Robots in society

Roughly half of all the robots in the world are in Asia, 32% in Europe, and 16% in North America, 1% in Australasia and 1% in Africa.^[61] 40% of all the robots in the world are in Japan,^[62] making Japan the country with the highest number of robots.

TOPIO

TOPIO ("TOSY Ping Pong Playing Robot") is a bipedal humanoid robot designed to play table tennis against a human being. It has been developed since 2005 by TOSY, a robotics firm in Vietnam. It was publicly demonstrated at the TokyoInternational Robot Exhibition (IREX) on November 28, 2007.^[1] TOPIO 3.0 (the latest version of TOPIO) stands approximately 1.88 m (6' 2") tall and weighs 120 kg (264 lbs).^[2] Every TOPIO uses an advanced artificial intelligence system to learn and continuously improve its skill level while playing.^[3]

^{TOPIO, a humanoid robot, playedping pong at Tokyo International Robot Exhibition (IREX) 2009.}

As robots have become more advanced and sophisticated, experts and academics have increasingly explored the questions of what ethics might govern robots' behavior,^[64] and whether robots might be able to claim any kind of social, cultural, ethical or legal rights.^[65] One scientific team has said that it is possible that a robot brain will exist by 2019.^[66] Others predict robot intelligence breakthroughs by 2050.^[67] Recent advances have made robotic behavior more sophisticated.^[68] The social impact of intelligent robots is subject of a 2010 documentary film called Plug & Pray.^[69]

An android, or robot designed to resemble a human, can appear comforting to some people and disturbing to others

Vernor Vinge has suggested that a moment may come when computers and robots are smarter than humans. He calls this "the Singularity".^[70] He suggests that it may be somewhat or possibly very dangerous for humans.^[71] This is discussed by a philosophy called Singularitarianism. In 2009, experts attended a conference hosted by the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) to discuss whether computers and robots might be able to acquire any autonomy, and how much these abilities might pose a threat or hazard. They noted that some robots have acquired various forms of semi-autonomy, including being able to find power sources on their own and being able to independently choose targets to attack with weapons. They also noted that some computer viruses can evade elimination and have achieved "cockroach intelligence." They noted that self-awareness as depicted in science-fiction is probably unlikely, but that there were other potential hazards and pitfalls.^[70] Various media sources and scientific groups have noted separate trends in differing areas which might together result in greater robotic functionalities and autonomy, and which pose some inherent concerns.