 5-foot-tall robot designed and built by Agility Robotics is the
next step in robot innovation. Developed as a successor to Cassie, a small bipedal robot
able to run and walk, Digit is almost frightening in
its human-like capabilities. Where Cassie was little
more than a pair of legs, Digit has a fully
functioning humanoid body. Weighing 42.2 kilograms, Digit can navigate its
environment semi-autonomously with the help of LIDAR and other sensors. It can, for instance, carry boxes upstairs or deliver packages to your door. This new capability is down Digit's four degree-of-freedom arms that allow Digit to not only balance but also carry and manipulate objects, like opening a door or stacking boxes weighing up to 18 kilograms or 40 pounds. Powering this ingenious machine
are two multi-core CPUs. This powerful robot brain
allows the processing of such complex actions in real-time. It won't be long before Digit is delivering packages to your door. Number 9: Pepper. Far from planning world-domination, Pepper is an empathic robot. This 4-foot-tall machine is the brainchild of SoftBank Robotics, built
with the express purpose of reading emotions. In fact, Pepper can
understand fifteen languages, recognize when a person is talking and give an appropriate response. It does so, using two HD
cameras, a 3-D depth sensor, as well as two sonars and six lasers to help guide it through crowds. Launched in 2014, Pepper's
first batch of 1,000 units sold out in just 60 seconds. However, despite selling 27,000 units, SoftBank reported they
would pause production due to weak demand. Pepper was not quite the emotional genius SoftBank had promised. Still, Pepper's maneuverability
was on full display at a professional baseball game
during the COVID lockdowns. The robot's 20 motors,
located in the shoulder, elbow, wrist, hand, hip, and knee, whirred as 100 Peppers danced in sync to raise public spirits. However, not everyone was impressed, with some branding the display "creepy." Number 8: Spot. Few robotics companies amaze
more than Boston Dynamics. In their 2020 viral video, it was the humanoid Atlas
that stole the show. However, Spot, a nimble four-legged robot, is no less impressive. So, how does it work? Drawing upon their experience
with early quadrupedal robots, like BigDog and Cheetah, Spot uses five onboard cameras to inspect the world around it, giving it a 360-degree
view of the terrain. It has twelve degrees of freedom and a balance system so strong that the little robot
would remain upright, even if you kicked it. Nor is this dog slow. It can move at 1.6 meters per second and carry weights up to 14 kilograms. Plus, with a battery life of 90 minutes, this helpful little robot is perfect for inspecting dangerous sites, such as after a natural disaster. In fact, Spot has even been tested alongside British Royal
Air Force service members, and, in November 2019, Massachusetts State Police
announced the use of Spot mini as a robot cop in the unit's bomb squad. Companies are also developing devices to fit onto Spot's back, such as Trimble, which collects highly accurate scans of the surrounding area, with applications in
construction and beyond. Number 7: HRP-5P. HRP-5P might have a name
reminiscent of a Terminator, but this advanced humanoid prototype may one day replace humans
in heavy-duty labor. Developed in Japan, HRP-5P is one of the few robots
around average human height at 5 foot 10 inches or
182 centimeters tall. Moreover, its limbs have an
incredible degree of movement. Its arms, for example, each
boast 8 degrees of freedom, with 37 degrees of freedom in total. But it's not just its
physicality that's impressive. AIST, the institute behind HRP-5P, also focused on improved intelligence. This lumbering giant can recognize objects and understand the scale of
the environment around it. In one demonstration, HRP-5P is seen picking up a gypsum board, carrying it over to a
wall, and screwing it in thanks to a built-in electric screwdriver. It's hoped this incredible innovation will one day assemble houses, buildings, aircraft, and even ships. Number 6: Surena IV. Named after the Parthian General Surena, this humanoid robot was produced by the Institute of Electrical
and Electronics Engineers in Iran. Its first incarnation was Surena I: a small but impressive robot capable of playing football and speaking Persian. It's come a long way since then. The 4th incarnation, Surena IV, was officially revealed in 2019 and was a significant upgrade. Where Surena I had only
8 degrees of freedom, Surena IV boasted 43, with
high dexterity in the hands, meaning Surena can grasp
objects using its whole body or pick up small objects
using its hands alone. Moreover, this new version
isn't just more advanced; it's also bigger. At 1.7 meters tall and
weighing 68 kilograms, it's one of the largest
humanoid robots in the world. One of the main goals
of the SURENA IV project was a better AI. Indeed, the robot can detect
and count faces and objects, recognize activities, listen
to speech and even talk. With each new generation a
leap forward in advancements, Surena V may be the most
advanced robot in the world. Number 5: Aquanaut. Aquanaut is unlike any
robot you've seen before. Gone are the humanoid
body and friendly face, this aquatic robot is
built for the high seas. At first glance, Aquanaut
looks like a small, sleek submarine. But, once transformed, two arms appear, ready to work on deep-water infrastructure with minimal supervision
from a human operator. Indeed, Aquanaut's spec is
