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WORLDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S FIRST ENGINEERING NEWS FOR YOUNG BADASS ENGINEERS

JULY 2016 ISSUE NO. 005

MASDAR:

THE FUTURE OF SUSTAINABLE CITY EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH THE CEO

SPECIAL FEATURE STORIES: Future Cities Smartest Cities in the World Robotics Artificial Intelligence Deep Learning Exoskeleton Social Good Technologies JULY 2016 Future Cities & Robotics

GINEERSNOW TEAM Ems Bagatsing

Sales & Marketing Director Ems@LincolnMartin.com

Robert Bagatsing

Editor-In-Chief editor@GineersNow.com

Engr. Alice Hernandez John Vauden

Senior Editor-At-Large

Hina Sapra

Engr. Dion Greg Reyes

Senior Editor Asia-Pacific Senior Editor South Asia

Therese Matheren Senior Editor North America

Charity Bagatsing Senior Editor North America Junior Editor

Engr. Cielo Panda Junior Editor

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Matrix Media Information Technology

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Editor's

Note

The future is here and we can see it everywhere. From the advanced technology that helps us easily navigate our way around the world to the robotic technology we’re using to make everyday life more efficient. No more waiting lines, no more harsh and awkward human interactions from offices and definitely a faster way to fix things and heal people. Yes, the future is here and we’re benefiting from all the hard work engineers have devoted to making it all happen. In this issue, we bring you different stories about how the world interacts with robots and artificial intelligence. Learn more about cities that are setting an example on today’s renewable-energy-driven technologies and machines that can work for the human race. Aren’t you excited with what more engineers can do for us now?

Whatever you need, there’s an artificial intelligence program ready to serve you. May it be one push of a button or just one word uttered, today’s AI has fully advanced and developed into a machine that can think like a human. Come to think of it, there are robots out there that looks just like a real person. Is this a good thing or a bad thing for the human race? I’ll let you be the judge of that. A lot of experts have different opinions on this matter but one thing’s for sure, the world may no longer be a place for only humans and animals.

Let’s talk about futuristic cities, too. While we can’t deny that majority of today’s people are poverty-stricken, there are rising cities and welldeveloped places that have been labeled as the cities of the future. We’re not just talking about highrise establishments here. We’re seeing cities with the most advanced technologies available to all of its citizens. We’re talking about the use of renewable energy to power these places, which leads to a cleaner and safer environments to live in. One example of these projects is what Masdar has accomplished so far in Masdar City. We’re giving you an exclusive interview with the company’s CEO on our cover story to let you know what exactly is the company up to and how they can set an example for other cities and countries to follow. As engineers, we’ll be taking on a crucial job in providing the future generation a place where they can thrive more using the artificial intelligence programs we’ll be developing. It is our responsibility to give them a place to live where we can teach them that anything is possible - something we’re tacking on as well. Futuristic cities? Robots that can follow our every demand? Who knew that this day would come? The engineers in the past did. The engineers today believe that as well. Let’s set an example for the future engineers to think that as well.

CONTENTS PAGE

06 12 15 16 17 20 26 30 34 37 38

TITLE COVER STORY

MASDAR: THE FUTURE CITY WORLD’S FIRST CHILD EXOSKELETON HELPS DISABLED KIDS TO WALK ENGINEERS HELP PARALYTICS TO GET BACK ON THEIR FEET ‘2045 INITIATIVE’: THE TECHNOLOGY TO GAIN ETERNAL LIFE

THE MORAL AND ETHICAL ISSUE WITH ROBOTS

MEET THE REAL JARVIS FROM IRON MAN SCIENTISTS ARE TEACHING AN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE SYSTEM TO TELL STORIES BASED ON PHOTOS BIG GUYS - HAWKING, WOZNIAK, HASSABIS AND MUSK ARE OPPOSING AUTONOMOUS WEAPONS ROBOTS ARE THE FUTURE OF CONSTRUCTION

