COLOGNE (dpa) – They can weld without sweating, serve champagne without spilling a drop, mow lawns, clean out sewers and in most cases manage to stay looking good. Robots have become an integral part of industrial production and in science and research they are becoming increasingly more important.
When it comes to everyday life though robots have a hard time convincing Europeans of their worth. European consumers are “enormously sceptical” about robots, said Oliver Zybok of the Museum for Applied Arts in Cologne.The museum became the venue this week for a fascinating exhibition which attempts to show the history of the robot from the 1950s until the present day, so-called “milestones of robotic development”. The show runs until April 14.“Robots have to look cute before people will accept them,” said Zybok. Ones with a similarity to human beings or animals help allay people’s fears about the potentially dark side of artificial intelligence beloved of science fiction filmmakers.The devices on display are not just useful, they can be fun too. Take the example of Aibo, the four-legged creature made by Japanese electronics maker Sony, a motorized mutt that is capable of learning.So far this Aibo is the only entertainment robot to have captured German consumers’ hearts. Creations like the “aquaroids” – light- activated artificial turtles, fish, jellyfish and mussels which swim around Nippon’s aqariums, dodging obstacles have never caught on in Europe.Another Japanese import is R100 and an improved version called PaPeRo, two personal service robots made by NEC. They twirl around the household, recognize voices and faces and come whizzing by when summoned. They can also send e-mails and operate appliances.PaPeRo measures a compact 38 centimetres from top to toe and if its owner doesn’t treat it properly, the device absconds. One highpoint of the show is the almost legendary Wabot-1, presented in Tokyo in 1973 as one of the world’s first lifesize humanoid robots.In industry robots have showed their mettle in manufacturing industry, especially at carmaking plants. The Cologne show includes an ABB06 robot used by Ford to build, weld and paint car bodies. Mini-transporter Carobot can distribute medicines in hospitals.Kurt2 can dive into manholes and probe sewage pipes while Oktoputz is a dab hand at polishing the hulls of ships until they gleam.
