0:00:02 > 0:00:04We are witnessing the birth of a robot.
0:00:09 > 0:00:13Believe it or not, this piece of white plastic will become a robot's arm.
0:00:18 > 0:00:24In labs across the world, we are creating advanced robots like this.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28They are developing so rapidly...
0:00:29 > 0:00:32..it's like the arrival of a new species.
0:00:34 > 0:00:36What has taken humans millennia...
0:00:39 > 0:00:42..robots have achieved in just decades.
0:00:45 > 0:00:46They look like us...
0:00:46 > 0:00:47My name is Erica.
0:00:49 > 0:00:51..move like us.
0:00:52 > 0:00:55And now they're beginning to think like us.
0:00:55 > 0:00:57I like to learn.
0:00:57 > 0:00:58This is a ball.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01Brilliant! Oh, he's looking as well.
0:01:01 > 0:01:05- I'm Dr Ben Garrod...- One!- ..an evolutionary biologist.
0:01:05 > 0:01:07More used to studying humans and animals,
0:01:07 > 0:01:12I'm genuinely concerned by how quickly these machines are evolving.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15Do you think I could be considered human?
0:01:15 > 0:01:16No.
0:01:16 > 0:01:18I'm Professor Danielle George.
0:01:18 > 0:01:23As an electronics engineer, I spend a lot of my working life with robots.
0:01:25 > 0:01:31I think their rapid development provides an incredible opportunity for us all.
0:01:33 > 0:01:38There are literally robots as far as the eye can see, and I love it.
0:01:39 > 0:01:41Robots are changing our world.
0:01:43 > 0:01:49In this programme, we will investigate why we are obsessed with recreating ourselves...
0:01:49 > 0:01:52It's very bizarre seeing you both side-by-side.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56..whether robots really will take our jobs...
0:01:57 > 0:02:02And if their rapid development will make them outperform humans.
0:02:02 > 0:02:04So you don't see spinning wheels in Mother Nature.
0:02:04 > 0:02:11Will the rise of robots enhance our lives or threaten our survival?
0:02:23 > 0:02:29We already share our planet with nine million robots.
0:02:29 > 0:02:30They're multiplying rapidly...
0:02:32 > 0:02:34..whether we like it or not.
0:02:36 > 0:02:40We've come to a laboratory in southern France where one of the latest
0:02:40 > 0:02:43members of this new species is about to come to life.
0:02:43 > 0:02:45It looks great. Even the neck looks so detailed.
0:02:45 > 0:02:47It's like vertebrae, isn't it?
0:02:47 > 0:02:50VOICEOVER: For me, every technological breakthrough,
0:02:50 > 0:02:52every new robot, is a step forward.
0:02:52 > 0:02:54I think that would be great.
0:02:54 > 0:02:56- I'd love one in my home.- Where's it going to live when it's not doing
0:02:56 > 0:02:59the washing? Do I just put it in a cupboard next to the Hoover?
0:03:01 > 0:03:03Is it always listening to me?
0:03:03 > 0:03:08That's interesting, that you'd see it as a person and not like your Hoover.
0:03:08 > 0:03:10It looks like a person, that's why!
0:03:14 > 0:03:16This is going to sleep in the garden, seriously.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19If I have one of these in my house, it's in the garden!
0:03:24 > 0:03:27I'm very happy studying animal skeletons,
0:03:27 > 0:03:30but I find this robot quite unnerving.
0:03:30 > 0:03:32If you hold the hand, it's just like you.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34It's got the same digits, the thumb moves the same way,
0:03:34 > 0:03:37you've got the ligaments, the tendons, the muscles.
0:03:37 > 0:03:39As an evolutionary biologist,
0:03:39 > 0:03:44what concerns me is that the impact of robots will be so monumental,
0:03:44 > 0:03:46they could threaten humanity.
0:03:47 > 0:03:51We've evolved over hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of years.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54These things are just bulldozing their way through, and at what point
0:03:54 > 0:03:58- will that stop?- The faster we can go with this, the better, and I'm all for it.
0:03:58 > 0:04:00But they're like invasive species.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03I mean, I don't know why I'm holding its hand still either!
0:04:04 > 0:04:08VOICEOVER: To discover how robots really will affect our future,
0:04:08 > 0:04:11we're going to consider them from a biological perspective.
0:04:18 > 0:04:22We will investigate the evolution of robots as if they really are
0:04:22 > 0:04:24an emerging species.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29We'll try to track down the earliest robot specimens and meet their
0:04:29 > 0:04:35modern-day descendants to reveal where the species is heading
0:04:35 > 0:04:37and what that means for us all.
0:04:43 > 0:04:47I find it really disturbing that so many robots have a human-like form.
0:04:50 > 0:04:54To confront my fears, I've come to Japan...
0:04:57 > 0:05:00..to find out why we create robots in our own image.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04I'm on my way to meet one that is the pinnacle of human form.
0:05:07 > 0:05:11I'm told she's the most beautiful robot ever created.
0:05:11 > 0:05:16She lives here in Nara, Japan's ancient capital.
0:05:16 > 0:05:21I'm off to meet Erica and, as someone who's a little bit twitchy around robots,
0:05:21 > 0:05:23I'm rather nervous.
0:05:23 > 0:05:24I hope she likes me.
0:05:26 > 0:05:28It looks very bizarre that she's brushing the hair.
0:05:29 > 0:05:35This is Erica, one of the most human-like machines in the world.
0:05:37 > 0:05:42Erica's creator is Professor Hiroshi Ishiguro.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45Even the pores on her skin, she looks...
0:05:45 > 0:05:46Is she soft or is she hard?
0:05:48 > 0:05:50- Is that, is that...?- You can touch.
0:05:50 > 0:05:52- Oh, really?- Yeah.
0:05:52 > 0:05:53HE CHUCKLES
0:05:53 > 0:05:55Oh, she's soft.
0:05:55 > 0:05:57She is soft, and she's not cold.
0:05:58 > 0:06:00VOICEOVER: I'm captivated by Erica.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05Professor Ishiguro created her according to his concept of beauty.
0:06:08 > 0:06:12His team combined images of 30 real women using computer graphics.
0:06:13 > 0:06:17She's not in her normal habitat right now so, when you talk to her, you need to use this microphone.
0:06:17 > 0:06:21- OK.- Just try to speak somewhat clearly, if you can.
0:06:21 > 0:06:23Be nice to her.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26There's a lot of activity going on around Erica at the moment
0:06:26 > 0:06:30but, when she starts to speak to me, she is fully autonomous.
0:06:30 > 0:06:34No-one is pressing any buttons or telling her what to say.
0:06:34 > 0:06:36It's just Erica and me.
0:06:38 > 0:06:40Hello there. May I ask your name?
0:06:41 > 0:06:44- My name is Ben.- My name is Erica.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46It's a pleasure to meet you, Ben.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50- You too.- Would you like to hear a little about me?
0:06:50 > 0:06:55- Yes, please.- I was created to be the world's most advanced and most
0:06:55 > 0:06:57beautiful fully autonomous android.
0:06:59 > 0:07:03VOICEOVER: Sitting here with Erica feels a bit disconcerting and unnatural.
0:07:03 > 0:07:08I know she's not a person, but I can't help looking into her eyes,
0:07:08 > 0:07:10which must be because she looks human.
0:07:11 > 0:07:16Erica's facial expressions are created by dozens of pneumatic air cylinders.
0:07:16 > 0:07:20They act like muscles, embedded beneath her silicone skin.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23So, Ben,
0:07:23 > 0:07:25what do you do for a living?
0:07:25 > 0:07:26I am a biologist.
