Commentary
Sub: What can’t robots do?
Robots have been the stuff of movies and science fiction for a long time, but, as you read this, they are also starting to become the stuff of our everyday lives.
For some time now, there have been robots that build and package things. Now, there are robots that can mow our lawns, sweep our floors and clean our pools. Military robots find bad guys and disable explosive devices.
The next generation of robots about to come onto the market may well cook your dinner and walk your dog.
The ongoing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have significantly advanced the pace of this growth with a dizzying proliferation of robots like the iRobot Packbot designed to perform reconnaissance and surveillance and the Foster-Miller Talon that is capable of performing both scouting and combat missions. The technology used in these robots will eventually translate into civilian uses as diverse as security to picking up trash.
Space exploration is another area rapidly advancing robotics technology as exemplified by the twin Mars rovers Spirit and Odyssey. These two robots have been exploring that planet’s surface for 5 ½ years beyond their original 90-day mission that began in January 2004. Their endurance alone promises significant advances to robotics in many different areas.
Like embedded electronics, the only limit to what robots can do is imagination; although, with robotics there is the additional complication of processing power that limits intelligence. Even with such limitations, personal robotics is a rapidly growing field that promises to revolutionize the way we live.
Two areas of robotics to watch in the next decade will be telepresence and assisted living. Telepresence robots will be devices that can be placed in the homes of individuals living on their own but with occasional need of assistance. Telepresence robots will also allow such individuals to communicate via teleconferencing with others and may eventually be able to conduct conversations in their own right.
Assisted living robots will be similar to telepresence robots in their intended audience, but will be designed to perform tasks like retrieving objects from cabinets or lifting heavy loads. Telepresence and assisted living capacities could even be combined in the same robot.
It will not be too long before robots will have taken over many of the everyday, mundane tasks in our daily lives. What do you plan to do with that newfound free time?