Tagged: robots

Is ‘Spot’ a good dog? Why we’re right to worry about unleashing robot quadrupeds - Hot off the press

Guest Author • May 05, 2021 •

• boston robotics,
• ethics,
• New Zealand stories,
• robots,
• Tweets

Jeremy Moses, University of Canterbury and Geoffrey Ford, University of Canterbury   When it comes to dancing, pulling a sled, climbing stairs or doing tricks, “Spot” is definitely a good dog. It can navigate the built environment and perform a range of tasks, clearly demonstrating its flexibility as a software and hardware platform for commercial use. Viral videos of Boston … Read More

Can robots help fund nicer and more attractive places to live? - FutureworkNZ

Guest Author • Aug 01, 2019 •

• Automation,
• jobs,
• robots,
• Technology

Judy Kavanagh Robots are going to take our jobs, right?  Well, maybe. The available evidence provides conflicting results: In the US, one new robot reduces employment by 5.6 workers and local wages by about 0.5% according to estimates in Daron Acemoglu & Pascual Restrepo’s much cited 2017 paper. In Germany, more robots decrease employment in the manufacturing sector but increase … Read More

The robot strikes back - Unsorted

Robert Hickson • Jun 20, 2019 •

• Automation,
• behaviour,
• future of work,
• human-robot relationships,
• robotics,
• robots

  No one seems to have much trouble with robots fighting each other – RobotBattles, BattleBots. People pay good money too to watch movies of good gals and guys with guns, metal presses, and vats of molten metal killing bad bots. We are now also seeing … Read More

Job loss predictions – easy to make, hard to trust - FutureworkNZ

Dave Heatley • May 13, 2019 •

• Automation,
• autonomous vehicles,
• Labour,
• robots,
• work

This graphic caught my eye. It accompanies the article Robots and Us in today’s Otago Daily Times. Things look pretty dire for accountants and auditors – 94% of jobs automated within five years. Time to start night classes and retrain. Becoming a software developer looks a safe bet – only 4% of jobs will be … Read More

Funding science journalism in Aotearoa - Lately, In Science

Sarah-Jane O'Connor • Jul 23, 2018 •

• climate change,
• controversial technologies,
• CRISPR,
• election 2017,
• healthcare,
• robots,
• Science journalism,
• sea level rise,
• synthetic meat

The Aotearoa New Zealand Science Journalism Fund is now in its third round, with applications closing this week, which seems like a good time to celebrate some of the great journalism that’s been enabled by the fund. It’s the first independent journalism fund dedicated to furthering coverage of the science-related issues that impact New Zealanders. Dr Rebecca Priestley, winner … Read More

We should learn to work with robots and not worry about them taking our jobs - Guest Work

Guest Author • Feb 21, 2018 •

• AI,
• artificial intelligence,
• Big Data,
• computer hardware,
• craft,
• Human,
• IT,
• marketing,
• PC,
• productivity,
• programming,
• robots,
• sales,
• security,
• technology,
• web design

David Tuffley, Griffith University This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. We have all heard the dire predictions about robots coming to steal our jobs. Some would even have us believe these silicon bogeymen are coming to kill us. It plays straight into people’s darkest fears about technology. When … Read More

Don’t automate the fun out of life - Guest Work

Guest Author • Jan 26, 2018 •

• AI,
• Automation,
• civil engineering,
• environmental engineering,
• industrial engineering,
• joy,
• Psychology,
• Robot,
• robots,
• satisfaction

Peter Hancock, University of Central Florida This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. Imagine you are about to go on vacation. You have been looking forward to it for some time. But your robotic personal assistant has other ideas. It calmly explains to you that it will be cheaper, safer and … Read More

From battling bots to robo-athletes - Ariadne

Robert Hickson • Dec 07, 2017 •

• cyborgs,
• Entertainment,
• robots,
• Sport

Robotic combat is becoming a thing. In TV studios, not the battlefield. A tiresome thing, the hi-tech equivalent of Monster Truck shows. MegaBots promotes itself as “the future of sports“. (I think they forgot the (TM) in that tag line.) But they have a way to go to be more that dudes driving dumbbots. Its … Read More

Super cute home robots are coming, but think twice before you trust them - Guest Work

Guest Author • Oct 09, 2017 •

• cute,
• Data,
• design,
• privacy,
• robots,
• user experience

By Cherie Lacey, Victoria University of Wellington and Catherine Caudwell, Victoria University of Wellington (pictured) Following several delays, a new range of social domestic robots is expected to enter the market at the end of this year. They are no ordinary bots. Designed to provide companionship and care, they recognise faces and voices of close family and … Read More

Crafted bots - Ariadne

Robert Hickson • Aug 31, 2017 •

• autism,
• DIY,
• robots

We are getting used to seeing sleek, industrial robots. (I’m looking at you Air NZ). And previously I’ve noted some animal-inspired machines. From these and other technological developments we can tend to expect the future to be shiny, hard-edged and efficient. A different approach is being explored with “Blossom” (and others), a DIY soft robot … Read More