WORLD’S FIRST POLICE ROBOT WORTH $3.2 BILLION

ELIOS: THE WORLD'S FIRST COLLISION TOLERANT DRONE

PAGE

43 44 48 50 56 58 60 62 64 66 68

TITLE SCARLETT JOHANSSON BECOMES A DOLL ROBOT HOW THE JETSONS PREDICTED THE FUTURE THE QUEEN OF USELESS ROBOTS ROBOTS THAT WILL MAKE THE KIDS WANT TO LEARN MATH AND SCIENCE FUTURISTIC CITIES YOU'D WANT TO LIVE IN

6 GADGETS MADE FROM LEGO BRICKS EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT ROBOTICS ENGINEERS HOW WOULD HUMANS SURVIVE A CURRENT ROBOT APOCALYPSE? HOW R2-D2 AND C-3PO INSPIRED THOUSANDS TO JOIN ROBOTICS TOP 50 ROBOTICS COMPANIES IN THE WORLD

10 MOST FAMOUS FICTIONAL ROBOTS

COVER STORY

MASDAR: THE FUTURE CITY MEET THE COMPANY’S CEO: MOHAMED JAMEEL AL RAMAHI I joined Masdar in 2008 as Head of Internal Audit and Compliance. Later, I was appointed Masdar’s Director of Corporate Services and Financial Affairs. I subsequently became Chief Financial Officer, and then Chief Operating Officer of Masdar. I was appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in February 2016. In addition to my responsibilities as CEO, I serve on the board of a number of prominent companies, joint ventures and special entities, including the Dudgeon Offshore Wind Farm in the UK, the Masdar Solar Wind Cooperative, the Masdar Investment Committee, and Torresol Energy. Before joining Masdar, I was head of the Internal Audit and Risk Management Office at GASCO, a leading oil and gas company based in Abu Dhabi. I have a bachelor’s degree in business administration and finance from the University of Evansville in the US.

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KNOWING THE COMPANY Q: Are you an educational institution, social enterprise, non-profit or private company? Masdar is a commercially driven renewable energy company based in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The company has a mission to invest, incubate and establish a new energy industry in Abu Dhabi and around the world. Masdar is playing an important role in extending Abu Dhabi’s energy leadership beyond hydrocarbons. Masdar is delivering on its goal of becoming an innovative, holistic, ecosystem while helping to realise a template for sustainable urban development. Masdar City is the home of the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, the focal point of an innovation cluster that is leading global technology partnerships, commercializing new technologies and driving real-world innovation. Q: How big is your company? Masdar was established in 2006 as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi government’s Mubadala Development Company. Our company is located 17

kilometers east-south-east of the city of Abu Dhabi near its international airport: our operations span the globe from Europe through the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region to the Indian Ocean, Asia and the Pacific islands. Q: Describe your mission, vision and values. Masdar is advancing the development and commercialization of renewable energy and sustainable technologies in both developed and developing markets. Through initiatives such as Masdar City, Masdar is helping to realize a template – or “greenprint” - for sustainable urban development. Masdar is realizing solutions and technologies at the critical nexus of water and energy – in a region where water is more important than oil. Masdar is helping to equip the region’s future leaders in energy and sustainable development with the skills to succeed in an increasingly diversified economy. Through its diverse activities, Masdar is raising awareness among the wider community of the importance and potential of sustainability and clean energy, helping to change behavior and motivate action. Q: Where is this company headed? What’s your future expansion plans? Our long-term vision is to make Abu Dhabi the preeminent source of renewable energy knowledge, development and implementation, as well as the world’s benchmark for sustainable development. In the next five years, we will further develop Masdar City as an innovation ecosystem. Our aim is for 35 percent of the planned built-up area of

the City to be complete within 5 years (up from 5 per cent today) and to quadruple the number of tenants in Masdar City Free Zone. We will continue adding residential facilities, commercial facilities and educational institutions, as well as building out the clean-tech R&D hub. In clean energy, our goal is to double the clean energy capacity in our portfolio in the next 10 years and to continue improving energy access in some of the most remote areas of the world.

