From digital technology to robotics

Whatever acronyms we create or words we use, think IoT and M2M, we are referring to the same underlying technologies: communication systems, software, electronics, materials science and mechanical engineering, which are transforming our daily lives. These words and acronyms may well testify to our need to break down the major transformation ahead, splitting it into smaller, more manageable chunks of change that ease our fear of being overwhelmed. Perhaps, in order to take less risk, we prefer a five-to-ten-year vision instead of a 30-year foresight, even though this approach might limit our capacity to prepare for the upcoming ‘revolution’ in our lifestyles. Whatever the case, one thing is for sure: the internet is becoming an active part of the physical world and at Innorobo, we call this robotics.

While we have been promised a future in which we are surrounded by over 200 connected objects at home, each controlled directly from our Smartphone or tablet, I wonder about our ability to individually manage each of these devices and its specific application. What happens when there are several friends or family members in the same house? Who is responsible for controlling which IoT device? The answer lies in the questions: the smart home is not the mere accumulation of many semi-inert objects. It is a seamless, integrated system that senses its environment and analyses the data collected based on specific individual and collective life scenarios and personal profiles to communicate with actuators spread throughout our home, triggering a variety of autonomous and semi-autonomous actions to improve our comfort, assist us in our daily lives and help make our homes more energy efficient.

Two parallel trends are fuelling the emergence of smart homes. On the one hand, there is the ever-wider range of smart devices designed by creative entrepreneurs that directly target the general public. On the other hand, the B2B market, with the factory of the future, capitalises not only on technological advances in electronics and ICT, but also on experiences with innovative HMI to create new integrated processes in a collaborative environment. Let’s not forget that before transforming our everyday lives, computers were originally sold in B2B markets. Tomorrow’s smart home, whether in five, ten or 30 years, will probably be at the crossroads of this dual movement.

When talking about how robotics is transforming our daily lives, it is virtually impossible not to mention the vision of and fascination for the almighty butler humanoid robot, the highly versatile servant that can help us do anything and everything. The humanoid is, in the words of Bruno Maisonnier, the founder of Aldebaran Robotics, “…the ultimate man-machine interface, as it is so natural for us to interact with something that resembles us.”

In reality, today’s domestic robotics is much more about the great success of single-task devices such as robotic vacuum cleaners and pool cleaners, autonomous lawnmowers or home automation systems. This being said, a new type of companion robot is emerging as a middle way between the vision and the reality. Neither fully humanoid nor single-task, these ‘social robots’ interact with human beings and are capable of ‘learning’ new activities by downloading applications developed to suit their physical and sensory abilities. The social robot may well be the ideal robotics solution to help make our everyday lives easier. I am confident that investors and the robotics ecosystem at large will be keeping a close eye on this new type of robot.