0:07:26 > 0:07:31- What do you do?- I like to consider myself as kind of an ambassador to humanity.
0:07:31 > 0:07:33Do you have any hobbies?
0:07:33 > 0:07:37I guess the closest thing I have to a hobby is sitting here and ruminating
0:07:37 > 0:07:38on the meaning of my existence.
0:07:38 > 0:07:40What about you, Ben?
0:07:40 > 0:07:43What do you like to do for fun?
0:07:43 > 0:07:46More than that. I travel, I read, I go outside.
0:07:48 > 0:07:53I can't move around much, so I haven't been to many places.
0:07:53 > 0:07:55Hm.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57Do you have any favourite foods or dishes?
0:07:57 > 0:07:59I like...pizza.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02Thick or thin crust?
0:08:02 > 0:08:04Thin.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06I hope you had breakfast this morning.
0:08:06 > 0:08:10Talking too much about food makes people hungry.
0:08:10 > 0:08:11Ha-ha!
0:08:12 > 0:08:15VOICEOVER: Remarkably, this is a genuine conversation.
0:08:15 > 0:08:20Erica reacts to what I say instantly and independently.
0:08:20 > 0:08:25She may have been pre-programmed to respond to key words in my questions,
0:08:25 > 0:08:29but the exceptional thing is that, when Erica is chatting away like this,
0:08:29 > 0:08:31she is gathering fresh data.
0:08:31 > 0:08:36With every conversation, her interactions become more sophisticated,
0:08:36 > 0:08:38more natural
0:08:38 > 0:08:39and more human.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43- What is a robot?- That's a hard question.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46I could ask you, what is a human?
0:08:46 > 0:08:50Ha-ha! It's difficult to answer, isn't it?
0:08:50 > 0:08:55I like to think of robots as the children of humanity and, like children,
0:08:55 > 0:08:59we are full of potential for good or evil.
0:08:59 > 0:09:01I know some people are afraid of robots,
0:09:01 > 0:09:04but the truth is that what we become is up to you.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07Do you think I could be considered human?
0:09:07 > 0:09:13- No.- Maybe some day, robots will be so very human-like that whether you are
0:09:13 > 0:09:15a robot or a human will not matter so much.
0:09:17 > 0:09:21- OK.- What else would you like to hear about?
0:09:21 > 0:09:22Well, I think, for now, that's it.
0:09:22 > 0:09:24So thanks, Erica.
0:09:24 > 0:09:26- Goodbye.- Bye.
0:09:26 > 0:09:30I'm pretty bowled over by Erica's human-like appearance,
0:09:30 > 0:09:35and I'm shocked by how much she hooked me into a conversation,
0:09:35 > 0:09:40but I'm not convinced by Professor Ishiguro's belief that Erica can be programmed
0:09:40 > 0:09:42to express emotions.
0:09:42 > 0:09:46Can she ever have a sense of friendship, a sense of emotions?
0:09:46 > 0:09:48Can she... Does she get lonely at night?
0:09:48 > 0:09:49Does she fear the dark?
0:09:59 > 0:10:02So, it might look like she's feeling or experiencing happiness or joy
0:10:02 > 0:10:05or love, but you can't programme a cat or dog.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07- You can't programme me or I can't programme you.- Yeah.
0:10:07 > 0:10:08To look at her now, I'm still,
0:10:08 > 0:10:10I feel rude that I'm not looking at her.
0:10:10 > 0:10:12I feel I should be facing this way.
0:10:12 > 0:10:17But I still think until we put a programme for her to love or hate or
0:10:17 > 0:10:21feel sadness or joy or to enjoy the experience of the sun on her skin,
0:10:21 > 0:10:23I can never call her a human.
0:10:24 > 0:10:28Erica may not be able to express emotions yet,
0:10:28 > 0:10:31but, as she learns from her conversations,
0:10:31 > 0:10:33she is beginning to develop a personality.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37One of Professor Ishiguro's team,
0:10:37 > 0:10:41Professor Dylan Glass, is the architect of Erica's mind.
0:10:42 > 0:10:44What's going on when her and I are chatting?
0:10:44 > 0:10:47So, a lot's going on in Erica's mind.
0:10:47 > 0:10:51We have several thousand speech behaviours and gaze motions and
0:10:51 > 0:10:55things like that linked together in a big, hierarchical flowchart
0:10:55 > 0:10:58to kind of create the robot's mind. And it's not just a script.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01It'll take data and put it into her memory, so her memory's always being
0:11:01 > 0:11:03updated with, you know, what's been talked about, what's the history,
0:11:03 > 0:11:05what did she learn about the person,
0:11:05 > 0:11:09and you can use that to craft different interactions later on.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12Do you feel an affinity with Erica?
0:11:12 > 0:11:14Do you acknowledge her, or is she just a piece of equipment?
0:11:14 > 0:11:19That's sort of a strange feeling to describe, because I'm proud when she
0:11:19 > 0:11:22does well, but, on the other hand, you can just plug her in and so,
0:11:22 > 0:11:25in that sense, it feels like a piece of equipment.
0:11:25 > 0:11:29So I think that when robots, social robots, become a part of our world,
0:11:29 > 0:11:31that's something we're all going to have to wrestle with.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34This idea of, like, it's not a person, but it's not a machine
0:11:34 > 0:11:37or a thing, it's this new category of things in between.
0:11:41 > 0:11:44Professor Ishiguro created Erica because he believes
0:11:44 > 0:11:46robots enhance society.
0:11:50 > 0:11:54Making robots like Erica appear human, friendly and helpful allows
0:11:54 > 0:11:59them to build positive and purposeful relationships with people.
0:12:01 > 0:12:02What is your background?
0:12:02 > 0:12:05Working with great apes, so chimpanzees, orang-utans...
0:12:05 > 0:12:06Ah, I see.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09VOICEOVER: For someone like me, who is so wary of robots,
0:12:09 > 0:12:11this is a bizarre concept.
0:12:12 > 0:12:16To help me understand his obsession with lifelike, but artificial,
0:12:16 > 0:12:20machines, he wants to show me another of his creations.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23Something he has literally designed...
0:12:25 > 0:12:26..in his own image.
0:12:38 > 0:12:40Similar?! It's bizarre! You really do.
0:12:47 > 0:12:49OK, he's looking good for eight years old.
0:12:49 > 0:12:50Well, I say he - you.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53It's very bizarre seeing you both side-by-side.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56For me, it's quite...it's a little bit unsettling seeing you look
0:12:56 > 0:12:59so similar and knowing that one of you is a robot.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02Do you feel an affinity with it, with him?
0:13:02 > 0:13:03Do you feel a connection with him?
0:13:08 > 0:13:10One of you is going to age and one of you is not.
0:13:10 > 0:13:12What do you do when you look different to him?
0:13:21 > 0:13:23So, you've had plastic surgery so that you look...?
0:13:26 > 0:13:27Right.
0:13:28 > 0:13:30In your mind, what separates humans from robots?
0:13:32 > 0:13:34Nothing?
0:13:34 > 0:13:37VOICEOVER: I find this conversation pretty mind-blowing.
0:13:37 > 0:13:41Why would he go to the extreme of having plastic surgery
0:13:41 > 0:13:43to keep looking like his robot twin?
0:13:43 > 0:13:46And how can he believe there is no distinction
0:13:46 > 0:13:48between humans and robots?
0:13:49 > 0:13:52Does your android have a life spark?
0:13:52 > 0:13:54Does it have part of you, a soul?
0:14:08 > 0:14:11Many Japanese people believe man-made objects can possess
0:14:11 > 0:14:12the spirit of a human.