INTRODUCTION Q: What is clean energy? Clean energy can be defined as sustainable and renewable energy sources that increase the global carbon footprint. Masdar has been at the forefront of the UAE’s efforts to deploy clean energy at home and abroad, while driving sustainable economic growth, employment, innovation and prosperity. Since its inception in 2006, Masdar has positioned Abu Dhabi on the front line of clean energy research and technology, investing over US$2.7 billion in clean energy projects around the world, with nearly 1.7 GW of renewable energy capacity either in operation or under development globally. Masdar has 360-degree expertise in renewable energy projects, from development to construction to operation: the company now has projects in the UAE, Spain, the United Kingdom, Jordan, Mauritania, Seychelles and the South Pacific.

• The 630MW London Array in the Thames Estuary, UK, is Masdar’s biggest JULY 2016 Future Cities & Robotics

international investment at present and the largest wind farm in the world currently in operation • Masdar has a 35% share in the planned Dudgeon offshore wind farm in Britain, which is being developed with the Norwegian partners Statoil and Statkraft • The Tafila Wind Farm in Jordan is the first utility-scale wind farm commissioned in the region. The US$238 million project is capable of producing 117MW of electricity, delivering 400GWh of electricity annually and displacing 235,000 tonnes of CO2 • A pilot desalination programme in Ghantoot, Abu Dhabi, is producing 1,500 m3/day of potable water over 15 months using four unique technologies from four international partners. The programme is ultimately aimed at the large-scale deployment of one or more of these energy-efficient desalination technologies in the UAE and potentially across the MENA region, and in other global locations. • Masdar’s 100MW Shams 1 facility in the Western Region of Abu Dhabi is still one of the world’s largest concentrated solar power plants, capable of reducing CO2 emissions by up to 175,000 tonnes annually. • In partnership with ADNOC, Masdar is developing a Carbon, Capture, Usage and Storage project that sequesters industrial carbon and enhances oil recovery • Through the Ecomagination 2020 Partnership, Masdar and GE are implementing the first complete energy-neutral wastewater treatment process.

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Why bother? What's the importance of pursuing clean energy? It is crucial that we develop clean energy to mitigate climate change and address domestic and global energy demand. Our rapidly urbanizing world will mean that cities are likely to host up to 70% of the world’s population by 2050. We need to reduce carbon emissions and provide sufficient energy for a rapidly growing global population. The UAE’s commitment to generate 24 percent of its electricity from clean energy sources by 2021 shows both our nation’s commitment to climate action and its willingness to invest in the innovation needed to achieve such an ambitious target.

THE MACRO LEVEL OF CLEAN ENERGY Q: Where are we today? What is the current situation of renewables? Globally, an estimated US$329 billion was invested in new renewable energy capacity last year, an all-time high [2015 Bloomberg New Energy Finance Report (http:// www.climateweeknyc.org/ news-media/clean-energyhit-record-investment-lastyear-bnef-report)]. Emerging markets still account for a relatively small proportion of this expenditure, but the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region will steadily acquire a larger share of newly installed renewables capacity. At Masdar, we are refocusing our efforts on the further adoption of clean energy and sustainable development across MENA in

2016, building on our many successful projects overseas. Q: Where should we be 10 years from now? Are we on the right track? Are we delayed? Are we progressing? The business case for renewable energy is now beyond doubt. A recent report by the International Renewable Energy Agency suggests that doubling the share of renewables in the global energy mix by 2030 could boost global GDP by 1%. That equates to more than 1 trillion US dollars and an estimated 24 million jobs. Countries in arid and semiarid regions are increasingly setting renewable energy targets in their energy mix as demand grows, serving as a boost for investments in solar and wind power ventures. At the same time, prices are becoming increasingly competitive.

