Humans-v-Humanoids

Introduction

When we look at ourselves as Humans we are living creatures that are very complex both Physically and Mentally. Increasingly we as Humans are trying our best to replicate ourselves designing and developing Human Looking and Operational Robot Machines, called Humanoids. With the advent of the recent Artificial Intelligence (AI) the Humanoid maybe able to Think and Act like Humans. If we think ‘Outside the Box’ we must consider that the Humanoid in years to come may supersede Humans for very good reasons. I want you to consider my reasoning for this in terms of both Physical and Mental issues.

The Human Body

We as Humans always consider ourselves to be far superior to any living thing and any Humanoid that exists today. We look at our Physical construction and consider it to be an absolute marvel that we can do all the things we normally do. However is that really true? When we look at the Human Body it is in fact very Fragile and it depends upon the normal operation of the Heart, Organs and Muscles, Blood Flow and Nervous System within our body. Our Bone and Spine Structure allowing us to be mobile is covered in Flesh and Skin. All of these are subject to damage in one form or other. We require Energy and Fluids to ensure our Body functions in the form of Food and Liquids, especially Water on a regular basis. We also have to dispense with the Waste in our Bodies on a regular basis. Therefore our Body is very complex but Fragile in nature.

The Human is susceptible to damage in many different forms internally and externally. Perhaps the best example is the horrific damage to the External and Internal parts of the Body soldiers suffered during Wars, where their bodies are ripped apart by Explosions and Bullets. The other major problem Humans have, are Diseases, Viruses and Illnesses such as Heart Attacks and Cancer which affect the Body significantly as we saw with COVID 19. To confirm this look at the number of Hospitals and Clinics that there are in the world all trying to repair our Bodies from Simple Colds to Major Injuries.

The Human Brain

The Human Brain housed in the Head and protected by our Skull, controls everything we do and think. There is still a lot to learn about how the Brain functions. It is our Computer that Interprets millions of signals within our Nervous System from all parts of our Body; including our Senses; Sight, Hearing, Taste, Touch and Smell. The Brain allows us to Learn and Remember Information which we apply in many different ways such as constructing this article. The Brain also enables our Thoughts and Moods which in some cases causes us to be Happy and on other occasions causes us to be Depressed. Each Human has its unique Brain that allows some to be Geniuses such as Albert Einstein, have Normal Brain Functionality or in some cases have Brain Malfunctions.

Human Performance Physical and Psychological

The Human Performance both Physical and Mental relies upon our individual Life Style but in all cases includes Sleep or Rest every day which is necessary to recharge our Energy for the Activities we undertake. Each Humans Physique is different and the relative Physical Performance varies significantly, some being Extremely Strong, most having Normal Strength or some being Extremely Weak. Most try to improve their Physical Performance by Exercising for months and years and having a Balanced Diet each day but all Humans have Limits on Physical Performance.

Psychological Performance also varies significantly, not just in Academic issues but also related to Attitude issues. Humans tend to consider Psychological Performance is related to Academic Excellence and most Countries structures is based upon this premise. However, there are Two Distinct Parts of Psychological Performance which is Academic Excellence and Intelligence including Talent. There are many people who do not achieve Academic Excellence but reach a high degree of Psychological Performance due to their Intelligence and Talent. There are so many world Business and Political leaders are in this group. There are also those who have exceptional Academic Excellence, Intelligence and Talent such as Albert Einstein (Theory Of Relativity), Michael Faraday (Electromagnetic Induction), James Watt (Steam Engine) and others.

Human Reproduction and Summary

To enable the Humans to continue to exist the Human Body has Two Designs, Male and Female where the Male Fertilises a Females Eggs within her Body. Whilst there are techniques existing for non contact Fertilisation it still requires a Male Sperm to Fertilise the Females Eggs.

It can be seen that we Humans are Very Complex in terms of Construction to a point where we are Over Constructed that leads to many Complications both Physically and Psychologically. Are the Humanoids we are Designing and Creating much less Complex then a Human and therefore more Sustainable for the foreseeable Future. Or are they just an Aid to the Human.

Humanoid Introduction

I am sure most of us see the Humanoid as a very recent technology. How wrong that is. In 1400 Leonardo da Vinci produced a Suit of Armour that could Move and Sit by the use of Cables and Pulleys. Of course today Technology is far more advanced which is producing some stunning Humanoid (A Robot that resembles a Human Body) and Android (A Humanoid Robot that aesthetically resembles Humans). A Robot is a Computer Controlled Machine, that is capable of automatically carrying out a series of Actions. In other words, the Humanoid Robot Mimics or Simulates the operation of a Human Body and Mind by using a Computer and Specially Designed Software.

