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World-wide recognition

The URL for this site is given in the links at the end of this case study. If you check it now you will see the latest position. But at March 2001 Shadow was in 14th place with the Honda Motor Company and a number of heavily funded Japanese universities and companies ahead of them. Richard admits that he has a high level of self-belief - he's confident that what he is doing is worthwhile and will bring success even when others doubt him.

"I've always just assumed that robots are what the world wants and needs."

However, he approves of people wanting to get richer and believes that technology is all about this, based on "amplifying (G)people's efforts".

"There is no limit to what robots might ultimately do. They won't reduce employment though they will change what most people are employed to do."

   Task 2 - Should we build robots?

One of the main difficulties Richard's team had was to achieve a smooth but powerful movement like that of a human arm or leg. Electric motors and hydraulic (G)or pneumatic (G)

rams tend to produce jerky, abrupt movements that are not suitable for the sort of application he had in mind.

The air muscle is pneumatic - worked by air pressure - but does not produce sharp, hard movements that are typical of traditional pneumatic valves and rams. However, they can be very powerful.

The other main difference between a humanoid robot and the types that are common in, for example, the car industry is the range of movements they can undertake and their flexibility of control. They can be given more varied jobs to do, because they can fit in more easily to the human environment. For this reason they are more complex to develop but ultimately hold much greater potential.

Here are some potential applications for the Shadow robot hand taken from their Web site. The URL for this project is given at the end of this case study.

• A delicate hand that can pick and pack delicate fruit such as raspberries without damaging them

• Manipulate a casting against a revolving wire brush to remove the sprue (G)

• Pick awkward objects out of bins

• 'Pick-and-place' a variety of delicate components, such as springs and washers

• Echo the exact hand movements of a surgeon who has no special training

• Hold an animal (perhaps a pet) firmly but gently

• Pick up any tool

• Pick up every item in the kitchen.

Robots could of course take on many of the jobs that are unpleasant (if only because they are tedious) or unsafe for humans to do, like sorting rubbish for recycling. One very important application is the clearing of land mines - millions of which are still endangering lives all over the world. The Shadow Co are also working on a special robot for this application, details of which are on their Web site.

Alternatively, robots might take over all the boring chores in our world and leave us free to do what we really want.

"In many ways we could go back to the 'good old days' except that this time everybody might be able to enjoy them in the way only a privileged few could before. I can imagine a large sitting room with hand-woven rugs on the floor, hand-made furniture, stained-glass windows, all sorts of hand-made tiles, light fittings, pottery, cutlery, fabrics, wallpaper." Richard Greenhill

   Task 3 - Robotics

Most of this time the Shadow team has had to struggle for funds to pay for their living costs, the costs of premises to work in and for materials and equipment. More recently they have received a grant from the government's Department of Trade and Industry to help them continue development of an extremely complex - and versatile - hand and arm robot.

"We never finish anything - but we've got to finish this (because of the grant). One difficulty is to decide when to stop working on any part because as you make it you see how you could do it better."
Richard Greenhill

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