MASDAR’S INITIATIVES, DEVELOPMENTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS Q: What are the initiatives / projects that you are doing (or have done) that will drive low or zero emission? Masdar is a for-profit, renewable energy company that has been fulfilling a mission to invest, incubate and advance the new energy economy around the world since the company’s inception in 2006. Our completed projects are: • Shams 1, Abu Dhabi (100 MW CSP plant) • Masdar City, Abu Dhabi: 10 MW PV array and 1MW roof-top complex, Abu Dhabi

• Solar Hub testing and R&D facility, Abu Dhabi • Renewable Energy Desalination pilot programme • London Array, UK (630 MW offshore wind farm) • Gemasolar solar power plant, Spain (20 MW) • Valle 1 and 2 solar plants, Spain (100 MW) • Tafila Wind Farm, Jordan (117 MW) • 600 solar home systems in 27 villages in Afghanistan • Sheikh Zayed Solar Power Plant, Mauritania (15 MW PV plant) • Port Victoria Wind Power Project, the Republic of Seychelles (6 MW) • Siwa Solar PV Plant, Egypt (10 MW) • Red Sea Solar Power Plants, Egypt (14 MW) • Al Wadi Al Jadeed Solar PV Plants, Egypt (6 MW) • 7000 Solar Home Systems in Egypt • Kiribati: 500kW Solar PV & Water Protection • Fiji: LaKaRo 525kW Solar PV plant • Samoa: 550kW CycloneProof Wind Farm • Tonga: Vava’u 512 kW Solar PV plant • Tuvalu: 500kW Rooftop Solar PV plant • Vanuatu: Port Vila 767kW Solar PV plant • Solomon Islands – Solar PV Plant in Honiara • Marshall Islands – Solar Water Collection in Majuro • The Republic of Nauru – Nauru Solar PV plant • Palau – Solar Penetration and Water Access projects • FSM – Solar PV plant in Pohnpei Our projects currently under development are: • Carbon Capture, Usage & Storage project, Abu Dhabi • Waste to Energy projects • Dudgeon, UK (402 MW offshore wind farm) • A 50MW onshore wind farm in Dhofar, Oman

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• A 200MW PV plant in Jordan • Additional PV projects in Mauritania with a total capacity of 12MW Q: What are the future innovations that your company is currently pursuing? The pilot research projects located at Masdar City, many of them led by or closely involving MI scientists and students, are accelerating the acquisition of scientific knowledge in the clean tech industry and paving the way towards the development of real-world commercial applications. As the surrounding community at Masdar City grows, the R&D cluster will also expand. The exciting and innovative new projects currently being developed at Masdar City include: • Eco-Villa Prototype: a project incorporating innovative water- and energy-saving technologies and design features that significantly reduce its environmental impact compared to standard villas. The ‘Net Zero Energy’ prototype equipped with 80 rooftop PV panels can supply up to 40,000 kWh per year to the national grid, easily offsetting its own electricity requirements. • Seawater Energy & Agriculture System (SEAS): a project supporting the nascent aviation biofuel industry in the Middle East and promoting increased food security through the cultivation of oil-rich, salttolerant plants from the waste water of an industrial fish farm. SEAS is an initiative of the Sustainable Bioenergy Research Consortium established by the Masdar Institute, Etihad Airways, Boeing and Honeywell UOP.

