Why do we build robots at all? From the earliest of legends to modern day, stories of man-made beings, be them automatons or robots or androids, have captured our imaginations. Robotics is getting closer and closer to the dream of artificial humans. What drives some people to create “life” that resembles ourselves?

“Virtual reality, all the A.I. work we do, all the robotics work we do – we’re as close to realizing science fiction as it gets.“

Jensen Huang

The human body is not a very practical or robust design. We cannot fly like a bird, run as fast as a cheetah, swim deep like a whale, breath underwater like a fish, survive in the arctic like a polar bear, or pull heavy loads like a horse. We do not have protective scales, produce potent venom, brandish sharp fangs and claws, change colors for camouflage, or rear huge muscles. Naked and alone in the wild, we would all very quickly be easy prey for almost any predator. So, why make a robot in our likeness?

Celebrated architect Louis H. Sullivan in an essay published in 1896 stated that form should follow function. He argued that a building’s design should reflect its intended function. His belief has greatly influenced architecture ever since.

Similarly, robots have usually followed the same basic principle. We build machines to perform specific tasks, so their eclectic look reflects the diverse jobs they do. Logically, therefore, the only purpose of a human-like robot would be to replace humans.

Why humanoid robots at all?

I think that creating artificial humans is our way of playing God. We are driven to makes something in our own image. I think this gives us a false sense of superiority over our world, that we are the masters. By usurping God, however, we are running the terrible risk of being usurped ourselves.

Humanoid robots make for good, if not over done, science fiction stories. Books like I Robot and movies like The Terminator have explored the concept of artificial intelligent and self-aware human-like robots in scary detail. Their premise that these creations will turn on us someday are cautionary tales. Yet, we power on anyway into this unknown.

What are your thoughts on what drives us to duplicate humans?