The evolution of technology has only become more rapid over the past few decades. While the innovations of the 20th century had a transformative impact on our lives, those to come are likely to be even more comprehensive.
These changes have been especially pronounced in robotics, where companies across industries have been working to build autonomous machines capable of general intelligence. Today, engineering, artificial intelligence, and materials science are coming together to create something new. Here are the latest innovations in robotics you should know about.
Functionality
Although previously, people imagined robots as generally capable of performing many tasks, many of those today are designed to specialize in specific tasks. Cooking, cleaning, and offering emotional support are just a few functions they’re designed for.
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Robots have been used for decades in manufacturing, space exploration, and military applications. However, now they’re popping up in health care, hospitality, and other human-facing fields that they can excel in. For example, the Japanese company Parobots designed their robot Paro to assist its owners with emotional support and stress reduction.
Mobility
Another significant advancement recently made in robotics is the ability for machines to move around and perform physical tasks that would have previously been impossible. Robots have been programmed to jump, dance, and perform acrobatic feats.
Boston Dynamics is a US-based company that’s become famous for showcasing the many advancements in mobility their robotics have made over the past few years. By taking advantage of lidar sensors in mobile robotics, researchers can use modern processing techniques to give them superhuman senses.
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence is one of the biggest recent advancements in robotics. By using data collection techniques coupled with neural networks, artificial intelligence systems have recently made rapid progress. These machine-learning feedback techniques can be used to create artificial limbs capable of picking up even the most fragile items without breaking them.
Companies such as Google, Microsoft, and Open AI have recently made huge strides in the field. With things changing so rapidly, some have called for a stay in investment until our understanding can catch up. Recent advancements in artificial intelligence and machine learning have caused some to question whether it’s a good idea to anthropomorphize our robotic companions.
Autonomy
With all the other innovations in robotics, it’s become evident that robots could be capable of autonomous thoughts and act accordingly. The United States military already employs drones and other machines capable of making decisions about their targets.
There are many moral and ethical questions associated with this approach to robotics. Allowing machines to operate independently with no human control mechanisms could have drastic consequences if pursued without care.
The Future of Robotics Is Here
Whether people have realized it or not, advancements in robotics are set to change our lives. Added functionality, improved mobility, artificial intelligence, and the autonomy that comes with them shouldn’t be taken lightly. You may also like to read the ebook by Sharda: Analytics, Data Science, and Artificial Intelligence: Systems for Decision Support, 11th Edition, in PDF
It’s hard to predict what exactly the future will hold for us. However, knowing about the latest innovations in robotics will allow you to make the most of this brave new world.