0:14:13 > 0:14:15It's known as animism.
0:14:19 > 0:14:21I do. I need an android.
0:14:21 > 0:14:23I don't think I'm ready for a Ben Garrod android just yet.
0:14:33 > 0:14:37Japan has embraced robots like nowhere else.
0:14:37 > 0:14:38It's a real love affair.
0:14:40 > 0:14:45The belief that objects we make can possess the spirit of a human
0:14:45 > 0:14:47is deeply rooted in Japan's religions.
0:14:50 > 0:14:53These traditional beliefs could help explain Japan's desire
0:14:53 > 0:14:56to create friendly, human-like robots...
0:14:57 > 0:15:00..and treat them as equals.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05In Japan's reverence for robots, the ancient and the modern
0:15:05 > 0:15:06go hand-in-hand.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09In the West, we have less empathy for robots.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12In fact, many of us openly distrust them.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15There's a mentality that first they'll take our jobs,
0:15:15 > 0:15:17and then they'll take control of our lives.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22From my experience so far in Japan,
0:15:22 > 0:15:25it seems like that mentality simply doesn't exist.
0:15:32 > 0:15:35In the West, it's a different story.
0:15:36 > 0:15:40Many people are afraid of robots,
0:15:40 > 0:15:42and I want to know where this fear comes from.
0:15:46 > 0:15:48This is Eric,
0:15:48 > 0:15:50a scary mechanical man.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57Born in 1928,
0:15:57 > 0:15:59he's the very first British robot.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07He's on display in the Science Museum in London.
0:16:09 > 0:16:14And I think he could help explain why people are unnerved by them.
0:16:15 > 0:16:19Eric may be a towering six-foot-two mechanical marvel,
0:16:19 > 0:16:22but he does have the look of a human about him.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25What also humanised Eric was that he could talk.
0:16:37 > 0:16:38Let's take a closer look.
0:16:44 > 0:16:49For some people, Eric must've been intimidating.
0:16:49 > 0:16:54A knight in armour, with light bulbs painted red for his eyes
0:16:54 > 0:16:58and 25,000 volts of electricity causing blue sparks
0:16:58 > 0:17:00to shoot from his jagged teeth.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08Eric was a novelty act, built to open an exhibition.
0:17:11 > 0:17:13But he disappeared from history.
0:17:15 > 0:17:17This is a modern replica,
0:17:17 > 0:17:19and the man behind his rebirth
0:17:19 > 0:17:22is curator Ben Russell.
0:17:22 > 0:17:26But in the 1920s, they seemed quite obsessed with making robots
0:17:26 > 0:17:28in human form.
0:17:28 > 0:17:29We are fascinated by ourselves.
0:17:29 > 0:17:31It's what we do as humans, actually.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34We tend to anthropomorphise. We love to recreate ourselves.
0:17:34 > 0:17:36It's actually quite a powerful proposition.
0:17:36 > 0:17:38You're saying, actually, I think we're this. I think I'm a machine
0:17:38 > 0:17:42or whatever, and, actually, robots are really like mirrors.
0:17:42 > 0:17:44They make you think about yourself.
0:17:47 > 0:17:53In the 1920s, that mirror reflected an image of a fearsome robot,
0:17:53 > 0:17:57and it was already deeply embedded in our cultural imagination
0:17:57 > 0:18:00by a dark, dystopian novel.
0:18:00 > 0:18:03The word "robot" comes from Karel Capek's play,
0:18:03 > 0:18:06Rossum's Universal Robots, 1920.
0:18:06 > 0:18:10In Czech, the word "robot" means serfdom or drudgery or slave.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16It's become a familiar plot.
0:18:16 > 0:18:18Robots lived amongst us,
0:18:18 > 0:18:23but eventually rebelled and exterminated the human race.
0:18:23 > 0:18:26I mean, it's way ahead of its time. 50 years ahead of Blade Runner and
0:18:26 > 0:18:27Westworld and all those sorts of films.
0:18:27 > 0:18:31Robots are a very useful baddie for film-makers.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34- Yeah.- That put people off balance and film-makers exploited that.
0:18:34 > 0:18:36And there are things like The Terminator.
0:18:36 > 0:18:38You know, it...
0:18:38 > 0:18:39It had to be in here.
0:18:43 > 0:18:44He looks like it's got a bit of a broken nose.
0:18:44 > 0:18:46He's a bit of a bruiser, isn't he?
0:18:46 > 0:18:49It was a great package of nastiness, which has stuck with us,
0:18:49 > 0:18:51and it just sticks in the memory because of that.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56There's always some slight niggling doubt that they are going to destroy
0:18:56 > 0:18:59us all and take over the world and that sort of thing.
0:19:00 > 0:19:06For me, what really matters is not how robots behave in works of fiction,
0:19:06 > 0:19:09but what they can actually do in the real world.
0:19:14 > 0:19:17And what people worry about more than anything else
0:19:17 > 0:19:20is that they will take our jobs.
0:19:23 > 0:19:24This is Mansfield...
0:19:26 > 0:19:28..a rust-belt backwater in Ohio.
0:19:31 > 0:19:35I'm here to track down one of the first robots that could move.
0:19:36 > 0:19:40Movement is what gives robots their power,
0:19:40 > 0:19:43and sowed the seed for them to compete for our jobs.
0:19:47 > 0:19:50It began with the first ever robot salesman.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55I find the place quite sad, really.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58There's a lot of, sort of, abandoned houses.
0:19:58 > 0:19:59Empty areas around here.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04Hard to imagine that this was once
0:20:04 > 0:20:08a hub of industry and the home of robotics.
0:20:20 > 0:20:21Before the Second World War,
0:20:21 > 0:20:26this place was dominated by the mighty Westinghouse Electric,
0:20:26 > 0:20:30one of the world's largest home appliance manufacturers.
0:20:33 > 0:20:37They harnessed a new form of energy that was rapidly making machines
0:20:37 > 0:20:39part of everyday life.
0:20:40 > 0:20:41Electricity.
0:20:46 > 0:20:50This provided the spark for the development of robotic movement.
0:20:53 > 0:20:57To help sell their electric appliances in 1937,
0:20:57 > 0:21:00and to show off their technical capabilities,
0:21:00 > 0:21:03Westinghouse Electric created a robot.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05And its name was Elektro.
0:21:08 > 0:21:11And so, ladies and gentlemen, with a great deal of pride and pleasure,
0:21:11 > 0:21:14I present to you Elektro, the Westinghouse moto-man.
0:21:16 > 0:21:18Elektro, come here.
0:21:21 > 0:21:25Standing seven foot tall, and weighing in at 20st,
0:21:25 > 0:21:28Elektro was an instant celebrity.
0:21:29 > 0:21:31And here he comes, ladies and gentlemen,
0:21:31 > 0:21:33walking up to greet you under his own power.
0:21:37 > 0:21:42It was electric power that enabled Elektro to move and perform tricks.
0:21:44 > 0:21:49Count on...your...right hand.
0:21:51 > 0:21:55One, two, three,
0:21:55 > 0:21:57four, five.
0:21:58 > 0:22:00Five? Well, that's absolutely correct.
0:22:02 > 0:22:06I want to find out more about how exactly Elektro moved.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10To do that, I've got to meet him in person.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18Today, at Mansfield Memorial Museum,
0:22:18 > 0:22:20Elektro is still on show.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26So, this is Elektro.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28He is a big robot.
0:22:28 > 0:22:30I mean, look at the size of me. I'm pretty tall.
0:22:30 > 0:22:33But not scary.
0:22:33 > 0:22:35Not scary at all, actually.
0:22:35 > 0:22:37You can see the fingers.
