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Since it was founded in 1799, the Royal Institution has worked to make science more widely understood and appreciated by the general public. Its laboratories have also been home to many of the world's scientific pioneers and their discoveries. They include Michael Faraday who, among other things, invented the first electric motor, dynamo and transformer; Sir Humphrey Davy who discovered sodium, potassium, barium, calcium and magnesium; and Sirs William and Lawrence Bragg who pioneered the use of X-rays to investigate the structure of crystals.
Many of these eminent scientists spoke about and demonstrated their discoveries at lectures given in the Ri's famous lecture theatre. The Christmas Lectures, aimed specifically at young people, were begun in 1826 by Michael Faraday and continue to this day. The year 2000 saw Professor Kevin Warwick address the subject of robotics.
 The Royal Institution website >
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 Who's Professor Kevin Warwick?
Dr Kevin Warwick is Professor of Cybernetics at the University of Reading in the UK. His main interest is research into artificial intelligence, control and robotics. He took his first degree at Aston University when he was 22 and followed it up with a PhD at Imperial College, London. Kevin has held positions at Oxford, Newcastle and Warwick Universities before he became a professor at Reading when he was 32.
Kevin has published over 300 research papers and his latest paperback, 'In the Mind of the Machine' gives a stark warning of a future in which machines are more intelligent than humans. He has been awarded higher doctorates both by Imperial College and the Czech Academy of Sciences.
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In 1998 Kevin shocked the international scientific community by having a silicon chip transponder surgically implanted in his left arm. A series of further implant experiments is now planned in which Kevin's nervous system will be linked to a computer.
 LECTURE 1 - ANATOMY OF AN ANDROID
Broadcast date: 26 December 2000
Anatomy of an Android investigates the way robots have been developed to assist humans. But as the level of sophistication of these robots rockets ahead are we humans being left behind? The machines we have designed and built are taking on more and more tasks for themselves. If we have designed robots to be better, faster and stronger than us, who will be best suited to thrive in the technological world of the future? The adventure begins with perhaps the most famous robots of all - Androids - machines built in the image of the human body. If such machines have a number of physical advantages over humans, and can think for themselves, what does this mean for the future of the human race?
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LECTURE 2 - HYPER SENSES
Broadcast date: 27 December 2000
How can we endow robots with 'intelligence'? The first step is to equip them with robot senses, so they can hear, smell and feel the world around them - along with the humans who they will have to work around. In this lecture we'll explore what it must be like for a robot to 'see' using ultrasonic sound; we'll learn what it is like to live with a new breed of robot dogs, and meet the smart robot vacuum cleaner that can map and clean any room without human assistance; we'll challenge a robot to solve a maze, meet the robots that are reorganising work on the factory floor, and come face to face with Japan's latest attempt to construct a robot face that can react to our moods or conversation by smiling, sulking, winking or blushing.
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Image courtesy of Dr Gavin Miller |
LECTURE 3 - REMOTE ROBOTS
Broadcast date: 28 December 2000
Humans may be intelligent and adaptable but there are environments which are simply too dangerous for the human body to cope with. There are some procedures which are too complex for us to perform or need a level of precision which humans just don't possess. Clearly, in these situations robots are our best allies. But there is a new breed of robots, which not only venture into these environments but work tirelessly and precisely, hour after hour. In Remote Robots we meet the robots that can defuse bombs, travel to distant planets or perform complex surgery on a patient on the other side of the world. We also link, live via satellite, to the virtual reality assisted robot astronaut which will control space shuttle missions in the future.
LECTURE 4 - BIONIC BODIES
Broadcast date: 29 December 2000
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Image courtesy of NASA/JPL/Caltech |
What are cyborgs and what would they look like? Would they resemble Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Terminator or might they be more like The Borg from Star Trek? Are they just science fiction or are they already here?
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Some of the answers in BIONIC BODIES might surprise you - cyborgs are not just possible, but a reality! After all, many humans are already being fitted with machines which help them to live normal lives, things like replacement limbs, heart pacemakers, cochlea implants for the deaf, even an electronic 'eye' for blind people. These men and women are technically, cyborgs! But what of the rest of us? Would you want to be a cyborg of the future? Well you may well have the chance! Microchips are being developed which can deliver medicine in precise amounts, they can be put onto clothes or jewellery as wearable computers. We don't want to reveal too many secrets, but did you know that Professor Kevin Warwick was once a cyborg himself?
LECTURE 5 - I, ROBOT
Broadcast date: 30 December 2000
For centuries humans have used their ingenuity to develop machines capable of improving on, replacing and outperforming human physical skills. Machines have reduced the drudgery of many tasks by taking on boring jobs. But now, as robots are being given artificial intelligence, the machines are no longer limited to 'boring' jobs. Automated computer systems now trade on stock markets, run trains and even fly passenger aircraft. Some robots can now think for themselves and function independently of humans. They can even communicate with other robots on the other side of the world via the internet. Is there a danger that we giving too much control to these machines? In I, Robot, Professor Warwick considers the dangers of allowing robots too much power to develop their own artificial intelligence. But he also acknowledges that the 21st century - the 'cyber century', as it has been called - is a very exciting time for science. How far can we go with cyborgs? Only the future will tell.
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