The Dawn of a New Era
sci fi robot nyt – The future is playing out right now in the shimmering lights of New York City, where skyscrapers scrape the sky and innovation continues to hum. It is the year 2045, and robots are near to being a societal commonplace rather than an otherworldly aspiration exclusive to science fiction. They are everywhere and are increasingly augmenting human capacity – and reprogramming our world. PREAMBLE Special Section on The New York Times: “Sci-Fi Robots: The Future Is Nowichael Ashley.
A Day in the Life
Meet Sarah, 31, a successful Marketing exec with an office on Park Ave (ehem) NY Mornings starting up ZARA his PA. ZARA is no ordinary assistant, ZARA is an artificial intelligence powered robot that makes Sarah coffee in the morning, gives her fashion advice based on the current trends and manages Sarah’ schedule for the week.
Morning Sarah ZARA welcomes with a chirpy tone. Board meeting @ 10 AM Summary of Today’s Agenda?
Sarah nods, sipping a farmer-fresh cup of coffee. “Thanks, ZARA. Oh and can you remind me to pick up a birthday gift for my nephew?”
In Sarah’s morning routine, ZARA fits in so effortlessly that it is clear robots have become more than just helpful sidekicks; they are fast on their way to becoming our multimodal extensions with unprecedented ability to speculate our intent and predict our needs.
Revolutionizing Industries
Robots are changing the game across industries, not just personal assistant ones. For example, in healthcare we have robotic surgeons that outperform human doctors doing complex operations with significantly higher preciseness in ever-shorter recovery-time and better patient outcome. Dr. Michael Anderson, a prominent cardiac surgeon out of New York-Presbyterian Hospital discusses his thoughts on the matter:
Robotic surgery, as performed by the Da Vinci Xi system, has forever changed the landscape of surgical intervention for these diseases. We are excited to provide new hope for our patients with improved accuracy and minimal invasion.
When it comes to farming, autonomous drones and robotic harvesters are out in the field 24/7 ensuring crops get planted, monitored, and harvested for maximum efficiency. For starters, these innovations improve productivity as a whole while also solving labor shortages and aligning with sustainable farming practices.
The Growing Footprint of Robot Companions
So yes, robots are maturing as compeers while they become a part of more and more parts of our lives. AURA: An Active Robotic Pet for the Elderly Dr Emily Clarke, creator of AURA.
The elderly might face loneliness. Let the power ofAURA help you get social again with our companions that can provide emotional support and companionship. She understands and reacts to human emotions, providing a more meaningful interaction which can drastically increase quality of life.
Her plush, reactive finish and animated digital eyes have been winning a place in the hearts of many households. Eighty-two-year-old widow Margaret has found AURA to be a source of laughter and solace.
She sits with me, and even makes sure I take my meds. She stops on the verge of smiling and adds, I cant imagine my life without her.
Ethical Considerations
If robotic capabilities increase, ethic and societal will come into question. Concerns like this were the focus of a panel moderated by the New York Times. Ethics and artificial intelligence researcher Dr. Alan Roberts argues this is a responsible use issue:
We need to be designing robots with functions that respect human values &ownership rights. The mining protocol should be strictly regulated (to prevent abuse) and transparent in the way these machines are used.
The panel also discussed the possible impact on jobs. As robots take over repetitive and dangerous work, there will be even more of the need for new skills and jobs in robot maintenance, programming and ethical supervision.
The Road Ahead
In our future, the possibilities for robotic innovation in particular are boundless. Robots are set to take over our lives in ways that we have yet to fathom, from space exploration to the trivialities of day-to-day convenience. The New York Times will continue to chronicle these developments, both showing how they fundamentally alter our world.
We lift a toast to the here and now, where the line between science fiction and normalcy has become blurred like never before leading us towards a not so distant future where robots humanity coexist for the betterment of every entity involved.
For future coverage and dispatches from the frontlines of robot innovation, follow NYT. Well, the future is now, and it’s never been more bright.
