AnchorDesk

Enter the robots
We're fascinated with robots. Well, I'm fascinated with them, and a short spin around Google shows that the Web is teeming with robot stories, sites, information, and, of course, dire predictions. For example, the first two fictional examples of robot creations--Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and Czech writer Karel Capek's Rossum's Universal Robots--end in the creations turning on their masters. Author Isaac Asimov, who coined the term robotics, wrote a story in 1942 in which he attempted to create laws for robots that forbade them from injuring humans and demanded that they always obey their human creators. Then, of course, there's The Terminator. Clearly, we've long been both fascinated by and wary of creatures created by humans that behave like humans. Maybe, innately, we just don't trust ourselves.

But before this descends into a philosophical screed, let me just say that we're about to face our fears. The Age of Robot is upon us, and I am not talking about the Roomba (although that little vacuum disc has gone a long way toward introducing the idea of nonthreatening domestic robots). While industrial robots are in more widespread use than we probably realize, in factories, in wars, and in space, the humanoid robot is fast becoming a reality.

I visited the International Expo 2005 in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, and it was obvious there that the robotic future is alive (if you'll forgive the imagery) and rapping, protecting your kids, securing your home, and providing you with insight into long-extinct species. More than 100 different robots are on display at the Expo, and the NEDO pavilion is home to many of them. The robots I encountered there range from souped-up wheelchairs and cute, cuddly child-care robots to the Actroid reception robot, which speaks four languages and has an eerily humanlike appearance.

Talk to me
Actually, while the security and child-care robots were the picture of a very near future, Ms. Actroid was, I must say, comfortingly disappointing. She speaks Chinese, Korean, English, and Japanese, although I heard only the Japanese and English. It took her a moment or two to recognize my "hello," but when she did switch over to English, she used a completely different voice from the high-pitched and somewhat girlish Japanese voice. I'd read that she was capable of joking around, so I asked her if she was a robot. She replied with awkward, robotic-dance hands that she was, indeed, a robot, but then switched to more normal movements and said she was a "next-generation android." My husband asked her where to have lunch at the Expo, and she gave directions to a noodle shop onsite, saying, "They are called udon." However, her voice recognition was slow and awkward, and she frequently asked a question, then kept talking without waiting for a response. The robot was, indeed, eerily humanoid, but just robotic enough to keep us from out-and-out Terminator terror.

When it comes to robotic playmates for children, though, I can pretty easily imagine having one around if I were, say, working at home with a young child to entertain. The children at Expo absolutely swarmed the robots that were present--many of them gave directions and what appeared to be simple lessons in Japanese and took video photographs of the people who interacted with them. What about robots that take out the garbage and clean outdoor areas? That's a no-brainer. I'll take one. The security robots we saw were less impressive at first glance, since, despite their names, they don't shock or shoot intruders or anything like that. They're designed to patrol perimeters, detect hazards such as fire, and the like. Although we did see one that spread its robot "wings," so I instantly imagined gun ports hidden in future models--indeed, Toyota says one of its models can squirt paint at intruders so that police can find them later (a paintball-playing robot? Now that's a child-care machine).

Imminent takeover?
Strolling around Expo 2005 made it seem that robots could quickly and easily become a natural part of life. Everyone who saw them was fascinated and happily excited, and it's hard to argue with the convenience of self-driving vehicles, cleanup gadgets, and children's entertainment that doesn't come in the form of a TV. I know robots won't enter our homes overnight, but I'm sure there are some rich folks out there who are already writing checks for some of the models on display in Japan. Robot companions are an inevitable part of the future, so we'd better either ramp up our sci-fi fears or get over them in a hurry.