The Rise of Robotics

Author(s): Vita Haas

Originally published on Towards AI.

Transforming Everyday Life and Industry

From autonomous vacuum cleaners gliding across our living rooms to robotic surgical instruments performing procedures with microscopic precision, robotics has seamlessly integrated itself into the modern life. No longer confined to the realm of science fiction, robots are transforming industries and reshaping our daily routines in subtle and profound ways.

From Ancient Dreams to Modern Reality

Humanity’s robotic dreams stretch back to ancient times, when Greek mythology spoke of Talos — a man of bronze who protected Crete from pirates and invaders.

The term “robot” itself has a surprisingly artistic origin, born from Karel Čapek’s 1920 play “R.U.R.” (Rossum’s Universal Robots). The word, derived from the Old Church Slavonic “robota” meaning forced labor or servitude, would come to represent machines that liberate humans from drudgery.

Though initially considering the Latin-based term “labori,” Čapek chose “roboti” in the end. The play, which culminated in a robot rebellion against humanity and ended with two robots developing human-like emotions, became a sensation across Europe and the United States. Despite being Čapek’s least favorite work, it established robots as a central theme in science fiction, influencing writers like Isaac Asimov and countless Hollywood productions.

The first true robots weren’t the menacing humanoids of early science fiction, but rather a pair of quirky, electronic “tortoises” named Elmer and Elsie. Created in 1948 by the brilliant neurophysiologist William Grey Walter, these turtle-like pioneers could do something remarkable — seek out their charging station when their batteries ran low.

The first industrial robot was created in 1961. It was GE’s Unimate. This 4,000-pound machine, designed by George Devol, transformed manufacturing by handling dangerous die-casting operations at General Motors. Unimate represented a watershed moment in automation, proving that robots could perform hazardous tasks with precision and reliability, catalyzing a fundamental shift in manufacturing. In 2003 the Unimate was inducted into the Robot Hall of Fame.

The Anatomy of Intelligence

As many of human inventions, robots are widely inspired by nature. Today their sensors go beyond detecting: they can feel, see, and sometimes even taste. The latest tactile sensors, used in restaurant business, can distinguish between a raw egg and a tennis ball, handling each with calibrated gentleness. Some robots can even “smell” diseases in human breath or detect structural weaknesses in bridges before they can be caught by the human eye.

The mechanical muscles of robots, their actuators, can range from the brutishly powerful to the surprisingly delicate: industrial robots can easily lift cars, while surgical robots manipulate instruments with sub-millimeter precision.

Apart from actuators, artificial brains are becoming eerily sophisticated too. Modern robots went from following programs to learning and adapting, sometimes in ways that surprise even their creators. A warehouse robot may come up with a more efficient picking route that a human did not consider, while a healthcare robot sometimes can notice subtle patterns in patient behavior that even experienced nurses could miss.

Revolutionizing Industries

One of the most remarkable applications of robotics today is healthcare. For example, the da Vinci surgical system shows how far medical robots have come. It possesses four steady robotic arms and powerful 3D cameras, which help surgeons perform incredibly precise operations through tiny cuts. Robotic hands never shake, and they can see details as small as individual blood vessels. By augmenting human abilities, it can make complex surgeries far more precise and less invasive.

Retail is another field deeply effected by robotics. Amazon’s warehouses now employ hundreds of robots that transport and organize entire shelves of products. While this automation has dramatically increased efficiency and processing speeds, it has also sparked debates about workplace displacement — these robots have replaced many traditional warehouse jobs, raising important questions about the future of human employment, which we will come back to later.

Automated systems are now common in restaurants and retail stores worldwide, but Japanese hotels have taken it to the next level with fully robotic staff members. At the famous Henn Na Hotel, which can be translated as “Weird Hotel,” robots handle traditional hotel tasks from check-in to luggage service. Tourists’ favourites are a vicious-looking dinosaur receptionist and a female humanoid with blinking lashes. Guests interact with these robots by pushing buttons and using a touch screen to complete check-in.

