Who’s The Fairest Robot Of All?

We don’t have to wait for the future. It’s already here.

This year broke records for robots in manufacturing. An astounding 14,583 robots were ordered by North American companies during the first half of 2016. In total, there are 265,000 robots in use in factories in North America, third to Japan and China.

Innovations, new designs and applications seem to roll out every day. There are robots in retail, customer service and even plans for robotic shopping carts. So, why not take a moment to step back from political concerns and economic uncertainty to appreciate the more … beautiful … side of tech developments in the last year or so?

This year’s robot beauty contestants will be scored in two areas: aesthetics and overall functionality. Points will be deducted if a contestant falls too far into the uncanny valley.

LoweBot

There’s nothing quite like imagining a future full of helpful, robot personal shoppers. At stores in the San Francisco Bay Area, Lowe’s shoppers don’t have to imagine. They have LoweBot.

LoweBot monitors inventory and helps customers find items in the daunting warehouse maze that Lowe’s can sometimes be. And it works in multiple languages.

LoweBot receives high marks from the get-go. It’s helpful, hardworking and pretty pleasing to the eye. Sure, its design is simple. But there’s much to be said for understated beauty.

Erica

Erica is the latest in a long line of realistic humanoid robotic endeavors by Professor Hiroshi Ishiguro, said Bloomberg. She has lifelike skin, hair and the beginnings of some truly impressive facial micro-expressions. She’s about as lifelike as robots come these days — and it’s kinda creepy.

Erica comes with artificial intelligence software that allows her to listen to requests and respond accordingly. Right now, Erica is hooked up to external microphones and a live coder. Ishiguro plans for Erica to work as a receptionist, hostess or personal assistant. Though, as her software advances, her potential functions abound.

Atlas

The newest version of Alphabet Inc.’s humanoid robot is an impressive feat. His name is Atlas. He’s five feet, nine inches, 180 pounds, runs on batteries and has come a long way from his 300+ pound, plug-in ancestors.

Atlas can balance and pick himself up after falling. He can also open doors, climb ladders, navigate multiple terrain types and strategically avoid obstacles. Sure, he’s a bit ungainly at times — but it’s not his fault he’s top-heavy. He’s an impressive technological feat whose future is bright for working in industry, stockhouses, emergency services and rescue operations.

TU Delft

While Netherlands’ TU Delft’s robot arm may not be the prettiest contestant on the list, it certainly is the most functional. The arm was this year’s winner of Amazon’s Picking Challenge. The arm comes with deep learning adaptive AI, which allows it to study 3D scans of stockrooms to calculate and strategize its warehouse moves.

TU Delft isn’t a threat to human factory workers just yet — its overall rate of production was still lower than an average human worker. But it’s a great tech improvement over previous years and bodes well for the future of a mechanized workforce.

Sophia

You might recognize Sophia. She appeared in the news earlier this year.

Sophia is a creation of Hanson Robotics, developer of life-like robots for use in health care, therapy, customer service and education. Sophia is able to produce 62 different facial expressions, recognize humans, remember interactions and interpret speech. And she’s got it out for us humans.

Sophia is, by far, the most emotive entry on the list, adding to her realism (and her creepiness). Let’s just hope Sophia doesn’t speak for all robots.

Pepper

Pepper is a customer service and hospitality robot with a sleek, non-gender-specific humanoid design and a doe-eyed, friendly face. Pepper tracks customer movement and data — what they’ve looked at, what they’ve purchased — using a combination of cameras in its eyes and mouth. Models have already rolled out in Japan and Taiwan.

It’s also capable of reading four human emotions. Pepper looks for happiness, sadness, anger and joy and responds accordingly. There’s something to be said for a robot that cares about your feelings.

Alpha 1S

UBTECH’s Alpha 1S has got a lot going for him in the looks department. He’s buff but well-proportioned for his size (he’s 18 inches tall). He’s got a commanding presence, a killer stare and he’s available for purchase.

Alpha and his other UBTECH counterparts represent developments in (relatively) affordable, recreational and family robotics. He’s programmable, has storytelling, recording and teaching capabilities and is connectable to devices via Bluetooth. As a bonus, he looks like the kind of robot friend dreamed up by kids since long before there were any available for purchase online.

Results

Despite some conventionally attractive contestants, the most pleasant-to-look-at robots most likely won’t be too human-looking anytime soon thanks to the uncanny valley. We’re still a few developments and innovations away from manufacturing realistic humanoid robots that aren’t six different kinds of creepy.

Tallying up the scores, we have a clear winner. Atlas! His combination of form and function, along with his relative lack of uncanny issues, has led to his clear victory. Congratulations!

As the robotics industry continues to expand in all sectors, expect to see more attempts at realism, as well as a proliferation of both niche product designs and multi-purpose bots. The robot revolution is coming to stores, hospitals, reception desks, streets and homes worldwide.