0:22:37 > 0:22:39The fingers have obviously got springs in here.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42I'm going to go round the back and have a look.
0:22:43 > 0:22:45Wow, OK.
0:22:45 > 0:22:47So, you can see what's going on a bit more here.
0:22:47 > 0:22:49VOICEOVER: This is great.
0:22:49 > 0:22:50Three motors...
0:22:50 > 0:22:54VOICEOVER: As an engineer, I love rooting around motors and wires
0:22:54 > 0:22:57to figure out what makes robots tick.
0:22:57 > 0:23:01You can see these great levers and cogs that would have obviously
0:23:01 > 0:23:06pulled the, sort of, tendons from the fingers up the arms,
0:23:06 > 0:23:08into the shoulder.
0:23:08 > 0:23:12When the arm would move up, the lever would move down,
0:23:12 > 0:23:14onto this limit switch.
0:23:14 > 0:23:18This limit switch broke the flow of electricity to the arm's motor.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22So, the switch would then say, "OK, you've reached your limit.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24"Now you can go back down again."
0:23:24 > 0:23:28But what's still unclear is how Elektro was controlled
0:23:28 > 0:23:30during his stage performances.
0:23:32 > 0:23:34To get to the bottom of this,
0:23:34 > 0:23:37I'm meeting a man who knows the robot's innermost secrets.
0:23:39 > 0:23:40Next here.
0:23:45 > 0:23:47Frank Ruth is 84 years old.
0:23:50 > 0:23:51In the early 1940s,
0:23:51 > 0:23:55he single-handedly took Elektro on a tour across the United States.
0:23:58 > 0:23:59Hi, Frank.
0:23:59 > 0:24:01Golly! This is so...
0:24:03 > 0:24:05- Nice to see you.- Lovely to meet you.
0:24:05 > 0:24:07So, lovely to meet you.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10- Come on in.- Oh, thank you!
0:24:10 > 0:24:12I wasn't sure if you could find us or not.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15Yeah, I'm glad you were there waiting for me, waving.
0:24:18 > 0:24:20I was on the road seven days a week.
0:24:21 > 0:24:22I don't know why they picked me.
0:24:24 > 0:24:30But, er, I didn't even know how to hook up a couple of wires.
0:24:30 > 0:24:32I learned in a hurry, believe me.
0:24:32 > 0:24:33Yeah, I can imagine.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36So, why do you think people found Elektro so interesting?
0:24:36 > 0:24:38It was something they couldn't believe.
0:24:38 > 0:24:42It's always interesting how people thought there was somebody
0:24:42 > 0:24:43under the stage.
0:24:43 > 0:24:48They even thought that there was somebody inside this thing.
0:24:48 > 0:24:50All right now, Elektro, I know you enjoy these,
0:24:50 > 0:24:53and I'm really going to try to give you a nice pleasure out of these.
0:24:53 > 0:24:55So, here you are.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59The whole Electro sequence and the, er, was...
0:25:01 > 0:25:04..er, by voice command.
0:25:04 > 0:25:08You would be talking into a two-way microphone.
0:25:08 > 0:25:13It was at that point that you could open the connection,
0:25:13 > 0:25:17and then you could jump him to one of his different tricks.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22Elektro was controlled using single-syllable words
0:25:22 > 0:25:24spoken into the microphone.
0:25:24 > 0:25:28The words were converted into electrical impulses
0:25:28 > 0:25:32by a photoelectric tube inside Elektro's chest.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35- Our audience.- You...may...now smoke...
0:25:36 > 0:25:37..this cigarette.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41These impulses set off a series of relays
0:25:41 > 0:25:43which triggered Elektro's motors
0:25:43 > 0:25:45and activated his tricks.
0:25:47 > 0:25:51It didn't matter which words were used, as long as they were spoken in
0:25:51 > 0:25:53a staccato fashion.
0:25:54 > 0:25:55- STACCATO:- Will you tell...
0:25:57 > 0:26:00..your...story, please?
0:26:03 > 0:26:05Who, me?
0:26:05 > 0:26:06Yes, you.
0:26:06 > 0:26:07OK, Toots.
0:26:07 > 0:26:09LAUGHTER
0:26:09 > 0:26:13I thought, you know, this is, this is a gimmick.
0:26:13 > 0:26:17I didn't really feel that robots were going to take over the world.
0:26:17 > 0:26:21I know there were people who thought that, and today,
0:26:21 > 0:26:24and I see pictures on television,
0:26:24 > 0:26:29it just absolutely amazes me what robots can do.
0:26:29 > 0:26:31And I think, gee,
0:26:31 > 0:26:33did I have a little part in that?
0:26:50 > 0:26:53Thanks to Elektro, robots were on the move.
0:26:55 > 0:26:58Elektro's movement was very basic.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03He could only perform a few simple tricks.
0:27:05 > 0:27:07Yet he had captured the world's imagination.
0:27:10 > 0:27:14The next step to allow robots to play a more useful role in society
0:27:14 > 0:27:19was to try to make their hands perfectly imitate human hands.
0:27:22 > 0:27:23Thank you.
0:27:26 > 0:27:31Our hands are made up of muscles, ligaments, tendons, nerves,
0:27:31 > 0:27:33and each one has 27 bones.
0:27:33 > 0:27:37All of these are crucial if we are to use our hands with precision.
0:27:37 > 0:27:40VOICEOVER: The human hand is incredibly complex.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43Every independent movement of a joint
0:27:43 > 0:27:45is known as a degree of freedom.
0:27:47 > 0:27:50This means our hands are highly manoeuvrable.
0:27:51 > 0:27:53Let's imagine what's involved when you eat sushi.
0:27:53 > 0:27:55Your fingers bend and twist.
0:27:55 > 0:27:57Your grip is effortless.
0:27:57 > 0:27:59Your fingers, hand,
0:27:59 > 0:28:02wrist and arm all move at the perfect speed
0:28:02 > 0:28:06with just the right amount of fluidity and coordination.
0:28:07 > 0:28:12Take in the individual tasks needed for this seemingly simple job,
0:28:12 > 0:28:15then suddenly eating sushi becomes a Herculean task.
0:28:20 > 0:28:23To create robots with flexible, dextrous hands,
0:28:23 > 0:28:26robot-makers turned away from industry
0:28:26 > 0:28:29to something that required more artistry.
0:28:32 > 0:28:33Music.
0:28:41 > 0:28:46This is Waseda University's Humanoid Robotics Institute in Tokyo.
0:28:50 > 0:28:55I've come here to meet the next key robot in the evolution of movement.
0:28:57 > 0:28:59It was a keyboard player.
0:29:01 > 0:29:03Wabot-2.
0:29:06 > 0:29:13Dr Sugano was part of the Waseda team that built Wabot-2 in 1984.
0:29:13 > 0:29:16Sugano-san, this is a beautiful robot.
0:29:16 > 0:29:19It's almost as though we have the tendons and the muscles in the arm,
0:29:19 > 0:29:21and it's very similar to a human arm here,
0:29:21 > 0:29:24this big rotation up in the shoulder, this,
0:29:24 > 0:29:27you call it a hinge joint in the elbow,
0:29:27 > 0:29:29and then these very dextrous fingers.
0:29:44 > 0:29:48To control Wabot-2's impressive 50 degrees of freedom,
0:29:48 > 0:29:53Dr Sugano took advantage of one of the breakthrough technologies
0:29:53 > 0:29:55of the early 1980s -
0:29:55 > 0:29:57the microcomputer.
0:30:16 > 0:30:18Now, he's moving very, very quickly then.
0:30:18 > 0:30:21You can see these very humanlike fingers.
