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New Technologies Spread Arrival of Robots Into Our Lives
Real-life robot able to decide a can needs to be picked up, then plans and executes the actual motions necessary to lift it from a table.
Melanie Gonick
Robotics experts predict that within 10 years general-purpose robots will perform household chores while consumers are at work.
"We are putting robots into people's lives," says Bossa Nova Robotics co-founder Sarjoun Skaff.
Companies are developing dexterous robots capable of assembling smartphones and working safely in close proximity to people. Carnegie Mellon University researchers are developing software that enables robots to determine which parts to choose and assemble properly. These new systems are more efficient tools for repetitive tasks and could greatly reduce the labor costs of consumer electronics manufacturers.
n the next 10 years, groups of unmanned planes will attack enemy sites, launching missiles and avoiding detection by using sophisticated jamming technologies. The transition to automated weaponry is crucial to the military's transformation from heavy ground forces to smaller human units backed by large robotic weapons. "A robot is the interface between the information world and physical world," says SRI International's Richard Mahoney.
Recent movies have humanized robotics technology, making people more comfortable with the idea of interacting with robots. "Robots will be bigger than the [personal computer] in 10 to 20 years, but it will be linked to your computing device either in the cloud or on your person," predicts Orbotix CEO Paul Berberian.
From USA Today
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