Robots can be a scary word: Should Humans fear Future Robots?
Robots can be a scary word. It has long been a fantasy of filmmakers to make it seem Robot advances will only end in one way – the apocalypse. Robots play a big part in our lives already however. Most are out of sight and mind in factories, laboratories and hospitals, where they can’t be seen. There have been some advances in recent years with robots playing a part in our personal lives, and while it is still a long way off, there are plenty of robots helping us today. Whether they still will be ‘helping’ in the year 3000 is pure speculation.
The Google Self Driving program is an autonomous travel project by Alphabet subsidiary Google X. It is aiming to provide self-driving cars to the public by 2020. This has been aided by 4 states already passing through legislation on the legality of cars with no drivers. Florida, Nevada, California and Michigan all allow testing on their roads. The cars use a software called Chauffeur which allows the cars to drive and learn its surroundings on the move.
The idea came from Sebastian Thrun, who was the co-inventor of Google Earth. He believes it will have a huge impact on the world and that people are already behind times about the uses for Google Driverless “almost every established industry is not moving fast enough” He told the press.
Robots are becoming part of our leisure lives too. Asimo is a humanoid robot created by Honda for the millennium. His humanoid body allow him to get an emotional connection with the crowds. Asimo stands at 4ft 3inches and can move at 3.7mph.
Today the latest incarnation of the Asimo robot is used as great PR, as well as inspiring a new generation of robotic engineers. He is a stalwart of the Disney experience appearing in his own 15-minute show at their resorts. Children can watch and see the exciting world of robotics.
Drones are becoming a huge industry and definitely a future giant. They have many uses whether that could be travelling, logistics and filming. Companies like Amazon are looking at ways in which to use drones to deliver parcels directly to your property, and have invested heavily in finding out.
Drones have also got their own film festival now too, with cameras attached to drones and controlled remotely to get breath-taking aerial shots. Drone racing is also being touted as a sport of the future, with the first ever professional league starting this year.
Robots have also been plying their trade at human hobbies. In the most recent Annual Computer Poker Tournament Baby Titanium 8 won a table against other bots. Designed by Noam Brow from the School of Computer Science has built this extraordinary robot which has developed an algorithm created at the San Diego Supercomputer Centre. Though still in its infancy, Poker players will be quaking in their boots when facing something that has an eternal poker face!
Of course when things like robotics advance, the most progressive projects are found where the money is invested. In Americas case money has been invested in the Defence industry.
As mentioned before, Drones are being tested in non-aggressive projects, but one area where we already seen them in active use is warfare. They fly over Pakistan and execute deadly missions. This should be viewed as a warning to their potential and of course will always heat the debate on whether a robot should ever have the power to end a life autonomously.
The future contains many bright opportunities, and robotics will be one of the main parts in how our lives change. For now, Robots makes our lives easier cheaper but whether they will stay that way is what will continue to appear on our Hollywood screens.
