In the wake of the pandemic, many tech experts foresee a bright future for robots. The claims may be exaggerated, because robots will only add value if they can reduce bottlenecks and if their environment is controllable.
Unsurprisingly, robot manufacturers are seeing a surge in sales and interest. Robotics experts like UC Berkeley's Ken Goldberg believe that this trend is likely to accelerate further and an article in the The Robot Report , a widely-read online magazine, predicts that a post-pandemic future will entail an even greater reliance on such automation technologies due to cost savings and productivity gains.
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Moxie Is the Robot Pal You Dreamed of as a Kid | WIRED
Moxie, whose teardrop-shaped head is perched upon a cylindrical, baby blue body, is a cross between a videogame, a pet, and a teacher. It's main purpose is to help children improve basic social skills (like making eye contact) and cognitive skills (like reading comprehension) as they complete tasks supplied by a gamified narrative. Moxie's backstory is that it has been dispatched from a secret laboratory on a mission to learn how to be a better friend.
Robots are well suited for the kinds of repetitive skill-building activities that would quickly wear down a human teacher. They can't totally replace human interaction (yet), but they may be able to augment it. "There's evidence to support the idea that social robots can help with skill development in children," says Kate Darling, a research specialist at MIT Media Lab and an expert in human-robot interaction. "I would call it preliminary evidence, but very promising."
Delivery Robots Aren't Ready—When They Could Be Needed Most | WIRED
Americans choosing to —or forced to—stay inside during the Covid-19 pandemic are leaning heavily on food delivery. Instacart sales soared 98 percent, and Amazon Fresh sales 68 percent, in March, compared with February, according to the consumer analytics firm Second Measure.
So it would appear to be the perfect time for the swarms of delivery robots funded by more than $1 billion in venture capital in recent years. But it turns out that the tech isn't quite ready to always operate without human help, and it will need serious additional cash to get there. Some business models remain opaque. And robot makers must learn to navigate not just US streets, but the complex rules that govern their use.
Astronauts adopt Mozilla speech tech to control Moon robots | ZDNet
Robots are often used in space applications to augment and support astronauts working on tasks including, but not limited to, maintenance, repairs, for photographic coverage, and to assist in experiments or sample collecting.
While robots are also being explored for potential mining purposes on the surface of the Moon, for now, they have value in helping astronauts -- but their value and capabilities can be improved upon.
The challenge that astronauts may face up in space is efficiently controlling robots while at the same time tackling tasks that require the use of their hands.
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How China used robots, drones and artificial intelligence to control the spread of the
While most countries in the world are fighting exponential growth of coronavirus infections, China seems to have gotten the situation under control .
That's been largely due to the Chinese government's ability to enforce preventive measures more successfully than Western democracies. Individualism, a patchwork approach and fear of stopping economic growth backfired in the U.S. and some European countries.
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Social distancing, contactless transactions, cleaning and gathering diagnostic data have been made possible by automated technologies developed at Chinese companies.
Robots are taking over during COVID-19 (and there's no going back) | ZDNet
Most every organization has been thrust into the future of work faster than prognosticators dared imagine. What will determine failure or success in this brave new world of work?
Even in a turbulent market (and maybe especially in a turbulent employment environment), investors seem willing to back robots. The latest example: ForwardX Robotics, a Beijing-based robotics firm specializing in logistics, just announced a new round of Series B+ funding in the amount of $15 million, bringing the company's total funding to more than $40 million.
Can you sue your robot?
Opinion: creating a legal personality and classification for robots raises a number of interesting issues
If you're getting bored with cocooning and your family, try out this puzzle as a distraction. Ask your partner or kids who you could sue if a robot driving a car crashes into your car and injures you: the car manufacturer, the owner of the car, the developer of the software or the robot itself?
As far as suing the robot goes, the answer is firmly negative at present. We hear a lot about robots taking away jobs, but we need to think more about the law of robots if they are going to become a collaborative part of creating a better society.
Coronavirus hotel robots: Japan debuts tech for overflow patients
Pepper, a talking robot, greets new guests at the lobby, while Whiz, a cleaning robot, operates in areas where patients pick up meals and other daily necessities to reduce infection risks for human staff.
Pepper, wearing a white surgical mask, greeted Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike as she walked into the hotel during Friday's demonstration. Pepper also reminds patients to check their temperature and rest well.
Guests can also access health management applications on computers and tablets to record their temperatures and symptoms.
Happening on Twitter
Robots have recently been called "heroes" helping to "manage" the pandemic. Should we believe the hype? https://t.co/mZ8FrNwqpV HarvardBiz (from Boston, MA) Thu Apr 30 17:23:32 +0000 2020
The current crisis provides a clear opportunity to speed up robotic advancement, but businesses must approach the t… https://t.co/h29VNXJdIG HarvardBiz (from Boston, MA) Fri May 01 04:36:11 +0000 2020
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