If you talk to people who don’t work in the tech industry, many won’t like the idea of AI or robots in their home. After years of films like Terminator and iRobot, it’s perhaps not surprising we’re a little apprehensive, but many of us are already interacting with an AI or robotics of some description, whether we realise it or not. Robotics is already in use is much of our everyday lives without us even realising it, and as technology advances, it will become even more involved. Younger generations can be much more accepting of new technologies, including robotics, AI, and all the other tech innovations slowly becoming indispensable parts of our everyday lives. Let’s explore exactly how.
Did you just see a robot take the elevator?
Cleaning robots are becoming a very diverse market, and most of us will have seen the simple round floor cleaners in adverts. They work perfectly well in a home situation, although at the present time it does seem that the more you pay, the better the robotic cleaner you get. With most traditional vacuum cleaner manufacturers, plus a few others, entering the marketplace for robots to clean homes, you are spoilt for choice.
None of them may reach the heights of the aptly named Cleaning Robot. Designed with the intention of cleaning multiple floors, such as in an office block, it can detect and avoid obstacles to navigate safely. Its built-in obstacle and bumper detectors mean it can move around without human intervention, and be left in the cold and dark to get on with its job. It can even operate an elevator, so move from floor to floor without a problem.
As well as getting the work done more quickly and efficiently, users of this robot do not need to use lights or temperature control while the job is being done, so there is a cost saving as well.
The digital device revolution
There is no doubt the gadgets that have affected more lives globally than any other are smartphones and tablets. They have changed the way we live, from our shopping, banking, game playing and the way we communicate with each other. Social media is readily available without having to wait till you are at home on your PC, as are all the websites and apps you could ever need, and then some.
There are apps available for navigation, so you no longer need a sat nav, apps for games, for news and for language translation. In fact, there are apps for just about everything. The weather or time in any part of the world is at your fingertips, and the cameras on them have been refined so much that unless you are a professional photographer, you don’t need to carry a separate camera around with you.
Mobile phones were huge when they were first introduced, but they have developed into a piece of tech small enough to fit into a pocket, and with the introduction of cellular in the wearables market, you can even wear some on your wrist.
There is very little you cannot do on a smartphone or tablet, and the advent of cryptocurrencies and blockchain has made all financial transactions done on them instant and more secure.
The animals you do not have to clean up after
Robotic gadgets in the home or office are certainly about to become much more common. There have been many developed for industrial purposes for use in places such as factories, and for use in search and rescue, but now Boston Dynamics have produced a new generation of their robot known as SpotMini. This has been designed specifically for home or office use and depending what jobs it is doing, it will be able to last for up to 90 minutes on a single charge.
Its sleek body made of yellow and black plastics, make it look a little like a headless dog, and the front-facing sensor system gives it the appearance of having eight eyes. It can pick up and handle objects safely, and the developers say it is the quietest robot they have ever made. It’s a useful gadget to have around your home, doing your chores while you sit back and relax.
It is not the only animal-like robot being developed, all of them designed to take over the everyday mundane tasks of life. Festo has developed BionicANTs that have the ability to work together as a collective and can coordinate their actions. There is also BionicKangaroo, which mimics the way real kangaroos store energy from every jump that enables them to travel long distances without stopping. They also built BionicOpter, the inspiration for which came from dragonflies. It can fly in all directions, hover in mid-air and glide without moving its wings.
Whether it is at home or at work, all of these gadgets will have an impact on our lives in the future as we invite them into our spaces to take over tasks and create more free time for ourselves.
Robotics and AI changing gaming
Robotics and AI are changing the online gaming world too. The development of fully interactive video games has been just one of the advancements in this field. For instance, now instead of making a city in a game where the characters stand around and spout the same line after a prod, there are games where the characters can meaningfully interact with each other, more like actual human beings. This can make the games much more unpredictable and realistic.
One of the biggest changes has happened in the world of online gambling. Now you can play live games with people from any part of the world, all the old favourites of poker, blackjack, and roulette, as well as many new games. Some of them are even live streaming the games, so you’re interacting in real time with a live dealer or croupier. The biggest problem some people have is knowing which online casino is best, and that is where the comparison sites can be useful. Players are all looking for different things from their online casino experience. Some want the best odds, some want to play sites that accept bitcoin, and some are searching for sites with the biggest variety of games.
