Curious About Robots

PODCAST 119: CURIOUS ABOUT ROBOTS
RELEASE DATE:  JANUARY 10TH, 2021

D:  HELLO, AND WELCOME BACK TO THE CURIOUS KID PODCAST.  THIS WEEK’S LISTENER SUGGESTION WAS SENT TO US 16 MONTHS AGO, SO WE ARE VERY EXCITED TO FINALLY GET CURIOUS ABOUT THIS SUPER-INTERESTING TOPIC.  

O:  MAILBAG!

D:  MAILBAG!

“HI JACOB AND OLIVIA,

MY SON ANTONIO LOVES YOUR PODCAST SHOW.  WE LISTEN TO IT EVERY MORNING ON OUR WAY TO SCHOOL.  ANTONIO IS HOPING THAT Y’ALL CAN DO AN EPISODE ON ONE OF HIS FAVORITE TOPICS: ROBOTICS!  HE IS CURIOUS ABOUT WHEN THE FIRST ROBOT WAS EVER BUILT, AND WHERE IS THE LARGEST ROBOT EVER MADE?  HOW DO ROBOTS HELP PEOPLE?  

WE HOPE YOU CAN HELP US LEARN MORE ABOUT ROBOTS.

THANKS FOR YOUR HELP AND GREAT SHOW!

JULIE AND ANTONIO OF HOUSTON TEXAS”

O:  THAT WAS AN AWESOME E-MAIL.  WE ARE GETTING CURIOUS ABOUT ROBOTS FOR ANTONIO THIS WEEK.  I’M ALSO VERY CURIOUS ABOUT ROBOTS, SO I CAN’T WAIT TO LEARN MORE.  

D:  THIS IS GOING TO BE SO MUCH FUN.  SO, THERE IS A ROBOT CALLED THE ROOMBA, AND MANY PEOPLE HAVE ROOMBAS IN THEIR HOMES.  IN FACT, IN THE 18 YEARS SINCE THE ROOMBA WAS INTRODUCED, OVER 20 MILLION OF THEM HAVE BEEN PURCHASED.  

O:  THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK IS, WHAT HOUSEHOLD TASK DOES THE ROOMBA DO FOR YOU?
D:  THAT’S A FUN QUESTION, AND I THINK IT HELPS EXPLAIN WHAT ROBOTS ARE AND WHY THEY EXIST.

O:  MANY ROBOTS ARE CREATED TO DO THINGS THAT HUMANS HAD TO DO BY THEMSELVES.  

D:  EXACTLY.  ROBOTS ARE KIND OF HARD TO DEFINE.  OLIVIA, IF I ASKED YOU WHAT A ROBOT IS, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY?

O:  ———————————————————————.

D:  THAT’S A GOOD ANSWER.  WELL, CHECK THIS OUT.  THERE WAS A MAN BY THE NAME OF JOSEPH ENGELBERGER, AND HE WAS AN ENGINEER AND PHYSICIST.  JOSEPH ENGELBERGER, ALONG WITH INVENTOR GEORGE DEVOL, CREATED THE FIRST INDUSTRIAL ROBOT IN THE UNITED STATES AND IT WAS CALLED THE UNIMATE.  THE UNIMATE WAS A ROBOTIC ARM, AND IT IS USED TO HELP MAKE CARS.  THE FIRST UNIMATE WAS ACTUALLY INSTALLED VERY CLOSE TO WHERE WE LIVE, IN EWING TOWNSHIP, NEW JERSEY, 60 YEARS AGO.  SO, YOU WOULD THINK THIS GUY JOSEPH ENGELBERGER WOULD BE REALLY GOOD AT EXPLAINING WHAT A ROBOT IS.  WHEN ASKED WHAT A ROBOT IS, HE ONCE SAID “I CAN’T DEFINE A ROBOT, BUT I KNOW ONE WHEN I SEE ONE.”  THAT’S AN INTERESTING THOUGHT.  WOULD YOU CONSIDER A CAR A ROBOT?

O:  NO, BECAUSE A HUMAN NEEDS TO CONTROL A CAR.

D:  I THINK MANY PEOPLE WOULD AGREE WITH YOU.  BUT, NOW AUTONOMOUS CARS ARE BEING DEVELOPED, AND THEY WILL BE ABLE TO DRIVE BY THEMSELVES.  ARE THEY ROBOTS?  THAT’S SOMETHING INTERESTING TO THINK ABOUT.

