Make way for a Robot!?

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At the end of World War Two It was said that by the end of the century we would see flying cars which could be powered by Fusion energy. Ok, so the Millenium failed to deliver that on that but how close are we?

If We look back at technical advances through the ages as early as the paleolithic period of the stone ages when man first took some rocks from the earth then beat them both together to create a tool in order to survive, all the up to the present age of information, we can see how quickly we have developed a world reliant on AI (artificial intelligence) making become obsolete.
You may argue that we as humans are needed in order to create the data and technology that go into artificial intelligence but evidence suggests otherwise.

ROBOT

The word ROBOT comes from the Czech word "robota" meaning "forced labor" and was first used in a play back in 1921 called R.U.R (Rossum's Universal Robots) by Karel Čapek. In this play we see a factory creating human-like robots which are happy to work for humans until they all end up on a murderous-spree and eliminate mankind. Many adaptions of this story have been used for example the terminator and Irobot, all of which depict a similar plot.

but all this is still fictional and exists only in our perception. So what about reality? are we seeing evidence that robots are becoming self-sustainable? are we creating a world where AI can survive without human interaction?

Here are my top 7 ways in which robots are replacing humans...

• Retail

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From self-service checkouts to AI home delivery and online shopping, we are increasingly seeing retail businesses replace the need for human interaction. Supermarkets have replaced the checkout worker with computerized checkout systems and can now serve more people quicker and more sufficient at a cheaper labor cost to themselves. Amazon (one of the biggest online retailers) have equipt their warehouses with a vast amount of robots to do this very same thing.

one good example of present-day robots in retail can be seen in Walmart. A shelf-scanning system that continuously learns the practices of shoppers and sends the data to a database where the information is used to help improve its inventory across its stores.

• Transport

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Self-driving transport is now no longer a thing of the future. We have autonomous vehicles on our roads and in our skies today. Advances in worldwide super wifi are currently in production which will be able to guide our vehicles using data and sensors to where ever we want to go. Although self-driving should not be confused with driverless as these are two different things. Self-driving is an assistance system and still requires a human to be involved in some manner. whereas driverless is when a vehicle is 100% controlled through data, radar and/or GPS and has no human at the control.

• Military

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Whatever technology you have access to today, rest assured that the military had in decades ago. So it should come at no surprise that most advanced robots are being built with military applications in mind. Early applications of robotic defense systems can date back to World War II. The german Goliath was one of the first remote controlled tanks capable of carrying various different weapons and explosives up to 750kg across a battlefield un-manned. Today we have unmanned drones that send imagery and data but also are capable of firing upon the enemy should the need be. talks of cloaking devices and even teleportation have been said to be in development but we will probably not hear about them in our lifetime. The military has one of the greatest arguments for why robotics more beneficial than humans and that is through loss of life. Although common sense says that blowing up an ED-209 rather than losing a solider is a better outcome, you could also argue that if loss of life was not a factor for war then more wars would happen due to lack of humanitarian factors standing in the way.

• Domestic

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Our homes are fast becoming a self-sufficient environment with WiFi being a must-have for most homes across the globe, which in turn opens up the opportunity for further advancements in our domestic lives. Smart technology are being fitted to our everyday appliances and we are able to automate our home to suit our needs. With computer control over temperature and lighting to voice command televisions and even smart refrigerators, we are fast losing control of our homes and relying on technology to keep us safe and warm.

The earliest attempt at a domestic robot was called HERO (1982). For a robot of the '80s, Hero was able to play songs, games, wake people up in the morning, notify important events, and even guard the home. it could gather and analyze data making this robot able to remember your name.

• Industry

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We touched on Amazon and its distribution warehouse's earlier on in this blog and as you can see from the GIF here the reality is striking. While you probably have seen car manufacturing lines being completely automated by robots and have been this way for some time now, what we don't realize is the industry has far advanced technology that are completely unmanned. this technology is known in the industry as RPA ( Robotic Process Automation ) which can run on multiple resource applications to be able to complete rule-based tasks. This means it can move between various different applications making it able to do several different tasks with ever getting bored or stopping. So looking at those Amazon robots in the Gif and applying RPA, we will be able to see that if one task is complete then it could move on to another task within the workplace with ease.

• Healthcare

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Imagine lying in a hospital bad and a TV screen rolls up beside you then a face appears and asks you how you are feeling. Well, imagine no more because this is already happening. Doctors are using video conferencing attached to a robot that has the hospital schematics mapped into there system and uses laser technology to move around being able to navigate through elevators and recognize different rooms. These personal assistants robots are able to automatically update a patient's medical records as they carry out vital checks. This one machine is doing the work of three members of staff and with the healthcare industry currently under financial strain, it won't be long before you are having your blood pressure taken by one of these machines.

• Education

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Meet Elias, this robot in programmed with 23 different languages and is increasingly turning up in schools where it is able to interact with pupils and even has the ability to recognize the pupil's skill level and Taylor its questions to suit that individuals needs. It can buildup a report of each person within the class and report back to the teacher. Oh, and it also dances to Gangnam style just to add to its awesomeness.

other educational robots include oVobot, an owl-like robot with a touch screen tablet that can teach math, dialog, concepts and time. teachers can also create educational tests or challenges via there website.

• Sex

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I had to save the best for last. Sex robots are a thing and have been around now for over two years. Harmony 3.0 is an AI-powered sex robot, created by a company called Realbotix. They can be fully customized to suit your needs and have removable private parts that are dishwasher safe. optional extras include body heating, self-lubricating vagina, and touch sensors. Not only is this robot for your pleasure but it can remember your birthday, favorite food, music and can also make you laugh. it has customizable personalities to suit your wishes.

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I am sure that you can think of a lot more too but if this is not evidence enough for you then please feel free to explain why. everything in this post has been backed by facts that I have researched from various different sources. check it out for your self with a simple search in your search bar and your eyes will be opened to just how advanced robotics are truly now and not the future.

Thanks for reading!