Some people think the advances in technology are making us interact less with other humans, but research shows the opposite is true. You might be playing a game of cards, or going on an adventure with someone from the other side of the world, and chatting with them at the same time. It appears it is also popular for families and friends to gather to play these games, perhaps something they might not have done before.
The interaction between players in different countries is also thought to help from an education viewpoint. Often they will discuss their own lives and people learn from each other what it is like to live in another culture.
New gadgets in medicine
Any gadgets that can help our doctors and nurses have to be welcomed, and there are new ones being introduced to the market all the time. One of the recent innovations, called Cyberknife, helps to make radiotherapy more accurate for cancer patients. One of the problems with sending the beam to a patient’s body is that it is aimed at a tumour. That is fine as long as the patient stays perfectly still, as even a minuscule movement will cause the cells around a tumour to be damaged as well.
Cyberknife can adjust its beam if a tumour is moved at all, and can be administered from any direction. This is particularly useful in treating cancer on the brain or spine, as the radiotherapy is far less likely to create further permanent harm.
Other gadgets for the medical profession include a digital stethoscope. It is so small it will fit into the palm of your hand, but amplifies over 100 times into the headphones the doctor wears. A vein viewing system allows the medical professional to see any issues with the veins in a non-intrusive manner and the infrared thermometer can give an accurate temperature reading in less than a second, with no physical contact with the patient. These are just some of the gadgets now available to doctors. There are many more being developed all the time, all with the aim of speeding up diagnosis and treatments.
Robotics helping with search and rescue missions
It does not matter if a rescue team is working at the site of a natural disaster, in a war zone or trying to deal with a local catastrophe, there will be times when the area is unsafe for humans to enter. With this in mind, over the years several gadgets were developed to assist them, and now robotics has entered the fray and is producing some amazing results.
Since Boston Dynamics first unveiled their search and rescue robot in 2013, Atlas has had several upgrades. The latest version can operate inside or outside and navigate over a variety of terrains, including rocks and snow. It can avoid obstacles, and manipulate and handle objects even if they are being moved. If it is pushed over it can get up again, and it can jump from one box to another, doing a 180-degree turn in mid-air. It is also able to do backflips, showing amazing dexterity for a robot.
As impressive as Atlas is, in tests, it was beaten by the HRP 4 from Kawada Industries, which was able to complete the tasks given in a shorter time frame. It can also pour drinks, strike a pose and respond to human commands.
Cheetah 3, developed by MIT’s Biometric Robotics Lab, can jump over obstacles while running. This requires management of balance and energy so that it can handle the impact of landing without having to stop. It can navigate stairs and walk over rubble. As the name suggests, it is modelled on the live cheetah, but can balance on three of its legs and use the fourth one as a hand.
These robots and many others are all being developed to help save lives, and their different capabilities mean eventually that is exactly what they will do.
Robotics used for companionship
Japan is just one of the countries of the world that has an ageing population, which they are concerned about. They are developing robots that can hold a conversation, remember previous conversations, and recognise voices so it knows whom it has had each conversation with. Researchers have said that it has been found that some of the older generation actually prefer to talk to the robots, as they do not judge them as humans might. They are also a good way of providing companionship for people living on their own. One of their most well known talking robots is named Erica. She can talk on various different subjects, and her creator, Hiroshi Ishiguro says it is like she has a soul.
Asimo, first unveiled by Honda in 2000, has progressed by leaps and bounds. It can now recognise moving objects, make gestures and poses as well as understand human voices and recognise human faces. These abilities mean that it is perfect for interacting with humans. Japan is currently ahead of the rest of the world in this field of technology.
Robots going into unknown frontiers
Valkyrie from NASA is seen as a robot for space. Originally only four robots were made, and three of them were loaned to other institutions for research purposes, the fourth one having been kept for their own research programme. Northeastern University, MIT and the University of Edinburgh in Scotland were the recipients. NASA developed all the hardware and the other institutions are working on the development of higher capabilities.
The idea is that future versions of Valkyrie will be the first step towards the human colonisation of Mars. Whether this ever becomes a reality waits to be seen, but with the advancing capabilities of modern robotics, humans could already have a ready-made city to move in to by the time they reach Mars.
Photograph by Scott Akerman / Jon Chan