Author Archives: brownhcri

Large Screen Mobile Telepresence Robot (LSMTR)

In preparation for this year’s Designing Humanity Centered Robots class exhibition we’re going to share a couple of robots from past classes. Today we have the Large Screen Mobile Telepresence Robot. Most telepresence robots are little more than “Skype on a stick” or a “laptop on wheels”.LSMTR is window to another place. LSMTR makes interactive collaborationContinue reading “Large Screen Mobile Telepresence Robot (LSMTR)”

Intriguing Article Published on Footnote: The Path To A Programmable World

We now live in a world permeated by computers. From phones to watches, home thermostats to coffee makers, and even ball-point pens, more and more of the gadgets we interact with on a daily basis are general-purpose computational devices in disguise. These “smart” devices differ from ordinary ones in that they are programmable and canContinue reading “Intriguing Article Published on Footnote: The Path To A Programmable World”

Article Published on “Automation, Not Domination: How Robots Will Take Over Our World”

The first question people tend to ask when they find out you are a roboticist is, “When are robots going to take over the world and become our masters?” The answer to this question is a big “Never!” Robots and artificial intelligence (AI) will, however, “take over” the world by invading and hopefully enhancing every aspectContinue reading “Article Published on “Automation, Not Domination: How Robots Will Take Over Our World””

Could your robot hurt you? Perhaps, but not intentionally.

Because robots’ decision-making abilities are not at the level of humans’, there are liabilities that come with industrial robots, automated vehicles, caretakers, and other positions that involve life-or-death situations. More so than robots rebelling and taking over the world, people should be worrying about robots malfunctioning or falling into the hands of the wrong people.Continue reading “Could your robot hurt you? Perhaps, but not intentionally.”

The Google Driverless Car: “A Cool Thing that Matters” by Alexa Peseri

Abstract: Google is a company that prides itself on doing “cool things that matter.” One of the company’s most recent ventures is the development of a driverless car. This article explores the way in which the Google car operates, as well as the reasons for Google’s investment in such technology. Google’s vehicle is a robot-controlledContinue reading “The Google Driverless Car: “A Cool Thing that Matters” by Alexa Peseri”

Who Will Drive the Revolution?

“I will remember that artificially intelligent machines are for the benefit of humanity and will strive to contribute to the human race through my creations.” – Lee McCauley’s 2007 proposed a Hippocratic oath for roboticists The field of robot ethics often focuses on ethical problems with creating robots. But because certain populations are in needContinue reading “Who Will Drive the Revolution?”

Getting Robots to Behave

One of people’s biggest concerns regarding the possibility of owning robots is losing control of these robots(1). Getting robots to cooperate with humans is a challenge given the numerosity and complexity of the rules governing social conduct. Isaac Asimov illustrated this difficulty in his short story “Runaround,” in which the rules governing a robot’s behaviorContinue reading “Getting Robots to Behave”