Robots taking human… records? Rap battling, babysitting and even getting arrested
As technology develops, many people are starting to question the role artificial intelligence plays in our society.
But whether or not you like robots, it’s fair to say that some of them have accomplished some uniquely human tasks.
For example, while you’d be right to fear facing Kendrick Lamar in a rap battle (I’m looking at you, Drake), have you ever stared at the metal gaping mouth of a robot as it sways back and forth and insults you?
Well, meet Shimon.
Shimon is a robot developed by Gil Weinberg at the Georgia Institute of Technology that can listen to and respond to music using a neural network and voice synthesis software. In Atlanta in 2020 he faced off with rapper Dash Smith in a rap battle where each party landed playful insults and creative rhymes to Shimon’s own beat.
The robot already has a storied musical career, starting as a marimba player that improvises live jazz alongside real musicians. But rap music was particularly hard to program, as it requires poetic complexity as well as adherence to a beat and rhythm – and live rap battles proved an even trickier challenge.
But his creators trained him on thousands of hours of musical and literary work (and then filtered out his explicit language) to create a robot that can rap out a comeback in less than seven seconds. The result? The world’s first robot to participate in a rap battle.
But Shimon isn’t the only record-breaking robot. In 2021, Japanese scientists spiced up a professional baseball game in Fukuoka by seating 100 Pepper humanoid robots in the stands.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, when health concerns prohibited audiences from gathering in-person to watch professional sports games, the unusually quiet atmosphere at the stadiums was grim.
In an attempt to bring joy back into baseball, Softbank Robotics teamed up with the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks to create the world’s largest robot cheerleading squad.
The 3 ft 11 in (120 cm) tall robots swiveled on their wheeled lower bodies and clapped and waved with their humanoid hands. They sang and conducted music because they’re designed for human interaction, with vocal recognition software, speech skills, and meticulously-choreographed dance routines.
They repped their team colours on their chests, as a screen displayed the “Hawks” logo, and they led the dead stadium with the classic “wave” move. Perhaps because of this uncanny performance, the Softbank Hawks won 8-2.
But if seeing America’s pastime integrate with robots makes you want to reach for a drink, you don’t have to go far.
Scientists at Mie University in Japan with NEC System Technologies have created the world’s first robot sommelier, capable of tasting wine and distinguishing between a few dozen varieties.
Although it doesn’t have taste buds, the robot “tastes” the wine by firing an infrared beam through the drink and interprets the various wavelengths of light that are absorbed. It then outputs a description or label through its built-in speaker.
Not to mention, it’s unbelievably cute, and always wears the proper attire for a sommelier:
Luckily, for those who might overindulge with Japan’s drink droid, you won’t have to worry about getting home in time for the babysitter if PaPeRos is there.
NEC Technologies also created a line of “Partner-type personal robots” designed for personal interactions, and the Papero Childcare Robot is officially the first robot babysitter in the world.
Like your nextdoor neighbour, the robot has two “eyes” (stereoscopic cameras) that recognize faces and surroundings, but unlike your nextdoor neighbour, PaPeRos has eight microphone “ears” that can detect speech, nine sensors that can detect touch, and a built-in cellphone to call the absent guardian.
And also perhaps unlike your nextdoor neighbour, PaPeRos has a 3,000 word vocabulary built for child development, and it can track the location of the children in its care if they wear the accompanying ultrasonic transmitter and wireless microphone.
But if all this technology has you looking forward to future human/robot interactions, just keep in mind that the programmer has all the power – and if its engineers are comfortable breaking laws, so will their robots.
Specifically, a robot you definitely wouldn’t want to watch your kids is DC-2.
In 1982, he broke the record for the first robot to be arrested, for "illegally distributing business cards and generally causing a commotion" on North Beverly Drive in Los Angeles, USA.
Because cops couldn’t find the operator of the robot, they unplugged the machine and took it into custody, apparently dragging the robot away as it yelled “Help me! They’re trying to take me apart!” before it disconnected.
Later, it was revealed DC-2 belonged to the sons of the company’s owner, who took the $30,000 robot out on an unauthorized adventure. DC-2 returned to its rightful custody, and undoubtedly the boys received a lecture on the use of robots to disturb or help our societies.
Header image: cottonbro studio / Pexels