To be quite honest, I was never really interested in robotics, that is until I became more exposed to the capabilities of what it can be. You would think a mechanical engineer would automatically be into robots, but not me. I was always interested in the thermodynamics, fluids and heat transfer aspects, but I digress.
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| Robot saying hi. |
This week has given me the opportunity to explore the art behind robotics and what it can do to not only entertain and create but also to better society. A perfect movie example of robots helping humans is Big Hero 6, one of my personal favorite movies.In the movie, an engineering student creates a robot that provides health care. Without going into full detail of the movie, this robot eventually helps fight crime with a team of students. However, there is a part of the movie where the robot goes "evil" and starts to go against orders.
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| Big Hero 6 Movie Poster |
This seems to be a common theme in movies and novels where robots have tendencies of harming society, as stated by Professor Vesna in lecture. Much of our perception of robots are guided by media, which I think is ironic because our computers and phones used to tell us these things are robots, visual and computational ones at that. We are in a very integrated in robotics without knowing it yet we attack it because of the potential dangers it may pose. McNeals interview with Martin Ford about his book Rise of the Robots explored the concerns that humans with have fewer jobs as things become automated. Though I think this is somewhat true, I think technological innovations will bring in more new jobs as technology has been evolving at quite a rapid rate in the past 50 years. There is much that can be done to help people, such as help the blind drive. Professor Dennis Hong, who happen to be my senior design professor, created a car that does so: let's blind people drive. During one of his lectures, he commented that creativity and artistry is needed when solving world problems, and the the end goal should not only be for the purposes of achieving the set goal but also to make an impact on other people's lives. We must look at the good in what robotics can bring and not dwell on the fantasized evil that can emerge. Like I said before, we already use robots in our lives, so why turn on them now?
Cool example of very early implementation of robotics with integration of cams.
References
McNeal, Marguerite. "Rise of the Machines: The Future Has Lots of Robots, Few Jobs for Humans." Wired.com. Conde Nast Digital. Web. 17 Apr. 2016.
Technology News. "'The Writer' Automaton." YouTube. YouTube, 17 Apr. 2014. Web. 17 Apr. 2016.
TED Talks. "Making a Car for Blind Drivers." Dennis Hong. TED Talks, Mar. 2011. Web. 17 Apr. 2016.
Uconlineprogram. "Robotics Pt1." YouTube. YouTube, 15 Apr. 2012. Web. 17 Apr. 2016.
Uconlineprogram. "Robotics MachikoKusahara 1." YouTube. YouTube, 14 Apr. 2012. Web. 17 Apr. 2016.
Hey Greg!
ReplyDeleteFirst I wanted to agree with your statement that it's ironic that we find robots scary when we use computers and things, because it is so true. We don't think about how how technology really effects our lives until you're sort of forced to look at it from a different perspective. I believe that with the media sensitizing its audience with the idea that robots are evil, is one of the causes, if not the main cause for our fear. As Professor Kusahara mentions in her lecture video, the eastern world is much more understanding and appreciative of the robot while the western world is fearful. Considering the vast differences between commercialism in these parts of the world, one could only assume how much it makes a difference but a difference nonetheless.