O:  THE WORD ROBOT COMES FROM THE CZECH WORD ROBOTA.

D:  AND THE WORD ROBOTA MEANS “DRUDGERY”.  

O:  AND DRUDGERY MEANS HARD OR DULL WORK.

D:  SO, THAT MAKES SENSE.  ROBOTS OFTEN DO HARD AND DULL WORK.  BY DULL, WE MEAN THAT THE WORK IS REPETITIVE.  MANY ROBOTS ARE PROGRAMMED TO DO THE SAME THING OR THINGS OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER AGAIN. 

O:  IF ROBOTS HAD FEELINGS, THEY WOULD PROBABLY BE VERY SAD, BECAUSE THEIR WORK IS HARD AND BORING.

D:  THAT’S TRUE.  IN ORDER TO COME UP WITH A SIMPLE DEFINITION FOR ROBOT, LET’S AGREE THAT ROBOTS ARE MACHINES THAT ARE PROGRAMMED TO DO TASKS WITHOUT ANY HELP FROM HUMANS.  

O:  THAT’S WHY WE CAN’T COUNT CARS AS ROBOTS.

D:  AND THAT’S BECAUSE THE CAR DRIVER HAS TO CONSTANTLY TELL THE CAR WHAT TO DO, BY PUSHING DOWN ON THE GAS AND BRAKE PEDALS AND TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL.    

O:  ANTONIO ASKED ABOUT ROBOTICS.  WHAT IS ROBOTICS?

D:  ROBOTICS IS THE PROCESS OF DESIGNING, MAKING, AND USING ROBOTS.  

O:  WOULDN’T IT BE NICE IF I COULD MAKE A ROBOT TO DO THINGS I DON’T WANT TO DO LIKE MAKE MY BED?

D:  THAT WOULD BE NICE, AND I THINK THAT’S WHY MANY ROBOTS ARE MADE… TO DO THINGS THAT HUMANS DON’T REALLY WANT TO DO.  IN MANY CASES, ROBOTS ARE CREATED BECAUSE THEY CAN DO CERTAIN TASKS MORE EFFICIENTLY OR CHEAPER THAN HUMANS.  

O:  ALSO, ROBOTS ARE USUALLY DESIGNED TO BE A LOT LIKE HUMANS.

D:  ROBOTS HAVE A BODY STRUCTURE, JUST LIKE HUMANS.  SOME ROBOTS EVEN HAVE BODIES THAT LOOK SIMILAR TO THE HUMAN BODY.  ROBOTS HAVE A COMPUTER, WHICH IS SIMILAR TO THE BRAIN IN HUMANS… IT HELPS CONTROL THE BODY.  ROBOTS REQUIRE A POWER SUPPLY, OFTEN FROM BATTERIES OR BEING PLUGGED INTO THE WALL.  HUMANS ALSO REQUIRE A POWER SUPPLY, OFTEN FROM THE FOOD THAT WE EAT.  

O:  LET’S LEARN ABOUT SOME COOL ROBOTS THAT HELP HUMANS TODAY.

D:  THERE ARE ROBOTS CALLED AUTOMATED GUIDED VEHICLES.  THESE ROBOTS ARE USED FOR MOVING GOODS IN LARGE FACILITIES, LIKE HOSPITALS OR WAREHOUSES.  

O:  THERE ARE LOTS OF THESE ROBOTS IN AMAZON WAREHOUSES.

D:  IN AN AMAZON WAREHOUSE, YOU WILL OFTEN SEE LOTS OF HUMANS AND ROBOTS WORKING TOGETHER.  MANY OF THOSE ROBOTS ARE AUTOMATED GUIDED VEHICLES, THAT WILL TAKE THE ITEMS YOU PURCHASE OFF THE SHELF, SORT THEM, AND TRANSPORT THEM.  THESE ROBOTS ALSO KNOW WHEN THEY DON’T HAVE MUCH POWER LEFT.  WHEN THEY SENSE LOW POWER, THEY WILL DOCK THEMSELVES AT THE CHARGER UNTIL THEY HAVE ENOUGH OF A CHARGE TO BE HELPFUL AGAIN.        

O:  SPACE PROBES ARE ROBOTS THAT HELP US DISCOVER OUTER SPACE.  

