Robot Talk Episode 126 – Why are we constructing humanoid robots?

Research into humanoid robots is a quickly advancing subject, with corporations around the globe striving to supply robots that look and act extra like us. But what’s it about recreating ourselves in robotic kind that we discover so charming? Why do humanoid robots each enthral and terrify us? And is our obsession with robotic people simply vainness, or may they play invaluable roles in our future society?

In this particular stay recording at Imperial College London as a part of the Great Exhibition Road Festival, Claire chatted to Ben Russell (Science Museum), Maryam Banitalebi Dehkordi (University of Hertfordshire) and Petar Kormushev (Imperial College London) about humanoid robotics.

Ben Russell has been the Science Museum’s Curator of Mechanical Engineering since 2004. He has curated six everlasting galleries and momentary exhibitions on the museum, together with Engineers (2023), Robots (2017), Cosmonauts (2015) and James Watt’s Workshop (2011). He is the writer of James Watt: Making the World Anew, (Reaktion Books, 2014), and editor of Robots (Scala, 2017), in addition to quite a few revealed and convention papers.

Maryam Banitalebi Dehkordi is a Senior Lecturer in Robotics and AI on the University of Hertfordshire. She has a grasp’s diploma in Mechatronics and Automatic Control Engineering from the University Technology Malaysia and a Ph.D. in Perceptual Robotics from Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna in Italy. Her experience spans assistive robots, cell robots, agricultural robots, industrial robots, humanoid robots, parallel manipulators, navigation, and outside autonomous automobiles.

Petar Kormushev is Director of the Robot Intelligence Lab at Imperial College London and an Associate Professor in Robotics on the Dyson School of Design Engineering. His analysis focus is on reinforcement studying algorithms and their utility to autonomous robots. Petar’s long-term aim is to create robots that may be taught by themselves and adapt to dynamic environments. His machine studying algorithms have been utilized to quite a lot of humanoid robots, together with COMAN and iCub.