Presentations

So after viewing the presentations given by the class I thought most of them went well. It was beyond obvious that some of the class mates were distracted throughout the entire assignment, but for those who did put in effort I think their presentations were pretty cool.
I learned about the first military robot created during world war 2 by the Germans named the Goliath. Which was a remote controlled mine that was used to destroy tanks and damage structures. I also learned a bit more about NASA's rover Curiosity and how its been on Mars for over 3 years now studying the composition of the soil and other interesting aspects like geography. Most of the information covered by the presentations was a bit general and mostly every body had similar ideas and topics.

Military Robots Documentary Part 2

Reflecting on the documentary, military robots will one day change the world. It might have a positive outcome, it could bring the world to its knees but there is no doubt that military robots will one day become a reality. Robots have yet to lift off, but they are expected to become antonymous in within the next few decades. The possibility of humanoid robots is cool, but war is a controversial idea. War is used to make a nation richer, and the loser weaker. Military robots would primarily be used in war, and could be devastating to the worlds peace. It could also be turned against its own people and allow governments to turn tyrannical. Technology has lead to some of the greatest advancements in human history, but it has also changed how warfare and country's engage in war. Robots are the next step towards the future, and hopefully they be used for the best.

Military Robot Documentary

After watching the military robot documentary I learned that the U.S. government are working on creating killing robots. In a sense they already have succeed in creating the first generation of killing machines. During Iraq they introduced the first Predator UAV which had the capability to fly into hostile areas and destroy targets with Hell Fire Missiles. Newer models are in progress and with each advance there coming closer to turning into deadly toys for the military. In Boston a company is developing a robot named "Big Dog" which looks a lot like a dog and can lift over 300 pounds of equipment and run up to 30 mph. If u prefer to lift your self, try an exosuit on and easily lift over 200 pounds without a struggle. These robots are said to be ready to enter the battle field by 2025... and I'm ready to avoid the battle field way before that!

Living Machines: Rise Of The Robot part 3

As robotics continue to advance one big question remains, will robots ever become human like? Engineers in Japan are paving the way for the humanoid robots, and have been successful in creating a walking robot previously thought impossible to create. Although the robots still lack fluid movements, they show signs of promise by slowly advancing the humanoid project. A robot has also been able to express human facial emotions in an effort to mimic the human body. Researchers at MIT are leading the way in artificial intelligence and hope to one day incorporate it into robots. But the question stands, how far will robots go?
Machines have come a long way since the industrial revolution, and have forever changed the way how humans interact. They have helped human productivity at an exponential rate and have made their way into the every day life of mankind. From allowing us to travel across the land, to air travel, they have made an impact. But now, as machines evolve into robots, how far will they go? Will they change how the everyday human works, or will they replace us completely?
The future is unclear, but hopefully they will drive for me one day.

Living Machines: The Rise of the robot part 2

After resuming and watching the documentary for the second half, I am convinced robots will invade the battle field one day. New robots are constantly being designed and created in effort to overcome some epidemic. In the latest years, drones and other military vehicles have made their way into the battle field and have pushed the war efforts. Most are claimed to be for intelligence gathering, but others are on the verge of looking like pre-terminator machines. They have the capability of being able to reproduce and carry out the same task millions of times without failure. This allows them to be able to take control for them selves and pilot the most remote areas. Humans can't survive in outer space with out huge instruments and food supplies. Satellites only need to harvest the energy from the sun, and make them the perfect fit.

Living machines: The rising of the robot

After watching the documentary "Living machines: The rising of the robot" I had an interesting reaction towards what I saw. Typically most people think of robots as the humanoid figures, but in reality most robots are far from that. Most robots in use today are being used in industrial, military, and in environments hazardous to humans. Robots are seen as the next big step in human history because they are being able to accomplish task that humans would never be able to undertake. Each human live is valuable, but robots are disposable. In the documentary I saw robots that I had never seen before, some only idling up and about the room, others cleaning up radioactive waste from power plants. Slowly but profoundly impact full, some of these mechanical contraptions are making there way into our lives. Most robots I saw had some significant use, others were just plain weird. The field of robotics is ever growing but I'm struggling to find use in a robotic baby. Its amazing engineers were able to build a baby simulating robot but its plain creepy.

Robot News

Developers at MIT have created a new robot named Hermes that are helping close the gap between humans and robots. Unlike most conventional robots Hermes has the ability to remain upright with little to no problem. It also comes equipped with a set of 3 fingered arms that can easily accomplish human tasks. Hermes is controlled remotely by a person which can track the robots movements through cameras. Hermes is helping close the gap between human and robot by allowing future robots to do hazardous work.
The problem with current robots is the lack of artificial intelligence that allow for complicated tasks. By replacing the artificial intelligence with a human controller, the need for such demanding software is eliminated and work can progress.
Not to overlook, Hermes has progressed the robot field by giving it human like reflexes that could help the development of precise robots. The robotic field has advanced in recent years, but progress can be slow and costly. Making even small improvements to current models can help the development of future prototypes and help the robotic field.
Hermes is making a small but significant step towards implementing future robot workers and hopefully within the next few years they will be in action building new projects.

http://www.gizmag.com/mit-hermes-remote-controlled-robot/38847/