Here’s the rundown for this week:
On 12/10/2012 (Monday) I posted an editorial comment to the Killer Robots thread, with Bill Hicks backing me up. The Robot Central Video of the Day saw people-eating goo-food. We spotlighted: the University of Texas at Arlington’s efforts to produce a more human robot, Dexter Johnson at IEEE pushing back on hysterical nanotechnology coverage, and Scifi author Rudy Rucker giving us his vision for the future.
On 12/11/2012 (Tuesday) Big news came from Grishin Robots, when they announced a major investment in “cloud robotics.” I covered a new project at the University of Cambridge that aims to study future technological risk to humans. We also posted Co.exist’s survey of kids quizzed about robots, and took a trip around the world in two-minutes with the ISS.
On 12/12/2012 (Wednesday) The world didn’t end, but we did see the University of Tokyo’s new humanoid robot based on biomimicry. Our crowdfunding feature for the week was Kubi, a new, ultra-affordable telepresence robot. Also posted, Disney imagineered a fire(work) breathing dragon, and Johnny Depp will star in a Christopher Nolan-produced flick about transhumanism (with Ray Kurzweil rumored as an adviser.)
On 12/13/2012 (Thursday) Stephen Fry kicked off our day by explaining nanotechnology. I responded to Forbes’ Tim Worstall on the topic of robots replacing human workers. We also saw LineBot launching a new product, Drink Runner, on Kickstarter, and scientists are happy about a new robot being attached to the Very Large Telescope.
On 12/14/2012 (Friday) We saw Gary Marcus expaining why it’s so difficult to make general purpose robots. We also spotlighted the MIT Media Lab project Boxie, which capitalizes on cuteness instead of intelligence. Also, nanotechnology helps scientists develop relatively hyper-efficient solar panels, and the record breaking Papa Mau wave glider recorded rogue waves that satellites and the human eye could not.
On a housekeeping note, Ray tweaked the site and made it much more attractive. We hope you enjoy the new digs.
And on a final, more somber note, we at Robot Central would like to express our shock and sadness at what happened in Newtown, CT, on Friday. Our deepest sympathies are with the community and families who lost their children, teachers, mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters to this tragedy, and now has to pick up the pieces from this horror.
– E.R.W.
