{"id":5286,"date":"2013-07-19T01:00:34","date_gmt":"2013-07-19T05:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.allandouglas.com\/blog\/?p=5286"},"modified":"2025-04-21T01:56:40","modified_gmt":"2025-04-21T05:56:40","slug":"robots-of-the-near-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/robots-of-the-near-future\/","title":{"rendered":"Robots of the Not Too Distant Future"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In part 2 of this series we looked at robots and robotic devices that are available today.\u00a0 Some, like the robotic training aids in use to teach people <a title=\"Advanced CPR training mannequins\" href=\"http:\/\/www.laerdal.com\/us\/doc\/75\/Resusci-Anne-Simulator\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">CPR<\/a>, medical <a title=\"Robot medical patients\" href=\"http:\/\/tulane.edu\/search-results?search_block_form=robots+for+diagnostics&amp;form_build_id=form-rQPCBaLVDb3LlDqY3zG5_Jxt4oyygunchb-zMzPIxNM&amp;form_id=search_block_form&amp;gse_id=016944467691368641312%3As13lta9uwks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">diagnostics<\/a>, <a title=\"Dental training robot\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=WhzbFaNueKU\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">dentistry<\/a> and even child birth are fairly sophisticated.\u00a0 The Geminoid line of robots are incredibly life-like.<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/eZlLNVmaPbM\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re\u00a0 wondering whether this was in fact a real robot, or actually a person <em>pretending<\/em> to be a robot; it is not a fake.\u00a0 This is the latest iteration of the <a title=\"Check out the Geminoids\" href=\"https:\/\/spectrum.ieee.org\/tag\/geminoid\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Geminoid series<\/a> of ultra-realistic androids from Japanese firm <a title=\"Check out this robotics company\" href=\"https:\/\/spectrum.ieee.org\/tag\/kokoro\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kokoro<\/a> and Osaka University <span style=\"text-decoration: line-through;\">mad scientist<\/span> roboticist <a title=\"Ishiguro\" href=\"https:\/\/spectrum.ieee.org\/tag\/hiroshi%20ishiguro\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Hiroshi Ishiguro<\/a>.\u00a0 Specifically, this is Geminoid DK, which was constructed to look exactly like associate professor Henrik Scharfe of Aalborg University in Denmark.<\/p>\n<p>Prof. Scharfe confirmed: &#8220;No, it is not a hoax,&#8221;\u00a0adding that he and colleagues in Denmark and Japan have been working on the project since 2010.\u00a0 His Geminoid, which cost some US $200,000, is going to be used for studying human-robot interaction, in particular people&#8217;s emotional responses when they face an android representing another person.\u00a0 Prof. Scharfe wants to find out if the robot can transmit a person&#8217;s &#8220;presence&#8221;\u00a0to a remote location and whether cultural differences in people&#8217;s acceptance of robots make a difference<sup>.[<a title=\"Source article on robots\" href=\"https:\/\/spectrum.ieee.org\/automaton\/robotics\/humanoids\/latest-geminoid-is-disturbingly-realistic\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">1<\/a>]<\/sup><\/p>\n<p>Have you seen the movie <a title=\"Watch the movie trailer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=TwkkB2aDQM4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><b><i>Surrogates<\/i><\/b><\/a>?<!--more--><\/p>\n<p>At this point the makers of\u00a0 Geminoids are focusing on realistic facial expressions and human interaction.\u00a0 These are not real robots\/androids in that they are teleoperated and do not process information to formulate a response, but the possibilities are immense.\u00a0 Read on.<\/p>\n<p>Earlier this month (July 2013) Boston Dynamics unveiled Atlas, their contender for D.A.R.P.A.\u2019s\u00a0 Robot Challenge, which aims to develop robotics hardware and software that can be used to handle extreme emergencies, such as an accident at a nuclear power plant.\u00a0 Boston Dynamics has been working on the <a title=\"Video on robot &quot;Big Dog&quot;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=8VuC4uUhBp4#at=23\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">LS3 Big Dog<\/a>, a robotic pack animal for the military that can follow a human companion while carrying a heavy load AND remain totally balanced and stable in all terrains \u2013 even on ice.\u00a0 Much of that stability research has been rolled into the bipedal Atlas.\u00a0 Atlas has been given arms with interchangeable hands to handle a variety of tasks.\u00a0 Its sensory input is astounding!<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/w40e1u0T1yg\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>CHARLI, who won the 2011 Robo Cup soccer challenge was the USA\u2019s first full size, fully autonomous, bipedal robot.\u00a0 All its power systems and software are on-board, it is aware of its surroundings and uses optics and laser range finders to interact with those surroundings.