The Humanoid Body

The Humanoid is designed to take the shape of a Human Body in that it has Structures; A Torso, Head, two Arms and Hands, two Legs and Feet. however, depending upon the Humanoid only parts of these are used and are operational. The Humanoid Structures supports all of its components (like a Human Bone Structure). Depending upon the Design; To allow movements of these Structures such as an Arm, it can use specially designed Stepper Motors or Rotary Actuators, or specially designed mechanisms activated by Electrical Linear Actuators, that replicate the Shoulder and Elbow Joints. Linear Electrical Actuators are also used to replicate the Muscles allowing Linear movement of the Arm.

A Linear Electrical Actuator is fixed at one end and a Motorised or a Electromagnetic System moves the other end a Piston In or Out producing the Force. It is important to note that the Electrical Actuators can be very small with a small amount of Force for example Hands and Fingers. Electrical Actuators can be larger producing more Force for the Arm designed for lifting heavy items.

The Humanoid Brain

In simple terms the Humanoid Brain is a Computer and its Specialised Software, that Controls everything. Looking at the Linear Actuator the Computer will send a signal to move the Piston, as the Piston moves the Position Sensor tells the Computer where the Piston is; this is called Position Feedback. At the same time the Force Sensor will also tell the Computer how much Force is being applied by the Piston and its connection. If the Humanoid is designed to walk and move like a Human then there are other Sensors that are used. For example to ensure the Humanoid can balance itself there are devices such as Accelerometers to detect the Humanoids Position. To allow the Humanoid to have the Sense of Sight, Cameras are used. To have the Sense of Hearing, Microphones are used. To have the Sense of Touch, Pressure Sensors are used. The Senses of Smell and Taste are more related to Androids and are being developed. Some Humanoids have Speakers to create Speech. All of this information is supplied and fed back to the Computer and using its Specialised Software will operate the Humanoid to undertake tasks. We can loosely relate these Computer Signals to the Human Nervous System.

The rapid advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is being applied to Humanoids and Androids, which is allowing them to make their own decisions. This is in its infancy but is being pursued with vigour in the Robot Industry. One use of AI will be in the military field where Humanoids could be used as soldiers in the not so far future just as 4 legged Robots are being used today.

Humanoid Performance Physical and Psychological

Physically, a Humanoid can Out Perform a Human in terms of undertaking simple Physical Tasks. The Humanoid can Operate 24 hours per day given that a Power Supply is available to the Humanoid. The Power Supply is normally from Lithium-Ion Batteries positioned in the Torso which requires Recharging. It does not need to Eat or go to the Bathroom. It has no Heart, Organs or Blood Circulation System, that can be affected by Diseases, therefore it only relies upon the Power Supply and Computer Operating the Humanoid Physical Components. However, there will be times when Faults may occur that requires minor Repairs and Testing. So far as AI is in its infancy there is no Psychological Effects as the Computer Instructions are normally planned for the tasks that the Humanoid has to undertake. Therefore the Human feelings of Happiness or Depression do not exist in a Humanoid. There are moves to make Androids have these feelings.

Humanoid Summary

The rise of Humanoids is now very rapid in all parts of the world. The image below is a Humanoid/Android called Xiaoqi, answering questions put by an Audience in China due to the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Computer Programming. You will notice that due to the looks and elegant appearance Xiaoqi is referred to as She or Her. She shows Kindness, Empathy and is very Knowledgeable all because of the AI Software. There is a huge market for normal and AI Humanoids to undertake all sorts of tasks in the home and at work reducing the stress on Humans. This is the tip of the Iceberg as more and more Humanoids are produced they will gradually replace the Humans. One factor is that the Humanoids can work 24 hours per day and the cost of securing there services will be far less than Humans. Another important point is that they will be less troublesome than Humans.

Overall Human-v- Humanoid Conclusion

In not many years to come Humanoids with aid of AI will increasingly become more sophisticated and highly intelligent. This is no longer a Science Fiction movie it is Real. The problem I see is the Control of this Technology not just Humanoids but AI in general. AI can be a Huge Benefit to Humanity but it can also be a Very Big Danger, where the Humanoid becomes more Powerful than Mankind. It is to be remembered that Computers are already Designing the next Generation of Computers, therefore it could be with AI that Humanoids will Design and Manufacture the next Generation of Humanoids. From experience I started Multimedia Computer Software and Computer Systems only 37 years ago. Look at where we are today. Apply that time scale or even less to Humanoids where will that take us.

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