I probably saw the concept film you were talking about. Human-like robots are coming as soon as the flying cars are. Futurism and fantasy are very different from reality and practicality. I watch every robot documentary/special I can on channels like Discovery, TLC and The Science Channel. Many think making humans more human- or animal-like or personable is the answer, and they're developing sophisticated algorithms and physical mechansims to make that a reality. Honda's Asimo is a good example of a successful robot that walks like a human. Others are focused more on facial expressions and having the robots "read" body language (something humans sometimes don't do well themselves). Others are going the utility route like the Roomba company, mentioned in my blog post above, where function dictates form. In the short- to medium-term I think that naturally will lead to the greatest success and the most integration of robotics into everyday life. After that, I'm sure we'll have successful humanoid multi-function robots. I suppose as a housemate for the elderly, for instance, where humanoid-like robotics are actually being put to use in limited trials in Japan and the US, that "softening" of the functional form is necessary to its success.

What's troubling is that we still don't have computers that understand us well, so to expect that from an advanced robot - along with all the other things they would have to do from a physical standpoint - is just too much to ask. It's like natural machine speech - that's still not perfected, though that has been promised for some time. The same thing goes for computer AI. It's just not there, and perhaps too much effort is put into the "kitchen sink" approach rather than just trying to perfect more individual elements.

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Bill Loguidice, Managing Director
Armchair Arcade, Inc.
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