In 1920, Czech writer Karel Capek published the science fiction play 》Rossam's Universal Robots》. In the play, Capek misspelled the Czech word "Robota" as "Robot," meaning slave. The play foreshadowed the tragic impact of robot development on human society, attracting widespread attention and considered the origin of the word "robot." In the play, robots silently work according to their masters' orders, without feelings or emotions, performing arduous labor in a monotonous manner. Later, the Rossam Corporation achieves success, endowing robots with emotions, leading to a rapid increase in their applications.
Robots become indispensable in factories and household chores. The robots discover that humans are extremely selfish and unjust, and finally rebel. Their superior physical and intellectual abilities allow them to wipe out humanity. However, the robots do not know how to create themselves and believe they will soon become extinct, so they begin searching for human survivors, but to no avail. Finally, a male and female robot with superior perception abilities fall in love. Then, robots evolved into humans, and the world was revived.
Kepker raised the issues of robot safety, perception, and self-reproduction. Advances in science and technology may very well lead to problems that humanity does not want to see. Although science fiction is merely an imagination, human society may face this reality.
① A robot must not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm;
② A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the first law;
③ A robot must protect its own existence from harm unless such protection would conflict with the first two laws.
These three principles endow robot society with new ethics and provide very meaningful guidelines for robot researchers, designers, manufacturers, and users.
At the first Robotics Conference held in Japan in 1967, two representative definitions were proposed. One definition, proposed by Masahiro Mori and Shuhei Goda, defines a robot as a "flexible machine with seven characteristics: mobility, individuality, intelligence, versatility, semi-mechanical/semi-human nature, automation, and subservience." Based on this definition, Mori further proposed using ten characteristics to represent the robot's image: automation, intelligence, individuality, semi-mechanical/semi-human nature, operability, versatility, informational capabilities, flexibility, finiteness, and mobility. Another definition, proposed by Ichiro Kato, defines a robot as a machine possessing the following three conditions:
① An individual with three essential elements: brain, hands, and feet;
② Possessing non-contact sensors (receiving information from a distance using eyes and ears) and contact sensors;
③ Possessing sensors for balance and proprioception.
This definition emphasizes that a robot should possess human-like characteristics, meaning it performs tasks using its hands, moves using its feet, and completes tasks under unified command through its brain. Non-contact and contact sensors are equivalent to the five senses in a human, enabling the robot to recognize its external environment, while balance and proprioception are indispensable sensors for the robot to perceive its own state.