A humanoid robot is a robot that appears identical and to almost resemble humans. The advent of humanoid robots is more seen as professional service robots-built interaction to mimic human motion. They extend value by automating tasks to enhance productivity.  The design may be for functional purposes, such as interacting with human tools and environments, for experimental purposes, such as the study of bipedal locomotion, or for other purposes. Some humanoid robots also have heads designed to replicate human facial features to convey emotions. 

Journey- Fantasy to Reality 

Movies have been a source of fantasizing these machines into the human environment. Most of the movies have built fictional themes of robots either acting as a savior of humanity or as an invention of destruction which are larger than life. This theme essentially questions whether artificial intelligence is a force of good or bad for mankind. Humanoid robots that are depicted as good for society and benefit humans are Commander Data in Star Trek and C-3PO in Star Wars. Opposite portrayals where humanoid robots are shown as scary and threatening to humans are the T-800 in Terminator.

Good Vs Evil

Present day Humanoids 

The transition of fantasy into building a real-world machine remains an unconquered dream for many Robotic companies the world over. However, with the advent of fast-paced technological advancements happening across, we have witnessed breakthrough innovations in the form of welcome robots, hospitality robots, navigating robots, entertainment humanoids, etc. A lot of work is also being done to get the kinematics of these humanoids very near to the bio kinesthetics such as ASIMO 

ASIMO

A further level is established with the emotional humanoids where the facial expressions are being captured and replicated to realistic levels. Emotional expressions are being made realistic with every version and are already being accepted as the next level machines for purpose of entertainment such as SOPHIA.

SOPHIA

Few applications Of Humanoids 

Considering the versatility of humanoids, they are gaining presence for many applications starting from entertainment to critical operations. The few areas of applications are listed below: 

Healthcare humanoid: these are used by individuals at home or in healthcare centers to treat and improve patients’ medical conditions. These robots either require a human controller or are pre-programmed to aid patients. 

Healthcare Robots

Educational humanoid: They are used in education centres or homes to advance education quality and bolster involvement in studies primarily with research activities.

Educational Robots

Entertainment humanoid: These humanoid robots also work as welcome robots, information display and emotion conveying actions. 

Entertainment Robots

Space exploration humanoid: Due to their versatility and data capturing ability they are used in research and space exploration expeditions. 

Search and Rescue humanoid: They can aid heavily in security administrations like traffic controls, police administrations, etc. Humanoids can also help conduct time-sensitive search and rescue operations even in hazardous environments.

Search and Rescue