Beyond the front desk, robots perform a range of roles, from luggage delivery to storing and retrieving items for guests in the cloak room.

The robot employees are facing some limitations still. For example, they cannot make beds or find lost items, so the hotel incorporates facial recognition technology to eliminate the need for keys, which can be misplaced. Henn Na still relies on human staff for security. Real people monitor footage from security cameras to ensure guest safety and protect the robots.

Beyond Mundane Tasks

Robot explorers are also pushing the envelope of possible in discovery — both on Earth and beyond. Space exploration, in particular, has become the ultimate stage for robotic ingenuity. Mars rovers are turning into fully autonomous planetary scientists. While their human teammates back on Earth sleep, these robots make decisions about which rocks to study and where to roam. Take “Perseverance”, for instance — a nuclear-powered geologist on wheels. It zaps rocks with lasers to analyze their makeup and collects samples that could one day return to Earth.

It’s not just space that has become a playground for robots: tools like ROVs (Remotely Operated Vehicles) and AUVs (Autonomous Underwater Vehicles) are revolutionizing underwater exploration. They now map the ocean floor, analyze hydrothermal vents, and discover entirely new species in places that people were not enable to reach previously. Operating in environments too extreme for humans, robots can endure crushing pressures and navigate pitch-black depths, reshaping our view of our own planet.

From plumbing the depths of the oceans or scouring the surface of distant planets, robots are taking us from incremental progress to exponential discovery. The question is no longer “if” they can do the work — but rather “what’s next”.

The Human-Robot Partnership

The rise of robotics is a paradigm shift challenging us to redefine the human experience in an increasingly automated world. The collaborative future isn’t about replacing humans with machines; it’s about building a partnership between biological and artificial intelligence, augmenting the former with the latter.

The Rise of Cobots

Collaborative robots, or cobots, exemplify this vision. These machines, designed to work alongside humans, amplifying our strengths and mitigating our weaknesses. However, their rapid adoption raises, yet again, the timely questions: How do we balance the undeniable productivity gains with the displacement of traditional jobs? And how do we prepare society for such an accelerated pace of change?

Economic Implications and Opportunities

A lot has been said about the economic implications. While robots often replace repetitive, dangerous, or physically demanding roles, they also create opportunities in programming, maintenance, and oversight — roles that are often more lucrative and fulfilling. Yet, the speed of this revolution leaves many unprepared, requiring proactive retraining programs and policies to ensure equitable outcomes. Countries like Germany, Singapore, and others are already leading the way, investing in workforce development to bridge this skills gap.

Ethical Angle

Beyond economics, the ethical dilemmas of robotics demand urgent attention. Common in AI context questions arise: should we allow robots to make critical decisions in healthcare or military contexts? How do we prevent AI-driven systems from perpetuating societal biases? And when mistakes occur, who bears responsibility — the programmer, the manufacturer, or the owner? These matters require well designed regulations and a collaborative approach between governments, technologists, philosophers, ethicists, and specialists from other disciplines.

Shaping Tomorrow’s World

The future of robotics shouldn’t be a zero-sum game; it’s an opportunity to redefine our relationship with technology and with each other. By allowing robots to handle routine tasks, we can free ourselves to focus on uniquely human endeavors — creativity, empathy, and problem-solving. Probably, more than ever it is essential to prioritize education, adapt policies, and ensure that the benefits of automation are contained and shared broadly.

The challenge isn’t simply about technological progress — it’s about shaping a world where machines enhance, rather than diminish, our humanity. The choices we make today will determine whether robotics becomes a tool for empowerment or a source of inequality. It’s up to us to choose the right path.

The AI revolution invites us to ask what kind of future we want to build together. We should move towards creating a sustainable partnership — one that harnesses the strengths of both humans and machines to redefine what’s possible, and it requires effort from all human society.

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Published via Towards AI