\u00a0 Fast it isn\u2019t, but it had to be programmed to locate the soccer ball, dribble it across the \u201cfield\u201d then aim and kick the ball into a goal net.\u00a0 The goal was defended by his opponent, but not defended very well.\u00a0 All this takes some really sophisticated programming.<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/26niuBYucj0\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>And of course there is Asimo; Honda\u2019s autonomous bipedal robot that has been in development for close to 30 years and is considered the world\u2019s front runner as a truly functional household helper.\u00a0 <em>And<\/em> Honda finally released a video done in English, aimed at the American home market.<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/rYbYP72dwYA\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Add to this collection the robot baby developed by the University of California San Diego where researchers hope a humanoid robot can help in therapy sessions with special needs children.\u00a0 What makes this one special is that it \u201clearns\u201d, not through software upgrades, but by interacting with people.<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/aP6uxt3JJSU\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Learning is in fact a primary objective for any future robotic household assistant.\u00a0 Hard coded instruction is fine for a robot\u2019s equivalent of our autonomic systems (heart beating, breathing, eyes blinking as needed, etc.), the robot&#8217;s mobility and sensory input, but relying on such instructions will never allow a robot to anticipate the needs of its owner or to deal effectively with a new situation.<\/p>\n<p>There are some others, like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=tkK8pjRSPvI&amp;feature=youtu.be\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">NAO<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=X3oH01RXZrI&amp;feature=youtu.be\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">HRP-4<\/a>, but the above are the current front runners in automatons and the processes going into them.<\/p>\n<p>All of this establishes a sort of base line. As an automotive analogy, these robots represent the Ford Model A.\u00a0 What do we need to do to build the robotic equivalent of a Ford Taurus?\u00a0 The goal is a robotic servant and companion that can perform household duties as well as (or better than) the resident human.\u00a0 A robot nanny, caregiver, maid, cook and companion.<\/p>\n<h1>Computing Power<\/h1>\n<p>The largest obstacle to robotics and artificial intelligence at the moment is the lack of number crunching ability.\u00a0 We talked about the immense challenge of programming CHARLI to scan for a ball, position himself in relation to the ball, move the ball across a playing area and kick it into a goal.\u00a0 This is because not only to they need to program the movements, but he has to do things we take for granted, like maintaining balance, even when standing on one foot while the other prepares to kick the ball.\u00a0 The last video above discusses the task of grasping a drinking glass and lifting it to our lips.\u00a0 It\u2019s a piece of cake for us \u2013 unless we\u2019re physically challenged \u2013 but for a robot it\u2019s another story.\u00a0 Those folks found that using proximity sensors in the robot\u2019s hand rather than optical or laser scanners and a huge set of instructions greatly simplified the task.\u00a0 Now it can \u201cfeel\u201d the glass just as we would.<\/p>\n<p>While the world waits for the Quantum Computer to be perfected and made available, A.I. researchers are exploring some interesting alternatives that make better use of the computing power that is available.<\/p>\n<p>A quantum computer, by the way, uses quantum bits, called qubits, to crunch through its operations. Just like bits, qubits can represent either a zero or one, but the real juice is in their third state, called the &#8220;superposition&#8221; \u2013 they can represent both one and zero <em>at the same time<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>This quirky ability means that the same string of qubits can represent lots of different things simultaneously. For example, a set of two qubits in superposition represents four possible situations at the same time \u2013 [0, 0]; [0, 1]; [1, 0]; or [1, 1]. <sup>[<\/sup><sup>2<\/sup><sup>]<\/sup><\/p>\n<p>Do you find this hard to follow? That&#8217;s okay! Some of the very intelligent people who study it for a living are just as perplexed.\u00a0 In fact word around the lab is that no one really knows why a quantum computer works, they just know that it does.\u00a0 Call it magic if you like.\u00a0 But once perfected, a quantum computer will be capable of running calculations millions of times faster than anything we have available now.<\/p>\n<p>In the mean time, one alternative is to farm out much of the computing to an external computer stored in the home that is accessed by the robot via a Wi-Fi connection.\u00a0 This allows for a more powerful processor than could be placed inside the bot due to size and power constraints, but introduces the problem of signal lag.\u00a0 Developing a more efficient Wi-Fi connection will help, making it dedicated to the bot will be required.\u00a0 If it used the household Wi-Fi signal and all the kids were on their tablets watching music videos, dinner might be greatly delayed!<\/p>\n<p>Another option is to put dedicated programming into interchangeable modules.\u00a0 Keep the basic programming hard coded, then have modules that can be plugged in to prepare chicken teriyaki, or to take the kids upstairs, tuck them into bed, read them a story and turn off the light as it leaves, or to play a game of chess with you, or make a run to the super market for more bread and milk.\u00a0 Choose a specific task, plug in that mod, take it out when done and fit in another.<\/p>\n<p>But, once again, hard coded instructions have severe limitations when it comes to dealing with the unexpected.\u00a0 If the program has to include if-then instructions for every conceivable outcome of every action, the code rapidly becomes immense. Using learning algorithms is actually more efficient and flexible. Making that learning modular, makes a lesson applicable to multiple problems, allowing the android to \u201creason\u201d much as we do.<\/p>\n<h1>Psychology &amp; Ethics of Robots<\/h1>\n<p>Asimo is humanoid, but not human realistic.\u00a0 The Geminoids are human realistic.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure both types of robot will be made available for people of differing tastes.\u00a0 Some will relate better to a robot that looks more like a big toy, some to one they may forget is not human.\u00a0 Will human-realistic robots start a wave of people abandoning other humans in favor of synthetic people?\u00a0 Yes, yes it will\u2026 in fact it has already started.\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/farm3.staticflickr.com\/2883\/9316118765_f36a69931e_o_d.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" style=\"border: 0px none; margin: 5px;\" src=\"http:\/\/farm3.staticflickr.com\/2883\/9316118765_22f983c8cc_n_d.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"320\" height=\"194\" \/><\/a>Multiple print and TV news pieces have been made about men (and a few women, but mostly men) who have chosen to have a full time relationship with their\u2026 ahem\u2026 synthetic love partner.\u00a0 It started as being a sex doll, then (these people claim) \u201clove\u201d bloomed and now they dress them up and carry their \u201cpartner\u201d around with them, treating them like a living, disabled human partner.\u00a0 To be clear I am not talking about those silly inflatable things.\u00a0 Several companies, most notably the Japanese company <a title=\"See for yourself. Warning: ADULT CONTENT\" href=\"http:\/\/www.kanojotoys.com\/real-love-doll-ange-p-471.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Orient Industry<\/a>, are producing skin-on-bone dolls that are so realistic in looks and touch that, except for the fact they don&#8217;t move (on their own &#8230; yet), you would not be able to tell they were fake.\u00a0 An American porn company is producing a robotic doll named Roxxy that does move: in limited fashion, and will &#8220;converse&#8221; with you.<\/p>\n<p>Is this freakish or is this becoming more common?\u00a0 In February of 2013, <a title=\"Read the source article on robot lovers\" href=\"http:\/\/www.pbs.org\/wgbh\/nova\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">NOVA asked<\/a>, &#8220;Imagine that you could order up a robotic boyfriend or girlfriend. Would you do it?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>According to Sherry Turkle, an MIT professor who studies the social impacts of science and technology, more people than ever are answering &#8220;yes&#8221; to this (currently hypothetical) question. After all, human partners are fallible; they disappoint; they get angry and distracted. Robot mates, on the other hand, are endlessly attentive to our needs. They have no other demands on their time and attention. We cannot frustrate or disappoint them. They require no risk and no compromise.<\/p>\n<p>On a slightly less creepy note, how many people do you know who break out in hives if they get beyond 5 feet of their cell phone?\u00a0 I know several, and I don\u2019t get out much!\u00a0 People do develop strong attachments to their gadgets.\u00a0 When those gadgets start looking and acting like people, that will only escalate.\u00a0 Not all will be expecting or wanting a physical relationship, but even a &#8220;friend&#8221; who comes without the baggage of a human friend is appealing to some.\u00a0 I wonder what that will do to the fabric of society!\u00a0 Of course, if the AI folks do their jobs really well, even the androids will have neuroses and &#8220;baggage&#8221;!\u00a0 Then they will cease to be robots.\u00a0 They will be synthetic humans.\u00a0 Cylons?<\/p>\n<p>Another problem is an age old (literary) question as well: do they have rights?\u00a0 In the beginning the answer will be \u201cNo, they are machines and have no more rights than a toaster or lawn mower.\u201d\u00a0 But that will change as they improve and develop a consciousness, even a synthetic consciousness, activist groups will be lobbying to extend them all the privileges and rights that humans have.\u00a0\u00a0 And if this is stricken down, does android ownership constitute slavery?\u00a0 What sort of relationship do you suppose will take the place of &#8220;ownership&#8221; &#8211; employee, adoption, what?<\/p>\n<p>The movie <a title=\"Watch the trailer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=z5YMEwX2-88\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bicentennial Man<\/a> addresses some of these issues in a very thought provoking way.<\/p>\n<h1>How Far Away?<\/h1>\n<figure style=\"width: 235px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=z5YMEwX2-88\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: 0px none; margin: 5px;\" src=\"http:\/\/farm4.staticflickr.com\/3776\/9216388944_31e44015db_o_d.jpg\" alt=\"robots, robotics, android\" width=\"235\" height=\"350\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">from Bicentennial Man<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Honda\u2019s own Asimo promotional videos are proof that personal robot helpers are not far off.\u00a0 They will start with being the gofer-fetcher, check on so-and-so, mobile information service, set the table, get the mail, remind me to take my medicine, sort of assistant.\u00a0 These could roll out almost any time.\u00a0 Giving them the physical strength and dexterity to get an elderly person out of bed and into a wheel chair and the computational power for true Artificial Intelligence will take another decade or two.\u00a0 And they will be expensive: well into 6 figures, at least to start out.<\/p>\n<p>Like any new technology, the first wave is only for the well-off.\u00a0 Once the development and manufacturing costs are recovered and the process streamlined, they will start to be affordable enough for some of the rest of us.<\/p>\n<h1>Potential For Evil<\/h1>\n<p>Lets start with a minor evil: unemployment.\u00a0 Once robots can be mass produced, they will certainly be used to replace people in the workplace.\u00a0 First in hazardous tasks, then increasingly in other venues as employers discover the cost effectiveness of a workforce that doesn&#8217;t unionize or demand wage increases.\u00a0 Here&#8217;s an interesting (and humorous) look at why this might actually be a good thing from a fellow who says, &#8220;I for one welcome our new robot overlords&#8221; &#8211; including Ferbies?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/95KhuSbYJGE\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The world is rife with robot apocalypse stories.\u00a0 And that is certainly a possibility: if we succeed in building an entity that can learn and think for itself (which is a main goal) who is to say that it won\u2019t decide it doesn\u2019t like us?\u00a0 If they share a collective wi-Fi consciousness (or even if they don\u2019t) who\u2019s to say they won\u2019t conspire to turn the tables on the human population and take over as the dominant species?<\/p>\n<p>In a word: programming.<\/p>\n<p>If all robots\/androids are programmed with a fondness and respect for humans in the base-line code, (<a title=\"Read Asimov's laws of robotics\" href=\"http:\/\/www.auburn.edu\/~vestmon\/robotics.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Asimov\u2019s 3 Laws of Robotics<\/a>) as unalterable instructions, humans should be quite safe.\u00a0 The problems will come when people (hackers and evil genius\u2019s) start monkeying with robotic systems.\u00a0 And you know they will.<\/p>\n<p>Of course military robots will not be programmed to love us, they will be programmed to kill.\u00a0 The risk of these running amok and turning on us is much greater.<\/p>\n<p>But, if a robot revolution arises, it won\u2019t be because of the robots, it will be because of people.\u00a0 Even the most amazingly helpful device humankind devises can be perverted and turned lethal.\u00a0 But, that\u2019s us: people do that.\u00a0 To eliminate that threat, we must first root out that trait in ourselves.<\/p>\n<p>Here are a few movies about robots that I especially recommend as insightful and thought provoking.<\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"width: 120px; height: 240px;\" src=\"http:\/\/rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/e\/cm?lt1=_blank&amp;bc1=000000&amp;IS2=1&amp;bg1=FFFFFF&amp;fc1=000000&amp;lc1=0000FF&amp;t=alladougdesi-20&amp;o=1&amp;p=8&amp;l=as4&amp;m=amazon&amp;f=ifr&amp;ref=ss_til&amp;asins=B002UZCJ8Y\" width=\"320\" height=\"240\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/td>\n<td><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"width: 120px; height: 240px;\" src=\"http:\/\/rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/e\/cm?lt1=_blank&amp;bc1=000000&amp;IS2=1&amp;bg1=FFFFFF&amp;fc1=000000&amp;lc1=0000FF&amp;t=alladougdesi-20&amp;o=1&amp;p=8&amp;l=as4&amp;m=amazon&amp;f=ifr&amp;ref=ss_til&amp;asins=630587493X\" width=\"320\" height=\"240\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/td>\n<td><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"width: 120px; height: 240px;\" src=\"http:\/\/rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/e\/cm?lt1=_blank&amp;bc1=000000&amp;IS2=1&amp;bg1=FFFFFF&amp;fc1=000000&amp;lc1=0000FF&amp;t=alladougdesi-20&amp;o=1&amp;p=8&amp;l=as4&amp;m=amazon&amp;f=ifr&amp;ref=ss_til&amp;asins=B00003CXXP\" width=\"320\" height=\"240\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/td>\n<td><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"width: 120px; height: 240px;\" src=\"http:\/\/rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/e\/cm?lt1=_blank&amp;bc1=000000&amp;IS2=1&amp;bg1=FFFFFF&amp;fc1=000000&amp;lc1=0000FF&amp;t=alladougdesi-20&amp;o=1&amp;p=8&amp;l=as4&amp;m=amazon&amp;f=ifr&amp;ref=ss_til&amp;asins=B0000UJDLM\" width=\"320\" height=\"240\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/td>\n<td><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"width: 120px; height: 240px;\" src=\"http:\/\/rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/e\/cm?lt1=_blank&amp;bc1=000000&amp;IS2=1&amp;bg1=FFFFFF&amp;fc1=000000&amp;lc1=0000FF&amp;t=alladougdesi-20&amp;o=1&amp;p=8&amp;l=as4&amp;m=amazon&amp;f=ifr&amp;ref=ss_til&amp;asins=B0013FSL3E\" width=\"320\" height=\"240\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2>\u00a0More on this<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a title=\"Are There Robots In Your Future?\" href=\"https:\/\/PineyMountainFoster.org\/thoughts\/robots-in-your-future\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Part 1<\/a> and <a title=\"Robots as Servants: the Current Standing\" href=\"https:\/\/PineyMountainFoster.org\/thoughts\/servant-robots\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Part 2<\/a> of this series<\/li>\n<li><a title=\"Watch the video\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=cmz5fB4fk-0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">IBM Research on Artificial Intelligence<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a title=\"robotic aircraft on Popular Science\" href=\"https:\/\/www.popsci.com\/technology\/article\/2013-07\/autonomous-drone-lands-aircraft-carrier\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Fully Autonomous War Plane Can Even Land On A Carrier <\/a><\/li>\n<li><a title=\"AI system has an IQ\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/news\/artificial-intelligence-system-has-iq-of-4-year-old\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Artificial intelligence system has IQ of 4-year-old<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a title=\"Robotic hands\" href=\"https:\/\/spectrum.ieee.org\/automaton\/robotics\/medical-robots\/startup-spotlight-prensilia#.UelTLLsdBEk.facebook\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Smart Hands Research for Robotics and Prosthetics<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a title=\"robotic automobiles\" href=\"https:\/\/www.upi.com\/Business_News\/2013\/06\/30\/Auto-Outlook-Self-parking-cars-to-go-beyond-parallel-parking\/UPI-20401372584600\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Autonomous Steering Cars <\/a><\/li>\n<li><a title=\"latest robots\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=V8weU0k_P2c\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Awesome Robots from ICRA 2013<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a title=\"Evolution of robots\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=YSdKPxrY_gw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Robot Evolution<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a title=\"the psychology of robotic humanoids\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=8ar7WO1T5Cs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Why Human-like Robots Creep Us Out<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In part 2 of this series we looked at robots and robotic devices that are available today.&nbsp; Some, like the robotic training aids in use to teach people CPR, medical diagnostics, dentistry and even child birth are fairly sophisticated.&nbsp; The Geminoid line of robots are incredibly life-like. If you&rsquo;re&nbsp; wondering whether this was in fact &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/robots-of-the-near-future\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Robots of the Not Too Distant Future&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,12],"tags":[50],"class_list":["post-5286","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-educational","category-muse","tag-robots"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5286","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5286"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5286\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21163,"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5286\/revisions\/21163"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5286"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5286"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5286"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}