Whoops, I think we forgot an important birthday last week. The word "robot" turned 92. First used in a 1921 play set in a factory making artificial people as servants, the word derived from a Czech word meaning "hard work."
Visiting the fabulous Robot Zoo exhibition at the Israeli National Museum of Science reminded me how misused the word has become. In the spirit of full disclosure, I should admit I generally throw the word around as loosely as anyone else, but some respect is due on a Birthday. When teaching primary school kids robotics back home in Australia I've always been at pains to differentiate a robot from a remote-controlled device. It's that important line which seems to have become increasingly blurred.
In theory a robot should demonstrate some degree of autonomy: it should do stuff on its own. That's what, for example, makes something built and programmed with Lego Mindstorms a robot. A remote-controlled device, no matter if it looks like a person, is not technically a robot.
The Robot Zoo does not have robots according to the definition. But it is a marvel of engineering and a fabulous way of demonstrating to kids how clever use of mechanics can mimic animals. Or, depending on your inclination, how much more work we have to do to match the wonders of Mother Nature. There are some astonishingly clever and thought-provoking mechanisms covering animals from giraffes to flies to chameleons. It's brilliant engineering, but in spite of all our expertise we're still a long, long way from the original idea of a robot as a humanoid servant.
The Robot Zoo largely focuses on animals, although there's a great humanoid device with multiple controls which shows how effectively modern mechanics can make something that is obviously not human still display human qualities. When the humanoid machine looks towards you and raises its eyebrows, it is hard not to react. Still not C3PO though, not even close.
While the big Robot Zoo is in Haifa, Israel; a smaller exhibition is in Murfreesboro, TN. The exhibitions move on regularly. If they come to you, or you're near them sometime in your travels, I'd highly recommend a visit. The fact that it's not a zoo and those beautiful constructions aren't robots takes nothing away from a fabulous experience.
In the meantime, all together now, Happy Birthday dear Robot...