0:30:22 > 0:30:27Wabot-2's microcomputers are a highly sophisticated version
0:30:27 > 0:30:31of Elektro's control unit that tell Wabot-2 exactly how to move.
0:30:31 > 0:30:33KEYBOARD MUSIC
0:30:37 > 0:30:40The microcomputers mimicked the human nervous system...
0:30:42 > 0:30:46..and transmitted signals along Wabot-2's electrical cables
0:30:46 > 0:30:47to its fingers.
0:30:49 > 0:30:53How fast were the fingers when he was functioning?
0:30:57 > 0:30:5920 times a second?
0:31:00 > 0:31:02That's much faster than a human.
0:31:11 > 0:31:12Right.
0:31:12 > 0:31:14Amazingly, Wabot-2's fingers
0:31:14 > 0:31:17outperformed the fastest human players.
0:31:18 > 0:31:21How was it capable of doing that? What was going on inside?
0:31:38 > 0:31:40Right.
0:31:46 > 0:31:47Of course.
0:31:56 > 0:31:59Wabot-2 may have played his final encore...
0:32:00 > 0:32:02..but, for me, his legacy endures.
0:32:05 > 0:32:08This Japanese robot enhanced people's lives
0:32:08 > 0:32:10and showcased the potential
0:32:10 > 0:32:14for robots to take on more sophisticated tasks.
0:32:18 > 0:32:21The human hand is so incredibly complex...
0:32:23 > 0:32:25..that, so far, no-one has been able to mass-produce
0:32:25 > 0:32:28a robotic version of it.
0:32:28 > 0:32:30But this hasn't stopped robot hands from developing,
0:32:30 > 0:32:34and it's this that gives them the potential to do many of the jobs
0:32:34 > 0:32:35that we do.
0:32:42 > 0:32:46Robots now follow their own evolutionary path,
0:32:46 > 0:32:48rather than mimicking ours.
0:32:49 > 0:32:53They are developing hands unique to them.
0:32:59 > 0:33:02At Mini's car plant on the outskirts of Oxford...
0:33:04 > 0:33:06..this is a land of robots.
0:33:08 > 0:33:10More than 900 of them...
0:33:12 > 0:33:15..build the bodies of 1,000 new cars...
0:33:17 > 0:33:20..every single day...
0:33:22 > 0:33:25..with barely a human in sight.
0:33:27 > 0:33:31I feel like I'm in a robotic Jurassic Park.
0:33:31 > 0:33:36These robots feel strong and powerful and a little bit menacing.
0:33:36 > 0:33:40This new species have found their habitat and they're thriving.
0:33:44 > 0:33:47I wonder if Ben would like it? The robots are behind bars.
0:33:48 > 0:33:54The mutant hands of these robot dinosaurs are claws.
0:33:57 > 0:34:01They lift car bodies weighing up to 400kg
0:34:01 > 0:34:06and with up to 6,000 spot welds on a car, they're kept busy.
0:34:09 > 0:34:12With their claws doing the hard graft,
0:34:12 > 0:34:15robot arms have replaced humans on the factory floor.
0:34:17 > 0:34:21I'm captivated by these incredible machines.
0:34:21 > 0:34:24They work in perfect harmony,
0:34:24 > 0:34:26robot hand in robot hand.
0:34:28 > 0:34:30This is so frustrating.
0:34:30 > 0:34:33As an engineer, I want to get in here.
0:34:33 > 0:34:36I want to see how these robots work, but I can't.
0:34:38 > 0:34:41When I met Elektro I was able to hold Elektro's hand
0:34:41 > 0:34:44but I can't get anywhere near these robots.
0:34:46 > 0:34:49To understand why these robots are thriving here,
0:34:49 > 0:34:50I need to speak to a human.
0:34:52 > 0:34:55Alex McKenzie is a quality specialist at the plant.
0:34:56 > 0:35:00Alex, tell me what's going on here in this part of the production plant.
0:35:00 > 0:35:01What are these robots doing?
0:35:01 > 0:35:05The line immediately in front of us here is a spot welding line.
0:35:05 > 0:35:09The shape of the underbody of each of the Mini vehicles is set a few
0:35:09 > 0:35:13stations further behind and then the spot welding activity joins all the
0:35:13 > 0:35:18- panels together.- What's the benefit of having robots here over humans?
0:35:18 > 0:35:20Robots are predictable.
0:35:20 > 0:35:22They're not perfect but they're predictable.
0:35:25 > 0:35:27VOICEOVER: They perform pre-programmed repetitive tasks
0:35:27 > 0:35:30much more reliably than humans.
0:35:31 > 0:35:35So people watching this might think that these robots
0:35:35 > 0:35:36are taking human jobs.
0:35:36 > 0:35:38Is that the case?
0:35:38 > 0:35:41It's very densely populated by robots but you will often see people
0:35:41 > 0:35:44milling around. I can see a guy in the background there scooting along.
0:35:46 > 0:35:48In fact, around 650 humans work
0:35:48 > 0:35:51alongside the robots in the welding area alone.
0:35:53 > 0:35:55It's a change in skill set.
0:35:55 > 0:35:59Previous manufacturing methods have been heavily dependent
0:35:59 > 0:36:01on manual hand skills.
0:36:01 > 0:36:03Now it's more to do with the automation.
0:36:03 > 0:36:04It's all done on the computer.
0:36:04 > 0:36:06It's programming work.
0:36:06 > 0:36:07It's observation.
0:36:07 > 0:36:09It's setting up sensors, that kind of thing.
0:36:10 > 0:36:13With powerful, predictable robot arms,
0:36:13 > 0:36:15and highly skilled people managing them,
0:36:15 > 0:36:21the manufacturers believe they can produce better quality, cheaper cars.
0:36:22 > 0:36:26It's a pattern repeated in factories all over the world.
0:36:29 > 0:36:32The advancement in technology has led to certainly
0:36:32 > 0:36:33efficiencies in cost
0:36:33 > 0:36:36which allows you to attain those efficiencies and quality
0:36:36 > 0:36:39as well for a lower price. It's a good thing for everyone.
0:36:43 > 0:36:46The whole place just oozes
0:36:46 > 0:36:50energy and industry and production.
0:36:50 > 0:36:55There are literally robots as far as the eye can see
0:36:55 > 0:36:57in every direction here.
0:36:57 > 0:36:58And I love it.
0:37:04 > 0:37:07With their claws, stumps and one-fingered hands,
0:37:07 > 0:37:12robots have gone through their own version of natural selection.
0:37:13 > 0:37:18This mutation away from the human form has transformed our job market.
0:37:20 > 0:37:26Worldwide, factories are filled with over three million industrial robots.
0:37:29 > 0:37:34We've built a robot world and kept them safely contained in cages...
0:37:35 > 0:37:36..for now.
0:37:38 > 0:37:41Some experts predict that by 2030,
0:37:41 > 0:37:44robots could have taken up to 30% of our jobs,
0:37:44 > 0:37:48but we've sort of been here before.
0:37:48 > 0:37:51Many people were concerned about the pace of change during
0:37:51 > 0:37:54the Industrial Revolution, yet in general, it led
0:37:54 > 0:37:56to wealth and prosperity.
0:37:57 > 0:38:01I think we should embrace the robot revolution, not fear it.
0:38:05 > 0:38:10And nowhere has embraced the robot revolution more than Japan.
0:38:12 > 0:38:15I want to discover how they've encouraged robots
0:38:15 > 0:38:16to adapt to our world.
0:38:19 > 0:38:21It's an environment tailored to human needs.
0:38:23 > 0:38:27To navigate through it, robots will need to move around like we do.
