How robots will change our world
Some fear that robots could do half our jobs and even wipe us out. But is that likely?
Smart machines already make our cars and clean our homes. Soon they could drive us about, teach our children, and keep our parents company.
While dealing with the ethical concerns about Artificial Intelligence, Bennie Mols and Nieske Vergunst reveal the history, present and future of robots. They show how moving AI could allow the lame to walk again, rescue survivors from collapsed buildings, and boost the global fight against hunger and pollution.
Welcome to a vivid view of our robot future. With 60 colour photos.
Topics
From dolls to industrial workers, a history of robots
How robots respond to their surroundings
What robots learn about human speech
Why self-driving cars are safer and greener
The possibilities of robots in education
Meet the 'cyborgs' who learn to walk again
Why evolution designs the best robots
Will rogue robots take over the world?
Using robots as weapons and drones
What the future holds: 2100, a Robot Odyssey
Table of Contents
1 A short history of robots, from dolls to androids
Machines as man throughout history
Mechanical dolls: forerunners of the robot
Enter the working humanoid robots
The next step: android robots that look like you
Uncanny valley: the problem with creepy robots
2. How do robots see their surroundings?
Getting to grips with a new environment
Seeing through the eyes of a robot
Training robots to recognise objects
Robots can see what a person cannot see
Feeling with whiskers: sensing the way forward
Robots use electronic ears to listen
3. How does a robot brain work?
A robot must learn to think like a human
Keeping it simple with an insect brain
Machine learning is trial and error
Robots can learn without supervision
The football world cup for robots
Developing robot emotional intelligence
4. Giving humans a helping hand
Robots suck: doing the dirty jobs at home
A robotic arm reaches deep into the supply chain
Joseph Engelberger, father of car factory robots
Co-bots will work alongside people
Coping with variation is Amazon's challenge
Building a robot car
5. Learning to speak to people
The problem with machine talk
SHRDLU! The first experiment in robot conversation
Toilets are hidden: translation problems
A robotic teacher never runs out of patience
6. Robots get emotional
Emotional robots encourage humans to interact with them
A robot can work out how you are feeling
Why am I afraid? Understanding human emotions Help! My robot looks angry
Establishing a bond with a robot
7. Humans need robots and robots need humans
Meet the robot psychologists
Under-promise and over-deliver performance
Silicon Valley utopias vs calm technology
What is the best ratio of robots to humans?
In the rubble: the search and rescue robot
The paradox of robotization
8. Humans need robots and robots need humans
Meet the robot psychologists
Under-promise and over-deliver performance * Silicon Valley utopias vs calm technology
What is the best ratio of robots to humans?
In the rubble: the search and rescue robot
The paradox of robotization
9. Evolution designs the best robots
How robots travel in a bumpy world
Robothand has nature's grip
A two-legged walking robot
The first robot baby
Working out the best path through evolution
10. Swarming robots show the wisdom of crowds
The power of robots working together
A robot swarm without a boss
Goal is mapping a building about to collapse
Predicting how a robot will behave
Robot swarms in the real world
A robotic swarm looks for a queen
11. The importance of building ethical robots
Isaac Asimov's three rules about rogue robots
When robots go wrong
Responsible roboticists are planning for the future
Robots and the UN's development goals
How will robots change the human race?
Killing machines: robots in the military
12. 2100 - A Robot Odyssey
The future of work in a robotic world
Fusing mind and body with soft robotics
And then the smart robot became creative
Was that move really creative?
Will robots really take over the world?
