Humanoid robots: from the laboratory to the workplace

摘要

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide a brief historical background to humanoid robot research and discuss recent commercial developments and illustrate how they are starting to find real-world applications. Design/methodology/approach Following a short introduction, this first provides a historical background to humanoid robot research and developments. It then discusses recent commercial developments, together with product details and actual or anticipated applications. Finally, conclusions are drawn. Findings Since early research in the 1970s when humanoids took minutes to make a single step, they have now reached a point where they can run, climb and even perform acrobatics. This progress has arisen from advances in computing power, actuators, imaging and sensors. More recently, artificial intelligence (AI) techniques have dramatically improved humanoids’ ability to operate in dynamic environments, recognise objects, perform complex tasks, learn from experience and interact naturally with humans. This has stimulated commercial activities and at least 150 companies world-wide are now developing or manufacturing humanoids. China and the USA jointly account for about two-thirds of these. During recent years, a growing number of companies have reported volume production and real-world applications, notably in the automotive and logistics sectors. As more trials are conducted and applications realised, the next few years will be critical in determining whether the market will develop sufficiently fast to justify the level of investment and support the growing number of manufacturers. Originality/value This paper illustrates how humanoid robots have evolved since the early research in the 1970s to reach a point where commercialisation is widespread and real-world applications are emerging.