Category Archives: Robots and Society

Demand for Domestic Bots

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68% of participants in a market research survey think domestic robots would be useful

Furthermore, the survey indicated that nearly half of that 68% would even take out a loan to buy one in the future!

If you had a robot at home, what are some of the tasks you would have it do? Participants of the survey stated that help moving heavy objects was at the top of the list. Other robot-worthy tasks included  providing home security,  cleaning windows, washing floors and dishes and doing laundry.
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Robot Revolutionizes Home Schooling

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Learning from home may be the only option for some but robots can help fill some critical gaps

Cris Colaluca is a 14 year old boy who is attending class at his local school for the first time in six years. Technically, he’s sitting at a desk in his room, in New Castle, USA, but a mobile VGo robot allows him to experience his seventh grade math class between two of his peers in the front row.
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Robot and Frank

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Take a sneak peek at a favourite from this year’s Sundance Film Festival

Robot and Frank premiered this week at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. Directed by Jake Schreier and written by Christopher Ford, this dramatic comedy features a relationship between an elderly man and a robot bought for him by his kids who are concerned about his well being .
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Robots Mean Business

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Business bot by Elys Dolan ¨He'll do your tax return and wear a tie but draws the line at shirts¨.

Robotic advancements are boosting existing industries and paving the way for entirely new ones.

In the business world, robots are basically placed in either one of two categories: industrial or service. Industrial robots are the ones that help us manufacture cars, process food and assist in a great many tasks where repetitive assembly is required.

Presently, the number of industrial robots greatly surpasses that of service robots. According to the World Industrial Robotics 2011 report, there were 1,035,000 Continue reading →

A Bit of Bacteria Goes a Long Way

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Electron microscope image of the microbe, Geobacter sulfurreducens

The U.S.’s  Naval Research Laboratory  powers mini robots with microorganisms

All sorts of robots are used to help us explore outer space but bigger isn’t always better when it comes to extraterrestrial explorers. These machines require loads of energy and last time we checked, outer space lacks electrical outlets….
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ROBOLAW

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Europe supports more research on robotics and the law

The two year European project  ROBOLAW (Regulating Emerging Robotic Technologies in Europe: Robotics facing Law and Ethics) is scheduled to start in March of this year.

The main goal of this project will be to provide the European Commission with a  “White Book on Regulating Robotics”. Essentially, this will be a set of guidelines which will contribute to the future establishment of  a solid framework of ‘robolaw’ in Europe.

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Robots at School

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Spelling help robot — Girl, 10, Germany

“What would happen if robots were a part of your everyday life—at school and beyond?”

Latitude, an international research consultancy, asked  nearly 350 children in Australia, France, Germany, South Africa, the UK and the USA to draw a picture and write a story that answers the  question above.

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Shakespeare and Robots

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A Midsummer Night’s Dream’s Mechanical cast members

The video above features a special performance of a Shakespearean classic put on by Texas A&M University several years ago. The students and professors involved in the production thought this would be a great way to see how people respond to and interact with robots. Continue reading →