Ever since the dawn of civilization, we as humans have been fascinated with machines and devices that can replicate aspects of biology, in particular of ourselves. Some are created for our entertainment, some to facilitate us in our daily lives, and historically speaking some were even created for imitating the power of gods (religious relics) [1]. The themes of these developments have gone in and out of trends in various forms, but the most fundamental issues were to explore points toward the eventuation of robotics as we know it today.
We are on the verge of a new era of rapid transformations in both science and engineering, a transformation that brought together technological advancements in a fusion that shall accelerate both science and engineering. This new transformation brings together scientists working under a new direction of robotic research.
The utility of robots holds great promise not only in industrial automation; more recently it has also been taken on by neuroscientists as a tool to aid in the discovery of mechanisms in the human brain. In particular, with the emergence of numerous advanced humanoid robots, unlike usual robotic systems, these are highly sophisticated humanlike machines equipped with humanlike sensory and motor capabilities. These robots are now among us, contributing to our scientific endeavors.
Aiming at better assisting mankind has motivated engineers to look more closely at other scientific findings for the creation of innovative solutions that could better co-exist in our common society.
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