Will robots replace us? A look at some of the most advanced humanoid robots

Robots that look and act like humans have progressed by leaps and bounds. Today, their development is in the hands of the most outstanding scientists and engineers in the world.

The ultimate goal for most companies is to design robots that can assist humans with their daily tasks. Click on to read about some impressive, albeit creepy humanoid robots from around the world!

Meet Amenca, who may just be the most advanced robot in the world at this time. Amenca was developed by the British company Engineered Arts, and thanks to 27 motors in its face, Amenca can mimic a range of human facial expressions, from glee to shock, so well it is both impressive and creepy.

Image: YouTube, Engineered Arts

According to the Engineered Arts website, Amenca was "designed specifically as a platform for development into future robotics technologies."

Image: YouTube, Engineered Arts

Amenca is also able to speak freely, without any input from humans, as can be seen in YouTube videos posted by the company featuring Amenca.

Image: YouTube, Engineered Arts

In addition to Amenca's exceptional speaking skills and facial expressions, soon, the robot will be getting legs. During a Q&A on YouTube, Ameca said: "I can't walk, but I have seen prototype legs in the Engineered Arts lab."

Image: YouTube, Engineered Arts

If you've got enough cash, you can buy or hire Amenca for an event or publicity stunt, or if you are really rolling in dough, Engineered Arts will make a custom robot that looks just like you!

Image: YouTube, Engineered Arts

According to the Ai-Da robot website, Ai-Da is the first ultra-realistic artist robot in the world. Ai-Da uses the camera in her eyes and artificial intelligence to control her arms and draw.

This amazing robot was created in February 2019, and Ai-Da held her first major art show at the Design Museum in 2021.

Ai-Da shows us how technology can be integrated into modern society. The creative program run in Ai-Da was developed with the criteria of Professor Margaret Boden, which ensures that her works are new, surprising, and of cultural value.

Erica was made at Osaka University by robotics professor Hiroshi Ishiguro. Erica's linguistic prowess is among the most sophisticated artificial intelligence known to date. The documentary 'Erica: Man Made' was specially shot in her honour by The Guardian and showcased her unique robotic abilities.

Erica is the first robot to land a big role in the movies. She will be the heroine of the science fiction film “ b ” which has a budget of 70 million dollars. 

But Erica's not new at being in front of the camera. Erica first worked as a model and then as a newscaster in Japan. This humanoid was initially intended to replace receptionists, ultimately has made a career that many aspiring actors would envy.

Image: YouTube, Future Tech

Designed ten years ago by the HONDA firm, the ASIMO robot is small in size but large in its genius. The robot is 1.30 m and weighs 50kg. It can walk forward and backward, climb stairs, hop around, avoid obstacles and run up to 9km / h.

The ASIMO robot has articulated fingers that allow it to serve, hold and empty a glass. His manual dexterity also allows him to communicate through sign language when he is not expressing himself orally in Japanese or English.

In the long term, this android will be able to put itself at the service of humans and is particularly useful for assisting sick people either at home or in hospitals or to perform tasks dangerous for humans.

This Scarlett Johansson lookalike, also known as the Mark I robot, was dreamt up by Ricky Ma of Hong Kong. Ma manufactured the robot in 2015 using a 3D printer.

Image: YouTube, CNBC

This robot's creation raises ethical questions because it is neither a sculpture nor a drawing produced by a fan. Rather it is the creation of an animated being capable of interacting with humans using the features of an existing, living human, and the robot was created WITHOUT Johansson's consent.

Image: YouTube, CNBC

Ricky Ma built this robot when he was 42 for his personal satisfaction, and this life-size creation looks just like the actress Scarlett Johansson. Scarlett is Ma's favorite actress, and his dream of having his own version of Scarlett at home cost him more than 50,000 dollars.

Image: YouTube, CNBC

Sophia was born on February 14, 2016, in Hong Kong, brought to life by the American company Hanson Robotics. The legendary Audrey Hepburn inspired the design. She has over 62 facial mechanisms which allow her to smile, articulate, squint, and move her eyes. Her specialty is conversation. A talent that has also led her to appear on many television shows.

Sophia was invited to appear on 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,' and she also appeared on Youtube for a humorous interview conducted by Will Smith (an exercise that she did not succeed very well at).

