Optical Components and the Rise of the Robots

Whilst the term artificial intelligence (AI) may conjure images of futuristic utopia and modern-day visionary technologies; the concept has actually been a societal forethought for longer than we think. Meanwhile, turn the clocks back considerably further to Ancient Egypt, and you'll find robotic-inspired animated ceremonial statues. Artificial intelligence is, in fact, centuries-old, and its implementation has long been a desire of the human race. Fast-forward to today and the omnipresence of robotics is remarkable. Not only are robots applied to large-scale industrial manufacturing chains (both assembling cars and integrated with vehicles themselves), but they're also found much closer to home on a smaller scale; hoovering our floors, mowing our lawns and, in some cases, stocking our shelves at local supermarkets1.