Then
and
NOW
HOW ROBOTICS HAS
CHANGED OVER THE YEARS
by Tom Carroll
It is always interesting to read articles about robotics in non-robotics magazines or hear
people talk of the changes in the field. Quite often, when people realize that I write
about the history of robotics, I invariably hear the comments “I remember when robots
...” or “Robotics has really changed since ...” I sometimes answer with “The times, they
are a changing,” and give them a short synopsis of my thoughts on the subject. The
print and TV media has certainly expressed their ideas on the subject of robotics and
the many changes over the years.
76 SERVO 10.2011
The August ‘ 11 issue of National Geographic featured an article entitled “Us and Them — Robots Get Real.” The
article went on to state that “sophisticated robots may soon
cook for us, fold our laundry, even babysit our children.” In
the June issue of Control Engineering, an article entitled
“The Changing Face of Robotics” mentioned the extremely
popular FIRST robotics competitions as a way to entice
young people into the fields of science and technology. The
article went a bit further to speak on the emergence of
mechatronics, new delta-style pick and place industrial
robots, and autonomous UAVs and UGVs.
The non-technical media has taken notice on just how
rapidly robots have entered our lives and are changing the
way that we live. This column centers on how robotics has
changed over the years, so these types of articles always
catch my eye. The IEEE Spectrum magazine recently
headlined: ‘Next Big Thing in Silicon Valley: Robotics?’ Are
we at some amazing turning point in this science? Are the
strictly computer and semiconductor manufacturers moving
into robotics and automation, or are these key industries
spawning these new companies? Is the heartbeat of
robotics innovation moving from the east coast areas of
MIT in New England and Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh to
the birthplace of microprocessor-based computers — the
San Jose area in California? I believe it is a bit of all three.
Other rapidly growing areas of technology such as
Austin, TX and the Research Triangle Park in North Carolina
are riding the latest boom, though an article in July’s
Fortune by David Kaplan is warning of a potential ‘Tech
Bubble 2.0.’
Robot Industries Shift Away
From Michigan And The
Auto Manufacturers
Let’s step back several decades and view the state of
robotics at the start of this new industry. The big push in
robotics in the ‘60s, ‘70s and through the ‘80s was
industrial robots and their implementation in the booming
automobile manufacturing industries centered around
Detroit. My employer (Rockwell) asked me to study how
robotics could be used in the aerospace industry. I went to
the yearly robot conferences that were sponsored by
Robotics International of the Society of Manufacturing
Engineers. RI/SME is based in Dearborn, MI and produced
robot conferences and exhibits that alternated each year
between Detroit and Chicago. Hundreds of robot
manufacturers — both large and small — were scattered
around the suburbs of Detroit and nearby Canadian cities.
The exhibit halls in Detroit and Chicago were crammed full
of robots: industrial, educational, experimental, and
whatevers. Thousands of professionals, members of the
media, university researchers, and some who were just
interested in looking at what was new roamed the aisles,
looking at the future. Local TV news crews conducted
interviews with manufacturers of especially cool looking
robots, and maybe a noteworthy spokesperson such as Joe
Engelberger. If it had anything to do with robots, it was at
one of these RI/SME conferences either as an exhibit or the
title of one of the technical sessions.
