Dawn of the Robot Age, Near?
If all the signs are to be believed, then the twenty-first century will technologically be characterized by robots walking and its relevant products, which possess all chances to become real bulk goods, in the course of the next decades
Most robots are used in industry today, manufacturing cars, appliances, and serving in places which are hazardous to people, for example nuclear plants and chemical and fertilizer factories. Even the military has seen a marked increase since 2000 in their use of semi-autonomous robots such as surveillance drones, mine sweepers and deep sea reconnaissance. In these hazardous areas robots excel where humans have severe difficulty.
More mundane applications are robot cleaners, such as vacuum cleaners, which are now seeing its appearance in the market place. They are still too expensive, costing between US$3000 and US$5000, but once other manufacturers start selling their own patents and the technology becomes available, prices will come down. And so there are many uses for robots around the house and garden. Moreover, the idea of a toaster telling you that you cannot have your toast because it is not toasted properly may not be acceptable to everyone. Therefore, a fully robotic kitchen may not be everyone’s dream of convenience, at least not, if you have to argue with the robot daily.
The fact that we are now entering an age, where these robots are becoming a reality, makes many of us question the direction robot technology should take.
In books, the movies or in television series, robots have either been shown as beneficial to humans or enemies. As such, they are obviously built in the image of their creators, showing much of the same characteristics.
Tags: robot gadgets, robot technology, robotics