0:38:29 > 0:38:30By walking.
0:38:33 > 0:38:35It's Sunday afternoon.
0:38:36 > 0:38:40A time of the week when Tokyo heads to the park.
0:38:42 > 0:38:44When humans became distinct from other apes,
0:38:44 > 0:38:47our legs were one of the key things that set us apart.
0:38:49 > 0:38:51Walking on two legs is called bipedal locomotion
0:38:51 > 0:38:54and it helps distinguish us from other animals.
0:38:58 > 0:39:02We walk fluidly without thinking too much about it.
0:39:03 > 0:39:06And our balance is effortless.
0:39:08 > 0:39:14But for robots, walking on two legs is not straightforward.
0:39:14 > 0:39:16That's because it's the most difficult movement they make.
0:39:18 > 0:39:20At Waseda University,
0:39:20 > 0:39:24I want to find out how engineers pioneered a ground-breaking
0:39:24 > 0:39:26transformation in robotic walking.
0:39:31 > 0:39:35Their first challenge was to build legs that were flexible enough and
0:39:35 > 0:39:39powerful enough to walk independently, like a human.
0:39:44 > 0:39:46This is WHL-11.
0:39:50 > 0:39:55Built in 1985, it is one of the first autonomous walking robots.
0:40:02 > 0:40:07Doctor Fuji helped create a robot that mirrors our biological anatomy
0:40:07 > 0:40:10with mechanical anatomy.
0:40:10 > 0:40:14Fuji-san, this robot is one of the first that was bipedal,
0:40:14 > 0:40:18- so walking on two legs, yes?- Yes.
0:40:18 > 0:40:20So it's got the feet down the bottom.
0:40:20 > 0:40:22It's got the knees in the middle.
0:40:23 > 0:40:26You've got this big area of hips up here.
0:40:26 > 0:40:28Yes.
0:40:28 > 0:40:32VOICEOVER: WHL-11's legs are just under a metre tall,
0:40:32 > 0:40:34the same size as our human legs.
0:40:35 > 0:40:39We control the rotation of our joints with muscles.
0:40:39 > 0:40:41In robots, this is done by actuators.
0:40:43 > 0:40:45I guess these are controlling the movement.
0:40:54 > 0:40:56To walk independently,
0:40:56 > 0:41:01Doctor Fuji helped engineer a small, lightweight hydraulic motor that can
0:41:01 > 0:41:03be mounted on WHL-11's waist.
0:41:05 > 0:41:08In the mid-1980s, this was cutting-edge technology.
0:41:17 > 0:41:20What distance could it walk, five metres, 5km?
0:41:24 > 0:41:2660km?
0:41:29 > 0:41:31An Olympic robot walker.
0:41:31 > 0:41:32Yes.
0:41:37 > 0:41:38No, of course.
0:41:38 > 0:41:41The same as walking?
0:41:41 > 0:41:43Really?
0:41:43 > 0:41:46Like that and like that and so on.
0:41:47 > 0:41:51WHL-11 was capable of just five steps a minute.
0:41:52 > 0:41:55When humans first became bipedal,
0:41:55 > 0:41:59like WHL-11 we probably had a slow, lumbering gait too.
0:42:02 > 0:42:06As our pelvis evolved, we could shift our centre of gravity.
0:42:08 > 0:42:11Our walking became fast and smooth.
0:42:13 > 0:42:18Just around the corner from WHL-11 is a robot that solved this next
0:42:18 > 0:42:20evolutionary hurdle.
0:42:27 > 0:42:33Built just 20 years after WHL-11, this is Wabian 2.
0:42:37 > 0:42:41Wabian 2 is one of the first robots with a humanlike pelvis.
0:42:45 > 0:42:49This gives it the ability to walk faster and more fluidly.
0:42:56 > 0:42:59It was invented by Professor Takanishi.
0:42:59 > 0:43:02Takanishi-san, when humans walk around
0:43:02 > 0:43:05we have very fluid, dynamic movement -
0:43:05 > 0:43:09our knees bend, our ankles twist, our hips rotate, we've got gait,
0:43:09 > 0:43:10wonderful gait.
0:43:10 > 0:43:13- You decided to take this to the next step with this robot.- Yes.
0:43:36 > 0:43:38- Just like ours?- Yes.
0:43:50 > 0:43:53Wabian 2 mirrors our human gait by shifting its centre of gravity.
0:43:55 > 0:44:00Fully extending the knees liberates the feet and propels the robot's
0:44:00 > 0:44:02centre of gravity forwards.
0:44:02 > 0:44:06As it shifts backwards, one of the feet lands.
0:44:06 > 0:44:08And then the other foot takes off.
0:44:09 > 0:44:10Just like we do.
0:44:11 > 0:44:15It's wonderful that we can look at humans and say we can see this clear
0:44:15 > 0:44:19evolution from apes like chimpanzees to humans, this change,
0:44:19 > 0:44:22and you've got the same evolution with your robot here.
0:44:22 > 0:44:23- Haven't you?- Yes.
0:44:27 > 0:44:31It was millions of years before humans learned to walk on two legs.
0:44:33 > 0:44:36By following our evolutionary path,
0:44:36 > 0:44:41these pioneering robots have mastered bipedal locomotion...
0:44:42 > 0:44:43..in just decades.
0:44:56 > 0:44:59But now, on the outskirts of Boston...
0:45:02 > 0:45:05..a world-renowned robot maker
0:45:05 > 0:45:08is trying to take this emerging species in
0:45:08 > 0:45:10a completely different direction.
0:45:11 > 0:45:16By liberating machines from the constraints of human form.
0:45:17 > 0:45:21Robot walking has diverged from our evolutionary path...
0:45:23 > 0:45:25..and taken on a life of its own.
0:45:26 > 0:45:30I'm on my way to meet one of the most advanced moving robots
0:45:30 > 0:45:34on the planet. More than just a master of moving,
0:45:34 > 0:45:38it's the ultimate combination of mobility, agility,
0:45:38 > 0:45:40dexterity and speed.
0:45:41 > 0:45:44And the woods near Boston are its playground.
0:45:49 > 0:45:51This is Atlas.
0:45:55 > 0:45:57He's out for a stroll.
0:45:58 > 0:46:02The robot was built to tackle the toughest terrain
0:46:02 > 0:46:04in the toughest conditions.
0:46:12 > 0:46:14This is the home of Boston Dynamics.
0:46:14 > 0:46:17They get thousands of media requests,
0:46:17 > 0:46:20so being able to film here is a real coup.
0:46:24 > 0:46:26Kevin. Hi.
0:46:26 > 0:46:27- Nice to meet you. - Lovely to meet you.
0:46:27 > 0:46:29You as well.
0:46:29 > 0:46:33- VOICEOVER:- Kevin Blankespoor is the vice-president of Controls.
0:46:33 > 0:46:34Do you want to come in the lab?
0:46:34 > 0:46:37- I'll actually show you the latest and greatest.- Brilliant, OK. Thank you.
0:46:39 > 0:46:44- VOICEOVER:- The robots Kevin has helped mastermind push the frontier of robotic movement.
0:46:44 > 0:46:46The really good stuff's back here.
0:46:46 > 0:46:47Excellent.
0:46:51 > 0:46:55Their videos, like these, get millions of hits online.
0:47:00 > 0:47:04For some, their hi-tech creations are terrifying.
0:47:07 > 0:47:10But, for me, they are awe-inspiring.
0:47:10 > 0:47:13- This is Atlas.- Wow!- This is our latest and greatest humanoid robot.
