Tag: robots

Silicon Valley robot startup to democratize programming

The democratization of technologies always transforms us. Consider the enormous benefits from ubiquitous access to the automobile, air travel, and the personal computer. When the majority has access to technology new possibilities emerge, potential increases, and lives are improved. But, is access the whole story? At the first Hackers Conference in 1984 Stewart Brand told… Continue reading Silicon Valley robot startup to democratize programming

Artificial intelligence – working hard, so we can hardly work

In 2011, robot sales hit about 160,000 units, translating to $8.5 billion in sales—this was by far the highest level recorded for any single year. Employment isn’t for humans only—there are currently 1.1 million working robots in the world. Today, robots sort through construction waste for reusable materials, and the even play a major role… Continue reading Artificial intelligence – working hard, so we can hardly work

Could a robot replace you at work?

The robot employment scenario has been described and discussed for decades. Ever since the first hints of automation started creeping into industrial production around the end of the 19th century, people have claimed that mechanical automation would eventually replace humans altogether for better or for worse. We’ve seen it happen a lot in recent years.… Continue reading Could a robot replace you at work?

Robot servants are probably cheaper than you think

The concept of robots from the past has either centered around making mundane tasks of humanity easier or obsolete, or they tell us about the robot apocalypse where mechanized artificial intelligence takes over humanity and makes us their slaves (or food). The reality is that robots are able to do some cool things, albeit not… Continue reading Robot servants are probably cheaper than you think

Flying robots that build things open doors to automated architecture

In the movies, it always start innocently. They are designed to help humans, to do the mundane or difficult tasks that are better suited for non-sentient robots rather than men and women. In the end, they always turn on us. Hopefully, the folks at the Swiss Federated Institute of Technology in Zurich are keeping that… Continue reading Flying robots that build things open doors to automated architecture

7 jobs that robots could probably do better (and cheaper)

Today’s advancements in technology have made automation a part of our daily lives. Many of the tasks that were once performed by humans are now done by computers and in some cases, robots. As the trend continues, will we see humans replaced in many job functions by robots? That’s the question that our friends at… Continue reading 7 jobs that robots could probably do better (and cheaper)

Swarmanoid: The future of awesome gadgets

The dream of making the perfect robot that can do a lot of our human activities may have found a simple solution in Swarmanoid, an open scientific project whose goal is  the design, implementation and control of a novel distributed robotic system. Rather than build robots that can do many things, they build many robots… Continue reading Swarmanoid: The future of awesome gadgets

Here’s Why the Human Race is Doomed

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNZPRsrwumQ[/youtube] I sense a theme coming on: people create robots, robots destroy robots, and robots destroy humans? Well I’m a believer after what I just watched. In the above video, there is a four-legged robot called BigDog that is capable of walking in a freakish but effective fashion, which is entertaining to say the least.… Continue reading Here’s Why the Human Race is Doomed

A BattleBot’s Epic Slow-Mo Destruction

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/20485568[/vimeo] There are some things worth watching in life: a revolution for freedom, a Jersey Shore escapade, and, now, a slow-motion take on the destruction of a BattleBot. These hunks of destructive metal used to be all the rage on Comedy Central in the 2000s, but it eventually fell through. Since then, the world has… Continue reading A BattleBot’s Epic Slow-Mo Destruction