Robots – Interview

Interview with Gerd Hirzinger

Hirzinger: Ultimately, today's industrial robots are still mere positioning machines whose design is meant to ensure mechanical precision. Their intelligence isn't really that much greater than it was 15 years ago. One reason for the lack of progress is that many pilot projects in the field of sensors and sensor feedback have been discontinued. However, without appropriate sensors, a robot remains dumb and inflexible. Today's household robots also don't measure up to the current state of technology. The first vacuum cleaner robots, for instance, which are now entering the market, have no sense of orientation—they clean the carpet by some random route. And that isn't very impressive when you consider that intelligent navigation systems have existed for years. Nevertheless, it's important to note that industrial robots have become a lot cheaper. They only cost about one-fourth of what they did 15 years ago, so even small- and medium-sized companies can afford them now.

Why are these artificial assistants still so much dumber than they ought to be?

Hirzinger: To explain that you have to look at economics and legal factors. There's a saying that's especially popular in the auto industry: The best sensor is no sensor. The idea is to avoid liability issues from the very start because if something does go wrong, it is often very difficult to establish whether the manufacturer of the sensor or of the robot was at fault.

Can you imagine a factory of the future operated entirely by machines?

Hirzinger: Absolutely. Such a factory has already been in operation in Japan for ten years. But development in this field is progressing intermittently, and a good many of the changes have been reversed. Over the longer term, there's no doubt that humans will disappear from the production floor. I'm also convinced that we'll be bringing production processes back to Europe that are currently outsourced to low-wage countries. On the one hand, people in these countries will want to—and certainly will—earn higher wages, while on the other hand, robots will continue to become more intelligent and better skilled. They'll soon be able to perform most unpleasant chores reliably, fast and cost-effectively. In fact, manufacturers are beginning to refer to them somewhat unflatteringly as the production slaves of the future.

Hirzinger: I don't think so. Experience has shown that industries that make the most use of robots, such as the automotive industry, have actually been increasing their workforces. In industrial societies there seems to be a general trend away from people working in production processes and toward other kinds of employment.

Is Japan the undisputed number one in terms of robotics?

Hirzinger: No. The media keep insisting that Japan is the leader in industrial applications. But that's not true. In the past two years, two European manufacturers actually ranked among the top three. The global leader, with annual sales of about 10,000 industrial robots, is ABB of Sweden, followed by Fanuc of Japan. Kuka Roboter of Augsburg, Germany is in third place. But it's interesting to note how vigorously the Japanese are pursuing the development of humanoid robots—robots that look and move like people—as well as artificial pets.

Hirzinger: For my own part, I have several grand visions, if you will, involving robots. One of these concerns space travel. At the DLR, we've been working for around 25 years to make robots suitable for applications in outer space. During the 1993 Spacelab mission, we were the first to successfully send a robot into space. One of our goals is to replace astronauts with machines—so-called robonauts—that can be controlled from Earth. These machines could be used to perform such functions as exterior repairs on spaceships.

As far as service robotics is concerned, I envision a household assistant for older people that obeys voice commands, never runs out of patience and is available around the clock, seven days a week. This would allow senior citizens to live at home longer. I would emphasize that such robot assistants should not take the place of loving human care. But it's time to stop pretending that things are simply wonderful in today's nursing homes, where there is often very little time for really caring attention.

When do you expect these mobile robotic helpers to become available?

Hirzinger: In 20 to 30 years at most they should be commonplace—not only in nursing homes, but especially in private households. I've already mentioned my third vision about robots replacing factory workers in the future. But robotics is also continuing to become more important in medical applications. Replacement organs for humans, such as prosthetic hands and artificial hearts, will continue to be refined and perfected in the future. At the DLR we are also planning the development of a new kind of surgical robot that will be much lighter and more intricate in construction. The design will incorporate a degree of sensitive force feedback from inside the patient's body—a feature that is still lacking in present-day systems.

Hirzinger: That's a field that will continue to surprise us with ever more sophisticated innovations. Sony is already making more money with its Aibo Dog than leading manufacturers are earning with industrial robots.

What do you think the next major advance in robotics technology might be?

Hirzinger: I can't envision yet where the next great leap forward will come from. For instance, we've nearly exhausted the technological possibilities that can be realized with lightweight robots. Our newest robot has arms made of ultralight carbon fiber structures. We've also developed an entirely new motor that weighs only half as much as the best conventional motors. What's more, we've even reduced power losses by half. As a consequence, our robot consumes very little power—in fact, it only requires about as much as a bright lightbulb. That's significantly better than anything that's been done with conventional industrial robots. The ratio of the weight of our robot arm to the payload is one-to-one. That's the best that can currently be achieved. Of course, there's the ancient dream of recreating human muscle tissue from chemical or organic materials. But we still don't know how to do that.

Interview conducted by Ulrike Zechbauer