All tagged robotics

Where Do We Fit In: Robots and Humans

Robots have been inspiring both negative and positive impressions ever since they were first conceptualized. On one hand, you have a fear of the unknown. People may see a humanoid device with powerful abilities and give in to the fear perpetuated by decades of movies and language that love to show robots as villains. Classic examples of this include I, Robot and The Terminator, both famous movies that perpetuate the idea of dangerous robots. In a more practical sense, there may be concerns about people losing their jobs to robots. An example of this would be self-driving cars uprooting the traditional trucking industry. Despite these ideas that can circulate in efforts to impede change, many people are excited to have robots in their lives. A 2008 study (C. Ray, et al) showed that many people in their survey group were happy about the prospect of domestic robots. Participants were especially excited about robots capable of verbal communication. Over ten years later, with devices like the Amazon Alexa in our homes, it’s easy to see how these early desires led to the creation of what is now a common interactive piece of technology.