Robots (16+)

A thorough introduction to the wondrous machines in human form. For anyone aged 16 and over.

The humanoid is a robot with arms and legs, shaped like a human. For hundreds of years, it has populated our stories and films. Now we are at a point where it probably won't be long before you encounter such a robot in real life: at work, somewhere on the street, maybe even in your home. In Robots, Lieven Scheire talks about the human-shaped robot; its history, lightning-fast evolution and promising future. You can doom about it, you can hope about it, but everything starts with a thorough introduction to these wonderful machines.

An enormous evolution

Over the past three years, humanoids have undergone a huge evolution. Suddenly they have a functioning balance system, can make acrobatic jumps, navigate through unfamiliar terrain, and recognise objects, people and situations with ease. Why are things moving so fast now? Thanks to AI and digital neural networks. For instance, the first humanoids are now on assembly lines in factories. They can occasionally be seen at events, and the long-awaited household robot is also currently undergoing testing.

It's make or break in the coming years

Will the humanoid remain a promising technology that just fails to get the final details right? Or will it succeed and the humanoid suddenly become affordable for those who want one? If so, what will be the implications for the labour market, public spaces and our daily lives at home? Will there be sports competitions with robots? Can humanoids also be deployed militarily? And is it really a good idea to give AI a body, let alone thousands of bodies? "The world is a question mark, but talk to Lieven Scheire and everything becomes as plain as day," De Morgen reports. Robots is of interest to anyone aged 16 and over.