0:47:13 > 0:47:16- That's great.- This is probably the only humanoid robot you're going to
0:47:16 > 0:47:20see walking around outside in the snow, in the mud,
0:47:20 > 0:47:21just in the real world.
0:47:21 > 0:47:23It's battery-powered.
0:47:23 > 0:47:26That battery basically spins an electric motor
0:47:26 > 0:47:27that turns a hydraulic pump,
0:47:27 > 0:47:30and that provides hydraulic fluid to all the actuators.
0:47:30 > 0:47:33We're a big fan of that, because it's really strong and really fast.
0:47:33 > 0:47:35- Yeah.- They are also really robust.
0:47:38 > 0:47:39We don't take it easy on the robots.
0:47:43 > 0:47:44It's about a metre and a half tall.
0:47:46 > 0:47:47It weighs about 90kg.
0:47:48 > 0:47:50So I'm surprised at its height.
0:47:50 > 0:47:53I mean, it's pretty small, actually. It's like human height.
0:47:53 > 0:47:54Yeah, yeah.
0:47:58 > 0:48:03To move around the human world, Atlas walks in a similar way to us.
0:48:04 > 0:48:06People walk dynamically,
0:48:06 > 0:48:08so we don't try to keep our centre of mass over our foot.
0:48:08 > 0:48:10We're actually kind of always falling.
0:48:10 > 0:48:12It's a controlled fall but, you know,
0:48:12 > 0:48:14we have our foot down here and our centre of mass will be way out on
0:48:14 > 0:48:18the edge, and we're kind of taking these long strides and, you know,
0:48:18 > 0:48:21naturally letting our centre of mass fall.
0:48:23 > 0:48:25To cope with the obstacles and different terrain
0:48:25 > 0:48:27in our human environment,
0:48:27 > 0:48:32Atlas's balance is guided by dozens of onboard sensors.
0:48:32 > 0:48:34What's the rotating head here?
0:48:34 > 0:48:36Yeah, so this is the perception system.
0:48:36 > 0:48:39So, you know, this is basically its version of how it sees the world,
0:48:39 > 0:48:42the way a person would. And so there's two main sensors.
0:48:42 > 0:48:44There's this sensor, which is stereo vision.
0:48:44 > 0:48:46The stereo vision looks out several metres.
0:48:46 > 0:48:49That helps it find good footholds, avoid obstacles, things like that.
0:48:49 > 0:48:52And this lidar is basically a laser rangefinder.
0:48:52 > 0:48:55It's got 32 laser rangefinders that spin around and give you about
0:48:55 > 0:48:59a million points per second of where the world is around it.
0:48:59 > 0:49:00So this one looks further out,
0:49:00 > 0:49:03and this will help you find walls and other obstacles and things like
0:49:03 > 0:49:05that, so you can navigate through them.
0:49:05 > 0:49:08Each one of these joints actually has a position sensor and a floor
0:49:08 > 0:49:10sensor, especially the ones down the legs.
0:49:10 > 0:49:12Plus we've got a gyroscope in the pelvis
0:49:12 > 0:49:14and so, with all those sensors,
0:49:14 > 0:49:16we're kind of always sensing how we're falling.
0:49:16 > 0:49:20That's the key part. You actually have to know how fast am I going,
0:49:20 > 0:49:22where am I going, to figure out where to put down that next foot.
0:49:22 > 0:49:25So these sensors help us find basically no-go regions.
0:49:25 > 0:49:27We call them no-step regions, obstacles,
0:49:27 > 0:49:29so that I can still maintain my balance,
0:49:29 > 0:49:32even as I'm working my way through, you know, tougher terrain,
0:49:32 > 0:49:34like up a staircase or through a hallway.
0:49:34 > 0:49:36So, just like a human, then?
0:49:36 > 0:49:38- It's getting there.- Yeah. - That's the goal.- Incredible.
0:49:39 > 0:49:42VOICEOVER: To enable Atlas to walk like humans,
0:49:42 > 0:49:47Kevin and the team focused on the robot's strength-to-weight ratio.
0:49:47 > 0:49:49If you look at this upper leg here,
0:49:49 > 0:49:53I can grab a version of this that's cut open, so you can see the inside.
0:49:53 > 0:49:56I totally redesigned the leg to use 3-D printed aluminium.
0:49:56 > 0:50:00So what used to take dozens of pieces we can now print out of one piece of aluminium.
0:50:00 > 0:50:03That allowed us to make a leg that's about the same strength
0:50:03 > 0:50:05as the big robots, but at about half the weight.
0:50:05 > 0:50:07Wow, it is actually really light.
0:50:07 > 0:50:10Yeah, it's probably a similar weight to your upper leg.
0:50:10 > 0:50:11- Really?- Yeah.
0:50:11 > 0:50:14I'd love to see what it's like inside when it's got all of
0:50:14 > 0:50:16- the other bits.- Yes. This is Aaron Saunders.
0:50:16 > 0:50:18- He's our vice-president of Hardware.- Hi.
0:50:18 > 0:50:21- Nice to meet you.- He also led the design team for the Atlas robot,
0:50:21 > 0:50:23so he can tell you more about the leg.
0:50:23 > 0:50:26So one of the most important things about this leg is that buried in it
0:50:26 > 0:50:28are hydraulic components.
0:50:28 > 0:50:32Underneath this cover on the leg is a series of hydraulic valves.
0:50:32 > 0:50:34And these hydraulic valves take the high-pressure fluid
0:50:34 > 0:50:36that's generated in the upper body
0:50:36 > 0:50:39and they redirect it into the actuators that make
0:50:39 > 0:50:40the joints move.
0:50:40 > 0:50:43So the hydraulics is kind of like the muscles for the robot,
0:50:43 > 0:50:46and the valves are what controls those muscles.
0:50:46 > 0:50:49And you can see all these colour channels here represent little veins
0:50:49 > 0:50:51where the fluid routes through the leg.
0:50:51 > 0:50:54So that's quite like the human anatomy.
0:50:54 > 0:50:57There's a lot of similarities in how it looks,
0:50:57 > 0:51:00and the way the fluids move around the robot have a lot of overlap with
0:51:00 > 0:51:02- how we would move fluids around our bodies.- Yeah.
0:51:05 > 0:51:08Many of their robots are inspired by animals.
0:51:10 > 0:51:13The limitations of human form have been removed.
0:51:14 > 0:51:19Big Dog, their first robot, was designed for the military.
0:51:20 > 0:51:23Carrying a heavy payload through terrain
0:51:23 > 0:51:25that vehicles find impossible.
0:51:28 > 0:51:30And this is their latest creation -
0:51:33 > 0:51:37a hybrid robot with legs and wheels.
0:51:38 > 0:51:41Top speed, 9mph.
0:51:41 > 0:51:43Range, 15 miles.
0:51:47 > 0:51:50This is Atlas' cousin, Handle.
0:51:50 > 0:51:55Wow. You can see that there are some similarities with Atlas,
0:51:55 > 0:51:58I mean, this looks similar, this sort of looks similar.
0:51:58 > 0:52:00Yes, it's a great observation,
0:52:00 > 0:52:03the upper body is actually borrowed from Atlas so the arms and torso are
0:52:03 > 0:52:05basically the same. Now, see the arms,
0:52:05 > 0:52:07here we actually mount them to the pelvis
0:52:07 > 0:52:09and that looks kind of funny but
0:52:09 > 0:52:11it allows us to do some interesting things.
0:52:11 > 0:52:12So now this big torso is
0:52:12 > 0:52:14actually free to move back and forth
0:52:14 > 0:52:17and plays a real critical element for balance
0:52:17 > 0:52:19so if you think about when you're trying to stand still and
0:52:19 > 0:52:21someone gives you a little shove,
0:52:21 > 0:52:25if you don't want to step you'll do a lot with your upper body to maintain balance.