In addition, she was also invited to address the United Nations (UN). An act praised by some and through which she obtained Saudi citizenship; however, others criticized this decision, which caused many controversies.

The word "geminoid" comes from the Latin "geminus" (twin or double), and "oid" is a suffix indicating "resemblance". The function of the Geminoid-DK robot is, therefore, to be the double of a real person.

Geminoid-type robots have already become a part of the daily life of some Japanese on an experimental basis. They can be seen seated on the terrace of a café in Osaka or used in plays.

The goal of this experiment carried out by the ATR laboratories of Hiroshi Ishiguro is to study the reaction of humans to humanoids present in their social life.

The roboticist Hiroshi Ishiguro is at the origin of several of these “double” robots and has made them his specialty. He created his first android 20 years ago using his own 5-year-old daughter as a model.

Hiroshi Ishiguro is a robotics star and travels the world for lectures on new technologies. He also created his robotic twin, which he can control remotely and which he uses in his place for conferences abroad to save time.

The Atlas robot is an engineering feat dating back to 2018 and produced by Boston Dynamics. It is 1.80 m tall and weighs 82 kg.

Atlas is a gymnast. He can move with ease forward, backward, jump, do somersaults, avoid obstacles, run, fall and get up, pick up (heavy) objects, pass them to another person… And even fight!

Several videos of Atlas published by Boston Dynamics on Youtube have caused a buzz due to his agility. Atlas can move without being remotely controlled. His gestures are autonomous and precise.

This robot is intended for military use as part of the program of DARPA, the United States Army's research agency. This war machine will be able to cover terrain that is too dangerous for humans and carry out certain paramilitary missions.

The realism of the android Junko Chihira is disturbing. Her textured skin, her eyes that can squint, and her nose that sometimes seems to be able to wriggle ... She could be mistaken for a real human! This humanoid robot is 1.65m tall and was designed to look like a 26-year-old Japanese woman.

Junko Chihira was created by the Japanese company Toshiba in 2015. She has worked in a shopping center since her "birth."

She is able to speak three languages perfectly: English, Japanese and Chinese. During the Tokyo Olympics she was assigned the mission of guiding foreign visitors.

Nadine was programmed in Singapore in 2015 at Nanyang Technological University. She is one of the first humanoids with artificial and social intelligence.

Nadine can recognize people she has already met, remember past conversations, gesture with both arms, articulate with her lips, and attempt to understand human psychology. She is currently a receptionist at the university that designed her. It is also the first profession targeted to be replaced by robots in the labor market.

Image: NTU Singapore, YouTube

Nadine is the robotic clone of its creator and roboticist Nadia Thalmann. Nadine attempts to reproduce all the behaviors of her human model to get as close as possible to reality. This robot has the most advanced artificial intelligence to date. Nadine is designed to take care of people in difficulty at home, including single and/or elderly people.

Image: YouTube, Techfest IIT Bombay

Pepper is the work of the former French startup Aldebaran Robotics, founded in Paris in 2005 and acquired in 2012 by the Japanese company Softbank robotics. Pepper was created in France in 2014.

The robot is 1.20 m tall and is made up of 20 joints, and was created to provide hospitality services for companies. The price of a Pepper robot is between 12,000-15,000 €. Despite more than 10,000 copies sold since its release, Pepper is not common yet, particularly because of its prohibitive price. However, it is already used in many industries.

Pepper works as a receptionist in the fields of catering, hospitality, education, and business. He can recognize and follow his interlocutor with his eyes, detect some emotions (joy, anger, surprise, or sadness), speak 15 languages, indicate a direction, and move on three wheels. He has a tablet attached to his bust to be able to provide information, interact and list customer satisfaction opinions.

Jules was built by David Hanson, the same designer as the robot Sophia. He talks, smiles, and can strike up a conversation. He has no legs, but he has just received two arms that he knows how to wave.

Before creating robots with ultra-sophisticated artificial intelligence, David Hanson was a designer at Walt Disney Imagineering. In addition, he has received awards from many organizations, including NASA and the AAAI (Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence), for his robotic work.

Image: YouTube

David Hanson is indeed at the origin of several revolutionary technological advances. Among them are facial recognition software, artificial intelligence, and Frubber nanotechnology, which can imitate human skin while maintaining its elasticity. Pictured is Han the robot, another of Hanson's creations.