1. ROBOTS WILL INVADE OUR LIVES
Robotics and Artificial Intelligence: enhancer of or threat to human existence?
View the TED talk by clicking on the link below.
After viewing the Talk by Rodney Brooks: ‘Robots will invade our lives’ develop three questions under each of the levels of thinking headings of KNOWLEDGE, APPLICATION & EVALUATION.
2. MILITARY ROBOTS & the FUTURE OF WAR
In this powerful talk, P.W. Singer shows how the widespread use of robots in war is changing the realities of combat. He shows us scenarios straight out of science fiction — that now may not be so fictitious.
View the TED Talk ‘Military Robots and the Future of War’ and respond to it using the PCQ graphic organiser.
Click on the links above to access the talk and graphic organiser.
3. ROBOTS THAT SHOW EMOTION
David Hanson’s robot faces look and act like yours: They recognize and respond to emotion, and make expressions of their own. Here, an “emotional” live demo of the Einstein robot offers a peek at a future where robots truly mimic humans.
David Hanson merges robotics and art to design life-like, social robots that can mimic human expression and emotion. Click on the link below to view his TED talk.
Predit the likely outcomes if robots could possess emotions in the future. Use the ‘What if – Ripple Effect’ graphic organiser to guide your thinking.
What recommendations would you make to ensure that such developments do not become a danger to human life?
4. SURGERY’S PAST, PRESENT & ROBOTIC FUTURE
Surgeon and inventor Catherine Mohr tours the history of surgery (and its pre-painkiller, pre-antiseptic past), then demos some of the newest tools for surgery through tiny incisions, performed using nimble robot hands. Fascinating — but not for the squeamish. Catherine Mohr works on surgical robots and robotic surgical procedures, using robots to make surgery safer — and to go places where human wrists and eyes simply can’t.
View the TED talk ‘Surgery, Past, Present & Robotic Future’
Analyse and respond to this talk using PMI (Plus, Minus, Interesting) graphic organiser to arrange your thoughts. You can access a PMI Chart from the website Exploratree.
5. CALEB CHUNG PLAYS WITH PLEO
Pleo the robot dinosaur acts like a living pet — exploring, cuddling, playing, reacting and learning. Inventor Caleb Chung talks about Pleo and his wild toy career at EG07, on the week that Pleo shipped to stores for the first time. Caleb Chung dreams up toys that interact with children. He’s the inventor of Furby, a talking (and listening) robotic furball that sold some 50 million units in the late ’90s.
View the TED talk ‘Caleb Chung Plays with Pleo’
Redesign Caleb’s toy, Furby or Pleo using SCAMPER:
SUBSTITUTE- an object to be used in a different way
COMBINE – bring together parts of the robot
ADAPT – adjust a part of the robot to suit another purpose
MODIFY – Magnify or Minify certain parts of the robot
PUT TO ANOTHER USE – what other part could be used for an alternative purpose
ELIMINATE – remove a part of the whole
REVERSE – adjust or create a new sequences, layout or scheme.
6. BILL STONE EXPLORES THE WORLD’S DEEPEST CAVES
Bill Stone, a maverick cave explorer who has plumbed Earth’s deepest abysses, discusses his efforts to mine lunar ice for space fuel and to build an autonomous robot for studying Jupiter’s moon Europa.
View the TED talk ‘Bill Stone Explores the World’s Deepest Caves’
7. RAT BRAIN CONTROLS ROBOT
Idea Connection website has an interesting posting of a rat brain controling a robot. Click link below to view video footage.
8. ROBOT WARS.
P.W. Singer is interviewed on the ABC program ‘Hungry Beast’ and discusses how the widespread use of robots in war is changing the realities of combat. He shows us scenarios straight out of science fiction — that now may not be so fictitious. Click on the links below to watch the 3 episodes.
Honda Develops a Robot Controlled by Human Thought. Or Is That a Joke?
The Japanese company, which has been developing the Asimo humanoid robot for some time, announced on Tuesday that it had created the world’s first brain-machine interface. Read the information and watch the You Tube clip from the link below.
