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32 Modern Robotics

I want to make a robot that is in the image of the principles set out by
my mentor, Isaac Asimov. The model is the human being. It doesn’t
have to look like a human being. It doesn’t have to be physically the
same, but it has to operate in our environment and use our data and
our tools. And that is the challenge. That is where the robot will
break out.

Engelberger went on to tell Red Herring that he thinks much of
the work of academic robotics researchers in trying to give robots
humanlike qualities is on the wrong track:

It sounds nice to have a robot that can recognize gestures. But
language is so powerful. Tell the robot what you want. If a robot
can read sign language, then it can cope with input from a deaf
person. The research community has been very sad in its ability
to do things. When I see MIT working on giving a robot face
emotion, I say, “What the hell is going on? Who cares about the
robot’s emotion? I want to know what it’s doing.” Why is that?
Because maybe someone got a Ph.D. for making the robot smile
and frown. But really what they should have made it do is cook
and clean.

TRENDS: THE ROBOTICS INDUSTRY TODAY

According to the 2004 World Robotics Survey by the United Nations
Economic Commission for Europe, the robotics industry is booming.
In 2004, orders for industrial robots increased 18 percent, reach-
ing the highest level ever recorded. There are now at least 800,000
industrial robots in use (see pie chart). Japan became the world
leader in robotics in the 1980s, but the rest of the industrialized
world has been rapidly catching up.
Meanwhile, robots are also entering the home, with 600,000 in
use by 2004 and several million more likely to be purchased in the
next few years.