AI and Robotics; what it used to be

While browsing the books in my home library (Yes, I still have a book library), I came across my 1989 Master’s Degree thesis on AI. The thesis’ objective was to write a computer code that would enable a robot to move from one configuration to another without colliding with obstacles of unknown trajectories, velocities and accelerations. I reflected on what it took for me to complete the literature search and thesis requirement. I remember handing the university librarian a list of keywords and asking for print copies of all technical articles written in that field. The librarian told me it would take some time to get this done! A few days later, I came back and picked up a heavy pile of printed articles and walked to my office at the university to start reading.

Out of curiosity, when I started writing this article I replicated the search on an iPhone using the same keywords. The Result was a list of 17,600 hits produced in only a few seconds, with 200 plus very relevant articles! After completing the research for my thesis, I wrote the computer code in Fortran and  tested it on a Cray computer machine located in another U.S. state. I submitted the code at the end of the day to Cray and waited to receive the results the next day. I would then simulate the robot and the moving objects using Visual Basic to see if the code worked as expected. I repeated these steps until I perfected the code. That was then, I am sure that the whole process today would take minutes.

One might be impressed with how researchers in the 80’s had so much faith in human ability to one day produce fast computers. However, finding out that researchers actually started doing this type of work back in the 50’s truly demonstrate the power of thinking ahead and the vision of doing something that was previously deemed almost impossible.

The Current Robotics State

Robotics is increasingly dominant in various sectors, including manufacturing, healthcare, logistics, and delivery. It reduces time consumption and errors by reducing human operators and enabling collaborative robots to support human workers.

In healthcare, robotic surgeons use the da Vinci Surgical System, while AI-developed robotic caregivers provide emotional, physical, and social support to seniors.

In logistics, automation companies like Amazon use robots for stock padding and order fulfillment, while self-driving drones are being tested for one-to-one deliveries.  Robots will continue to become more autonomous, requiring less human oversight. Swarm robotics, inspired by nature’s collective intelligence, will enable multiple robots to work together seamlessly in fields such as agriculture, disaster response, and infrastructure maintenance. AI algorithms will enhance robot decision-making, enabling them to navigate new situations. They’ll be used in search and rescue missions, hazardous environment tasks, and other robotics implementations.

The Future Robotics State

The future of robotics will continue to be shaped by advancements in AI, autonomy, and human-robot interaction. The trend will continue to include new smart robots, reorganization, and machine learning innovation. Autonomous robots will require human guidance, while collective intelligence will enable highly automated, cooperative robots for various tasks.

Future robots will continue to employ soft robotics, mimicking biological structures, for life-threatening tasks like surgeries and factory picking, enhancing their efficiency and effectiveness.

Improved social and emotional intelligence of robots could enhance human interaction, provide better care for the elderly, and aid education, but moral concerns like privacy protection and job loss must be addressed.

Robots will continue to play a crucial role in space exploration, assisting with experiments, infrastructure development, and human survival tasks in Mars and Moon lands, as well as studying deep-sea floors where humans cannot due to extreme water depths or monsoons.

Another area on which AI Robotics will have a significant impact on, is the academic field. I venture to predict that the process of obtaining an academic degree or even passing a single course will change dramatically in the future. Today, students take final exams and turn in papers, including dissertation documents to be defended in front of a board of professors. With the ample tools for writing messages, articles, and even books, how could the academic institutions ensure and evaluate students’ understanding of topics? I predict, in the future, that PhD students will engage in Socratic discussions with scholars on a specific topic during the term. Once they feel that they have gained the required level of understanding, the PhD candidates would stand in front of a group of professors in a high-tech AI room. AI room would capture all verbal and non-verbal communication including questions and answer and a separate AI would assist the professors in their determination whether the student is ready to receive a passing grade or granted a PhD degree. After that the dissertation will printed based on the discussion.

In summary, the robotics industry has undergone significant changes, with AI now powering robots. This coexistence is expected to redefine industries, leading to technological breakthroughs and transforming society.