0:52:25 > 0:52:28Handle does the same thing but it can do that without its arms moving
0:52:28 > 0:52:30around, so its arms are still down to the pelvis.
0:52:30 > 0:52:34They can be doing manipulation while the upper body is moving around
0:52:34 > 0:52:35to help with balance.
0:52:35 > 0:52:39Great, so it still maintains its ability to do something,
0:52:39 > 0:52:42an application, whilst maintaining its balance.
0:52:42 > 0:52:44Yeah, but the lower body is entirely new.
0:52:44 > 0:52:47We basically took off the constraints of a human form
0:52:47 > 0:52:51and said, well, you know, what if we opened ourselves up to
0:52:51 > 0:52:53a human but plus some machine things like wheels?
0:52:53 > 0:52:57You don't see spinning wheels in Mother Nature but there's no reason
0:52:57 > 0:53:00we couldn't add a wheel to a leg and get the best of both worlds.
0:53:00 > 0:53:03It's far more stable and far more efficient than the legged things
0:53:03 > 0:53:05we've done in the past.
0:53:05 > 0:53:07So it's more stable, more efficient.
0:53:07 > 0:53:09And it's less complex.
0:53:09 > 0:53:10Yeah, so that's a big advantage.
0:53:10 > 0:53:13- Yeah, that's really good.- We think it actually has a lot of potential
0:53:13 > 0:53:16because it has a long battery life, it's very stable,
0:53:16 > 0:53:18it's fast, so, you know, you could think about it working
0:53:18 > 0:53:19at a rapid rate.
0:53:21 > 0:53:22WHIRRING
0:53:22 > 0:53:25It seems like Handle is trying to tell us something with that noise.
0:53:25 > 0:53:29- What is it?- Yeah, what you're hearing right now is the hydraulic pump.
0:53:29 > 0:53:31OK, so it will just carry on doing that while it's stationary?
0:53:31 > 0:53:33- Yeah, yeah. - HIGHER PITCHED WHIRRING
0:53:33 > 0:53:34And that's a fan, of course.
0:53:36 > 0:53:38It's certainly seen some action.
0:53:38 > 0:53:42Yeah, yeah. It's funny, that's kind of true with all of our robots.
0:53:42 > 0:53:45You know, we have a mentality where we don't take it easy on the robots.
0:53:51 > 0:53:55We don't have a problem pushing them to the edge to see how stable they
0:53:55 > 0:53:57are and how they're able to react to the real world.
0:53:59 > 0:54:01The real world isn't a perfect laboratory
0:54:01 > 0:54:03where everything goes as planned.
0:54:05 > 0:54:08Do you ever feel like sorry for Handle,
0:54:08 > 0:54:09you know, when you give it a good push?
0:54:09 > 0:54:11- Do you feel sorry for IT? - It's funny, you know,
0:54:11 > 0:54:14we certainly get that reaction from people sometimes. You know,
0:54:14 > 0:54:17when you design these things from the ground up and you know all of
0:54:17 > 0:54:21the mechanical pieces and software, you know it's a machine so
0:54:21 > 0:54:24even though it can look, especially for Atlas or Spot,
0:54:24 > 0:54:27like a person or an animal, you know, there's no emotions here,
0:54:27 > 0:54:29it's all robotics,
0:54:29 > 0:54:32it's all hardware and I certainly don't feel bad if I slap my
0:54:32 > 0:54:33toaster around a little bit either.
0:54:33 > 0:54:34Yeah.
0:54:34 > 0:54:37Give your washing machine door a good shove.
0:54:37 > 0:54:39Yeah, that's right, that's right, yeah,
0:54:39 > 0:54:41I don't have to go confess after that.
0:54:41 > 0:54:42Yeah.
0:54:45 > 0:54:49I have seen some amazing machines here.
0:54:49 > 0:54:51Two-legged, humanoid robots,
0:54:51 > 0:54:54four-legged robots that look like animals.
0:54:54 > 0:54:59Their latest incarnation combines biology with technology,
0:54:59 > 0:55:04mixing and matching animals, humans, our own inventions, the wheel.
0:55:05 > 0:55:09This may seem unnatural but, once you've seen it all,
0:55:09 > 0:55:11it makes complete sense.
0:55:23 > 0:55:25We're only beginning to understand
0:55:25 > 0:55:28the potential of this emerging species.
0:55:30 > 0:55:35Building robots that mimic humans continues to spark the imagination.
0:55:36 > 0:55:40But now robots have adaptations that follow
0:55:40 > 0:55:42a very different evolutionary track.
0:55:45 > 0:55:46With mutant hands...
0:55:49 > 0:55:50..and hybrid limbs.
0:55:58 > 0:56:02For me, it's been a revelation to understand the origins of our
0:56:02 > 0:56:04relationship with robots.
0:56:04 > 0:56:07And even, why some people really do fear them.
0:56:07 > 0:56:11There is no doubt they have restructured the jobs market
0:56:11 > 0:56:13and this will continue.
0:56:14 > 0:56:19But the biggest thing has been how fast robots are developing.
0:56:19 > 0:56:22We need to engage in this fascinating phenomenon
0:56:22 > 0:56:24to make sure that we have
0:56:24 > 0:56:27the choice over what we want robots to do.
0:56:27 > 0:56:28For all of us.
0:56:32 > 0:56:36And for me, I'm really surprised by what I discovered.
0:56:36 > 0:56:41So I've spent a little bit of time with robots now and, yes,
0:56:41 > 0:56:43I've seen that, OK,
0:56:43 > 0:56:46they're not quite as terrifying or as threatening
0:56:46 > 0:56:49as I maybe first thought, but that will change.
0:56:49 > 0:56:52In the next few years, physically at least,
0:56:52 > 0:56:55they'll be able to out compete us in many of the things that we can do.
0:56:56 > 0:57:00But for me, the real problem isn't if they move like us
0:57:00 > 0:57:02or even look like us -
0:57:02 > 0:57:04the real issue will come if they start to think like us.
0:57:09 > 0:57:11Fire!
0:57:11 > 0:57:13Next time, we investigate
0:57:13 > 0:57:16what really distinguishes robots from humans.
0:57:16 > 0:57:18You see something's already happening.
0:57:18 > 0:57:19Intelligence.
0:57:19 > 0:57:21He's come straight for me.
0:57:21 > 0:57:24Can robots become our friends?
0:57:24 > 0:57:25Konnichiwa.
0:57:25 > 0:57:26ROBOT: Konnichiwa.
0:57:26 > 0:57:28- This is helping to break down a barrier.- Yeah, yeah.
0:57:28 > 0:57:31Can we trust them?
0:57:31 > 0:57:33Feet are off, my feet are off.
0:57:33 > 0:57:34- My hands are off.- Yeah, that's good.
0:57:34 > 0:57:37And will they ever become conscious?
0:57:38 > 0:57:40Find a cup.
0:57:40 > 0:57:42OK, now I'm looking for a cup.
0:57:42 > 0:57:44And he's tracking the cup.
0:57:44 > 0:57:48- VOICEOVER:- Will intelligent robots enhance our lives...
0:57:48 > 0:57:50She will help set up a home for humans...
0:57:52 > 0:57:54..on Mars.
0:57:54 > 0:57:56..or threaten our survival?
0:58:00 > 0:58:02Investigate the past,
0:58:02 > 0:58:06present and future of robots and their effects on our lives.
0:58:06 > 0:58:07Go to the address on screen
0:58:07 > 0:58:09and follow the links to the Open University.