more than a little impressive. With a maximum speed of 6 knots, the aquatic robot can speed
along scanning the seabed. It has a large payload
capacity of 91 kilograms and can keep going for
a maximum of 75 hours. However, it's the arms, or "manipulators," that are most impressive. With more than 6 degrees of freedom and 360 degrees of continuous rotation, Aquanaut can survey an area, repair oil pipelines, or
manage aquaculture products, all without risking a single human life. The marine machine works on
the Robot Operating System, or ROS, widely used across the industry. But with a lack of direct,
wired connection to home base, Aquanaut is vastly more
autonomous than other robots. As manufacturer Nauticus robotics puts it: "Aquanaut is the future
of underwater robotics." Number 4: Stuntronic robot. Imagine a robot with the
agility and grace of an acrobat, a robot able to glide through the air and perform a perfect backflip. You don't have to imagine it. The Stuntronic robot, created
by Disney Engineering, is just that. Nicknamed Stickman, this realistic
robotic figure is capable of death-defying feats. Using sophisticated onboard sensors, this robot can perform aerial flips, twists, and poses with
repeatability and precision, albeit the team has yet
to perfect the landing. Part of the challenge of
developing a 90-pound robot capable of somersaults
while 60-feet in the air was the conservation of angular momentum to achieve precision
aerial motion control. To solve the problem, the
robot uses a complex system of accelerometers, gyroscopes, and laser range finders to
judge distance and speed, thereby calculating its trajectory. This advanced and innovative solution allows Stickman to control its rotation and orientation in the air. It's expected one day Stickman
will wow Disney audiences with these incredible feats. Number 3: Handle. Handle isn't just the future of robotics; it's the future of the industry. Speeding around on two wheels, this Segway-like robot
can pick and stack boxes weighing up to 45 kilograms
using a vacuum arm. Handle is like no robot
you've ever seen before. Rather than sticking with legs, the Boston Dynamics team
reverted back to wheels, perfect for jetting
around the factory floor. It also reduces complexity by decreasing the degrees of freedom. That may sound like a bad thing, but the purpose of Handle is a practical and functional robot perfectly
suited for logistical tasks. That's not to say it isn't advanced. As Boston Dynamics explained, "Much of the control used in Handle leverages our team's experience with the quadruped and biped robots. The software is not exactly the same, but the balance and
dynamic control principles have a lot in common and share the same physics-based roots." With a range of 24 kilometers
and its two-wheeled design, Handle is small enough to maneuver around tight factory corners and can travel far enough
for a complete factory shift. Number 2: Atlas. Perhaps the most famous
humanoid robot in the world, Atlas combines 28 hydraulic joints and a lightweight body to produce fluid and graceful movements
unthinkable only a decade before. Atlas can jump, walk,
run, backflip, even dance. It achieves these impressive
movements in three ways. First, it has a vast library of behaviors, or template motions. It can use when constructing
complex routines. Second, it uses real-time perception to detect its environment
with advanced sensors. Finally, it uses model-predictive control to predict how its
motion evolves over time, adjusting accordingly. In one video, Atlas stumbles and wobbles, only to regain balance. You can't pre-program that. In fact, Atlas is so lifelike that many assumed this
backflipping machine's viral videos were CGI. But it was all real. With a top speed of 2.5 meters per second and weighing just 89 kilograms, Atlas is one of the most mobile and physically capable robots globally. Next, Boston Dynamics aims to
improve Atlas's automation, allowing it to conduct routines without the extensive pre-planning and orchestration of previous versions. Number 1: Ameca. Ameca is alive, or at least looks like it. Unlike other humanoid robots
that focus on physical motion, Ameca is at the cutting
edge of human expression. Using 17 individual motors, this not-quite-human robot can produce surprisingly
vivid and emotive expressions. Produced by Engineered Arts, Ameca uses artificial intelligence and machine learning systems to understand human
expression and behaviors, evolving and growing as it interacts. It employs an array of
cameras, depth sensors, LiDAR, and microphones to detect our expressions and movements, blending this information together and responding appropriately. It's light-years ahead of its competition. But perhaps the strangest
thing about Ameca is the gray, plastic face. After trying to create
more human-like robots in previous generations, Engineered Arts learned that such machines are often viewed as slightly sinister, falling into the uncanny
valley of human appearance. Ameca is also continuously improving. Being modular by design, the entire robot is easily upgradable. In time, the team hopes to
install movement capabilities so that Ameca will be the
ultimate walking talking machine. But what do you think? Are we on the verge of
a robotic revolution? Or do you remain unconvinced by the world's most advanced AI robots? Let us know in the comments below. If you enjoyed this video, make sure to watch out for the next video on The World's Future
Technologies in 2050. Thanks for watching.
We'll see you next time.
