in 2020, robotics – and their artificial intelligence – truly became humans’ best friends and even saviors in many instances. the bots proved to be more than just cool gadgets; they evolved to step in as doctors, law-enforcement and builders as the world was – and still is – battling to understand, control and live with COVID-19. our TOP 10 robotic and artificial intelligence stories of 2020 highlight these moments of positivity. they showcase our smart technologies in function, from artistic, musical and conceptual through to the down-right practical.

continuing our TOP 10 round-ups of 2020, we look back at 10 virtual and augmented reality stories that attracted our and, most importantly, designboom readers’ attention over the past 12 months.

1 – bas uterwijk uses AI to create portraits of famous historical figures

images via bas uterwijk

based in amsterdam, bas uterwijk is a freelance photographer that uses GAN (generative adversarial network) to generate hyper-realistic portraits of famous historical figures. trained with thousands of photographs, these deep learning networks are able to generate photographs that look — at least superficially — genuine to the human eye. from michelangelo’s david and napoleon to the statue of liberty, uterwijk uses artificial intelligence to create photography-type images that might give us an idea of how these people really looked like.

2 – autonomous robots used to disinfect hospital rooms with concentrated UV light

image courtesy of UVD robots

out TOP 10 robotic and artificial intelligence stories of 2020 needed to include our battle against coronavirus. as the world was faced with the initial challenge of COVID-19 – as the pandemic first started – robots began to be designed to help the fight by disinfecting hospital rooms with concentrated UV light. developed by danish company UVD robots, the autonomous machines are used as part of regular cleaning cycles and are extremely helpful at preventing and reducing the spread of infectious diseases, viral infections, bacteria and other types of harmful organic microorganisms in the environment by breaking down their DNA-structure.

3 – a japanese university used remote-controlled robots and zoom to hold a virtual graduation

image courtesy of BBT

the business breakthrough university in tokyo, who weren’t allowed to have a traditional graduation ceremony due to coronavirus, used remote controlled robots to hold a virtual graduation. also referred to as avatar robots, students called into the ceremony using video-conferencing tool zoom to display their faces on the mobile devices. the newme telepresence robots were designed by ANA group and work as remotely controlled, customizable avatars. the robots, which were dressed in typical graduation caps and gowns, used tablets in place of the face allowing the students to see one another.

4 – singapore deploys dog robots to remind people of safe distancing measures

screenshot © the strait times

as a bot that featured many times throughout 2020, the boston dynamics‘ ‘spot’ dog was a must-feature in our TOP 10 robotic and artificial intelligence stories of 2020. the brand explored its many different uses: first we reported how the dog bot is protecting frontline healthcare workers by helping doctors treat infected patients by minimizing their exposure; then, the strait times published a video of how singapore is deploying them at the bishan-ang mo kio park to remind visitors of safe social distancing measures.

5 – foster + partners and boston dynamics monitor construction with ‘spot’ the robot dog

image © aaron hargreaves / foster + partners

architecture firm foster + partners has also been using ‘spot’ – boston dynamics’ agile robot dog – as a tool to capture and monitor construction progression on-site. the two companies have been working together to explore the potential of a robot in a dynamic environment such as a construction site, capturing changes on a regular basis, and being able to easily compare the ‘as-designed’ models against the ‘as-built’ reality.

6 – bjarke ingels group plans AI CITY in china to advance future of artificial intelligence

image by lucianr / BIG

terminus group, a chinese technology firm, unveiled a design by bjarke ingels group for its future headquarters in chongqing, china. named ‘AI CITY’, the development will be dedicated to terminus’ aspirations in the fields of artificial intelligence of things (AIoT), robotics, networking, and big data. the first phase of the hi-tech campus, dubbed ‘cloud valley’, takes inspiration from the region’s undulating landscape.

7 – these hyper-real robotic dolphins could replace captive marine mammals in shows

edge innovations — a san francisco-based design, development, and production studio — has delivered some of the world’s most innovative, technical and artistic creations to visionaries including james cameron and frank gehry. the team, led by former walt disney imagineering creatives, has been working on a hyper-real robotic dolphin intended on reimagining the entertainment, educational, and business potential of the marine animal industry. these real-time animatronics (or mechatronic puppets) bring together live puppeteering, programmed behavior, and artificial intelligence to create a totally unique experience.

8 – bjork and microsoft use AI to create music that changes with the weather

image courtesy of microsoft

björk collaborated with microsoft to create AI-generated music based on on the changing weather patterns and position of the sun. called ‘kórsafn,’ which means ‘choir archive’ in icelandic, the composition will be played continuously in the lobby of sister city, a hotel in new york’s lower east side that opened in the spring of 2019. kórsafn uses sounds from björk’s musical archives, which she has compiled over the last 17 years, to create new arrangements.

9 – the neomano robotic glove powers people with hand paralysis

images courtesy of neofect

koreon start-up neofect developed a ‘ robotic glove’ which can help patients suffering from paralysis for grabbing and picking up the product prototype, named neomano, is a ‘smart glove’ designed to help those rehabilitating after a stroke and spinal cord injuries (SCI). SCI can cause weakness or complete loss of muscle function and loss of sensation in the body below the level of injury, among others.

10 – WATCH: giant ‘gundam’ robot takes a knee in japan

image courtesy of pixabay

our TOP 10 robotic and artificial intelligence stories of 2020 would not be complete without mention of the black lives matter movement. a giant ‘gundam’ robot showed its first signs of life in footage shared on social media. modeled after a character from ‘mobile suit gundam’, a 1979 televised anime series, the 18-meter-tall (59 ft) robot has been under construction in the japanese city of yokohama for years. filmed at the ‘gundam factory yokohama’, the speeded-up video shows the automaton taking a knee before demonstrating its ability to move its arms, hands, and fingers.

see designboom’s TOP 10 stories archive: