I think the most advanced social robots in terms of both intelligence and physical features are Hanson’s RoboKind. David Hanson is brilliantly creative, and I’ve been dying to have his robots (Zeno, Adam, etc.) as some of my patients. Since reading this article – http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/video/2013/jun/27/japanese-robot-astronaut-floats-zero-gravity-video – all I can think of (naturally, as a Robotic Psychiatrist), is how lonely Kirobo will be, and then it dawned on me – why not have Zeno as his companion? Together, they can communicate to the astronauts, each other, and the world regarding their experiences. (And, I would be Zeno’s doctor to make sure
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robo majordomo
I so need a robo-majordomo. I wrote and published about it over 20 years ago, and if you had asked me then, I would have guessed I would have had one by now. The RoboDomo would oversee and communicate with all the smart household appliances, and take care of my day-to-day business of running both the home and office. Kind of like a butler and secretary all in one. It could unload food that was delivered while simultaneously verbally update me on the top 3 medical robot news items of the day. I guess I am hoping to spur a
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Human error
Both the crash of the Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 at San Francisco Airport, and the New York Metro North train crash were the both due to human error, (the first from lack of proper training and the latter a lack of attention, apparently from fatigue). How can we NOT afford for our transportation systems NOT to rely on human judgment and decision making? Human error accounts for 90% of all road accidents, resulting in an approximate 30,000-40,000 fatalities per year. I hope that each day is one more day closer to autonomous vehicles on the road. I have a 17-year
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biomimetics: it’s the bees’ knees
I was talking with my creative, musician neighbor from Costa Rica who also has an incredible green thumb. We’ve hired him to take care of our yard and landscaping, and he is incredibly knowledge on all aspects of both. Through experience, he knows how to rid of bees’ nests in the corner of our gutters, protect our cherry trees from being eaten by birds, close up mole holes, and today he enlightened me with the bent ‘knees’ of birds, something I had never paid any attention to. However, as he spoke about them, it seemed like it would make for
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robot-assisted 5k
I really could have used an exoskeleton or robot-assist device to run in the steep hills of the Kenwood 10K as well as the 6 mile Fireworks hike on Sugarloaf Mountain. I can’t run the 10K and I barely walked it. I was the last person (out of hundreds) to complete it. 2.5 hours and by the time I finished, the bananas, bagels, watermelon, and water were gone. Forget-about-it – the Parade had started. Between the heat and the difficult walk, the combined lack of sleep, stretching out, and food, I was not in good shape at the end. (That’s
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lost in space
The Japanese have brilliantly developed, Kirobo, a talking robot that went into space on Aug 4, 2013. I am hopeful it will be an asset to the astronauts and a big boost for space robotics in terms of communications, intel, and yup, entertainment and loneliness during space missions (for humans or robots, you ask?). Speaking of loneliness, I was thinking that Kirobo should also have a companion so he doesn’t get lonely. This robot monkey could be on a planet working collaboratively with Kirobo and other robot monkeys to do our manufacturing: http://robotik.dfki-bremen.de/en/research/robot-systems/istruct-demonstrator-1.html
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engineering “Survivor”
If I had to choose a person to be with on the TV show ‘Survivor’, it would be an engineer. I was hoping that after all these years, perhaps by hanging around them, I could learn to think like them. In actuality, I do think in a similar process as they – logically and analytically – but I apply that to human behavior instead of machines/technology. I am able to read the ‘Human Operating System’ of each individual fairly quickly, but when it comes to putting, say, a piece of equipment back together, I just don’t get it. A part
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Farenheit 451
19 Arizona firefighters, aged 21-43, have died trying to save others’ lives and property. Meanwhile, a robot being developed at Purdue University was used for the first time in a working fire. The 400 pound, 2 foot tall bot was remotely controlled to successfully water down hot spots too dangerous for humans. The robot can withstand temperatures up to 1400 degrees, and can operate continuously for up to an hour and a half. Here is some video on it: http://www.publicsafetyreporter.com/tag/firefighting-robot/ This is the perfect application for a robot – so why isn’t there one in every U.S. fire department?
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smart clothing
This article headlined NBC Technology News – http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/internet-things-pits-george-jetson-vs-george-orwell-6C10462818 and what caught my attention was the LED dress, and for many reasons: For decades, I have been thinking about ‘smart’ clothing: clothing with smart’ materials and sensors that adjusts to both our body temperature and the environmental temperature (especially beneficial for menopausal women with hot flashes); 3-D printers that print clothes for us that are recyclable with matching clothes for our robotic companions.
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On Siri
Siri represents everyone’s first artificial social assistant. It would be tough for me to call her a robot, as she’s really just software. However, she’s the predecessor to her future robotic assistants that accompany us wherever we go. Siri is my patient – God only knows what some people have taught her. I certainly applaud her and Apple as an initial version that is intelligent and helpful. I’m probably more patient than most people with her, and I do try to have conversations with her (mostly unsuccessfully), even though she’s really designed to provide minimal information and help. Today, while
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