D:  SEVERAL COUNTRIES INCLUDING THE UNITED STATES, CHINA, INDIA, ISRAEL, AND JAPAN HAVE LAUNCHED SPACE PROBES TO FLY-BY, ORBIT, OR EVEN LAND ON OTHER PLANETS, MOONS, ASTEROIDS, OR COMETS.   

O:  THERE ARE ALSO ROBOTS THAT HELP PICK FRUIT AT ORCHARDS.

D:  THEY ARE CALLED AUTOMATED FRUIT HARVESTING MACHINES.  THEY ARE CAPABLE OF PICKING FRUIT AT AN ORCHARD, REDUCING THE NEED FOR HUMAN WORK.  

O:  ROBOTS ARE ALSO BEING USED FOR MINING.

D:  MINING IS OFTEN DANGEROUS AND EXPENSIVE.  THERE ARE NOW ROBOTS THAT ARE CAPABLE OF MINING AND CAN EVEN FIND RARE MINERALS UNDERGROUND.     

O:  ROBOTS HAVE LOTS OF IMPORTANT USES IN HEALTHCARE.

D:  ROBOTS ARE CAPABLE OF HELPING SURGEONS PERFORM SURGERY.  THEY CAN HELP THE DISABLED AND ELDERLY PERFORM DAILY TASKS.  ROBOTS ARE ALSO CAPABLE OF FILLING PRESCRIPTIONS IN PHARMACIES.  THEY ARE OFTEN USED TO COUNT PILLS, POUR THEM INTO BOTTLES, AND LABEL THOSE BOTTLES.   

O:  ROBOTS ARE CAPABLE OF DOING SO MANY AMAZING THINGS.  ANTONIO WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT THE FIRST ROBOT EVER BUILT.

D:  SO, THAT’S AN INTERESTING QUESTION.  MANY PEOPLE CONSIDER THE FIRST MODERN ROBOT TO BE THE UNIMATE ROBOT WE ALREADY DISCUSSED A FEW MINUTES AGO.  THE UNIMATE WAS USED FOR MOVING EXTREMELY HOT DIE CASTINGS FROM AN ASSEMBLY LINE AND ATTACHING IT TO THE BODY OF THE CAR.  THIS TASK WAS VERY DANGEROUS FOR WORKERS BEFORE IT WAS REPLACED BY ROBOTS.  BUT, DEPENDING ON YOUR DEFINITION OF ROBOT, THE FIRST ROBOT MAY HAVE BEEN BUILT A LOT EARLIER.

O:  A MECHANICAL BIRD WAS MADE AROUND THE YEAR 350 B.C.

D:  THAT’S A VERY LONG TIME AGO.  THE MECHANICAL BIRD WAS MADE BY ARCHYTAS, WHO WAS A GREEK ASTRONOMER, MATHEMATICIAN, AND PHILOSOPHER.  THE BIRD WAS ABLE TO FLY USING STEAM AND, BY SOME REPORTS, WAS ABLE TO FLY FOR ABOUT 200 METERS, WHICH IS WELL OVER 600 FEET.  THE BIRD WAS CALLED “THE PIGEON”.  DO YOU CONSIDER “THE PIGEON” A ROBOT?

O:  IF NOT, MAYBE YOU THINK LEONARDO MADE THE FIRST ROBOT.

D:  LEONARDO DA VINCI MADE A ROBOTIC KNIGHT THAT WAS CAPABLE OF SITTING, STANDING, AND MOVING IT’S ARMS ALL THE WAY BACK IN 1495.  DO YOU CONSIDER LEONARDO’S KNIGHT A ROBOT?

O:  ANTONIO ALSO WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT THE LARGEST ROBOT EVER MADE.

D:  THE WORLD RECORD FOR LARGEST HUMANOID ROBOT, OR ROBOT THAT RESEMBLES A HUMAN, IS THE LANDWALKER-MONONOFU IN JAPAN.  MONONOFU TRANSLATES TO SAMURAI WARRIOR.  

O:  THE ROBOT ACTUALLY LOOKS A LOT LIKE A TRANSFORMER.

D:  A HUGE TRANSFORMER THAT IS 28 FEET TALL AND NEARLY 10,000 POUNDS.  IT EVEN HAS A COCKPIT BIG ENOUGH FOR A HUMAN TO SIT IN AND CONTROL THE ROBOT.

O:  THE ARMS AND LEGS CAN BE MOVED.  IT CAN WALK, TURN, AND MOVE IT’S FINGERS.

D:  IT EVEN HAS AN AIR GUN THAT CAN SHOOT SPONGE BALLS AT 87 MILES PER HOUR.  UNFORTUNATELY, THE ROBOT IS TALLER THAN THE DOORS OF THE WORKSHOP WHERE IT IS STORED, SO PARTS OF IT HAVE TO BE TAKEN APART SO THAT IT CAN EXIT THE WORKSHOP.  GOOD NEWS:  PEOPLE CAN RENT OUT THE MONONOFU ROBOT BY THE HOUR… IT ONLY COSTS ABOUT $930 PER HOUR TO HAVE THE BIGGEST ROBOT ALL TO YOURSELF.

O:  FOR THE LARGEST NON-HUMANOID ROBOT, THERE IS A NEW TRAIN IN AUSTRALIA THAT IS HUGE.

D:  RIO TINTO CREATED A ROBOT TRAIN CALLED AUTOHAUL, THAT OPERATES UP TO 50 TRAINS AT ONCE.  AUTOHAUL BECAME FULLY AUTOMATED LESS THAN 2 YEARS AGO IN JUNE OF 2019.  BEFORE WE ANSWER THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK, WE SHOULD TELL YOU THAT OLIVIA MADE HER OWN ROBOT A WHILE AGO.  WHY DON’T YOU TELL EVERYONE ABOUT ROBY?

O:  ———————————————————————————————.

D:  ROBY DOESN’T FIT OUR DEFINITION OF WHAT A ROBOT IS, BUT HE IS SUPER-CUTE AND YOU CAN SEE A PICTURE OF OLIVIA HOLDING ROBY IF YOU FOLLOW CURIOUS KID PODCAST ON FACEBOOK.  OKAY OLIVIA, LET’S ANSWER THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK.  LOTS OF ROBOTS FOUND IN MANY HOMES ARE THERE BECAUSE THEY TAKE CARE OF TASKS THAT HUMANS DON’T WANT TO DO.  ONE OF THOSE ROBOTS IS CALLED THE ROOMBA.  WHAT DOES THE ROOMBA DO?

O:  THE ROOMBA IS A VACUUM CLEANER.  IT USES SENSORS TO MOVE AROUND AND DETECT DIRT.  

D:  IT’S A PRETTY COOL ROBOT AND IT’S ALSO REALLY HANDY.  LOTS OF PEOPLE CLEARLY AGREE, BECAUSE MORE THAN 20 MILLION ROOMBA VACUUM ROBOTS HAVE BEEN SOLD.  WELL, THAT’S A WRAP FOR THIS WEEK’S EPISODE.

O:  119 - ROBOTS.

D:  GREAT JOB, OLIVIA, AND GREAT JOB ANTONIO FOR THE REALLY FUN EPISODE SUGGESTION.  BEFORE WE GO, WE HAVE A BIG THANK YOU TO MAKE.

O:  THANK YOU TO OUR NEWEST PATRON, KATE M.

D:  A BIG THANKS TO KATE FOR SUPPORTING US ON PATREON.  YOU CAN JOIN KATE AND SUPPORT THE PODCAST BY VISITING PATREON, THAT’S P-A-T-R-E-O-N.  YOU CAN FIND A LINK IN THE SHOW NOTES.  OUR PATREON SUPPORTERS GET SO MANY AWESOME THINGS FOR THEIR SUPPORT.  FOR EXAMPLE, OUR SUPPORTERS KNOW WHAT WE ARE GETTING CURIOUS ABOUT MONTHS BEFORE ANYONE ELSE.  THEY GET EARLY ACCESS TO EPISODES.  THEY GET SHOUTOUTS ON THE PODCAST.  THEY GET FREE MERCHANDISE.  AND THE NEWEST PERK OUR SUPPORTERS GET IS AN EXTRA EPISODE EACH MONTH WITH A FOCUS ON CURRENT EVENTS, IN A WAY THAT IS FUN AND ENGAGING FOR KIDS AND CURIOUS GROWN UPS.  CHECK US OUT ON PATREON TO LEARN MORE.  NEXT WEEK, WE WILL BE BACK TO LEARN ABOUT WIND FOR A LISTENER IN BLOOMINGTON, MINNESOTA.  AS ALWAYS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LISTENING AND GETTING CURIOUS WITH US.