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• Electric Energy Storage Solutions Hub: exploring the potential of electrochemical technologies to enhance the capacity of renewable energy systems to store power, enabling their wider adoption in the energy mix. • Geothermal Energy: a project evaluating a possible power source for district cooling. With geothermal wells already sunk to a depth of 2,500 metres within the grounds of Masdar City, the research initiative is the first of its type in the Middle East and may be converted into a full-fledged demonstration project. • The Masdar Solar Hub: Photovoltaic (PV) Test Centre: operated in partnership with the Masdar Institute and TÜV Rheinland, the facility provides independent measurement of the performance, reliability and durability of PV modules, their panel coatings and other related technical equipment. • The Masdar Solar Hub: CPV Testing Facility: a joint initiative between Masdar and Instituto de Sistemas Fotovoltaicos de Concentración (ISFOC) of Spain, researching the performance of Concentrated Photovoltaic (CPV) systems in the Gulf’s desert climate conditions. Q: What impact have you delivered (social, economic and environmental)? Do you have metrics or statistics of your accomplishments? Masdar has 10 years of experience as a renewable energy developer and investor, building state-ofthe-art projects, from large, utility-scale power plants to community grid projects to individual solar house systems in locations around the world. In total, Masdar has invested more than US$2.7 billion in

clean energy generation. Our already-operational solar and wind projects have a total peak capacity of nearly 1,000 megawatts (MW) and are displacing nearly 2.5 million metric tons (2,389,725 m/t) of carbon dioxide per year. Another 700MW of capacity is currently under development. Among the most notable of our clean energy projects is the 630MW London Array, which is the largest offshore wind project in the world currently in operation. The landmark Gemasolar concentrated solar power (CSP) plant in Spain was the first utility-scale solar plant to deliver electricity to the grid 24 hours a day. Masdar City’s 10MW photovoltaic array produces about 17,500 megawatthours of clean electricity annually and offsets 15,000 tonnes of carbon emissions per year. The plant consists of 87,780 multi-crystalline and

thin-film modules supplied by Suntech and First Solar. Masdar also manages the Zayed Future Energy Prize. From ensuring access to modern energy in rural African villages, to empowering Bangladeshi women with careers as solar technicians, more than 202 million people around the world have experienced the sustainable actions of the Zayed Future Energy Prize winners. Through progressive achievements recognized by the awards, water security is now a reality for millions of families across Bangladesh, India, Ghana and the Philippines. Renewable energy sources supply electricity to 60 million people, and enough carbon emissions have been avoided to offset the price of global deforestation for a year. The Zayed Future Energy Prize’s Global High Schools category was launched in 2012

as part of the UAE leadership’s commitment to the Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) initiative. Since the launch of this category, nearly 2,000 students have participated in projects run by award-winning schools and academies. Over 9,000 students in total have benefitted along with 37,000 people living in local communities. Almost 1.5 million kWh have been generated, solar panels with a total capacity of 263 kW installed and CO2 emissions cut by over 1,000 tonnes.

business environment was further illustrated by the 64 percent increase in registered companies in Masdar Free Zone (MFZ) last year.

Our annual Sustainability Report for 2015 demonstrates that we have firm foundations to build on by outlining a range of significant achievements. During 2015, we secured the production of 2,962 gigawatt hours of total renewable energy, displacing a total of 1.39 million tonnes of carbon. Masdar City’s personal rapid transport (PRT) system was used by more than 33,000 passengers each month on average during the period. Our attractiveness as a

From a wider industry perspective, one of the main technical hurdles for sustainable renewable energy, and therefore one of the main points of focus in terms of innovation, is energy storage. With effective storage technology in place, energy from renewable sources will evolve from its traditional peak-sharing energy providing role to providing reliable base-load generating capacity, enabling electricity grids to absorb even more clean

FACING CHALLENGES & PROVIDING SOLUTIONS Q: What are the stumbling blocks or bottlenecks in the renewable industry?

power. Overall, renewable energy is the fastest growing power sector worldwide, accounting for the majority of new installed capacity, so the future for the industry is bright indeed. Q: How do we provide cheap energy in poverty stricken areas? Masdar has led the way in providing renewable energy to remote regions and communities away from the national grid. For example, Masdar has led a UAE initiative to bring secure sources of renewable energy to 11 remote Pacific Island counties. These projects include innovative solar and wind solutions that have provided 6.5MW of clean energy and saved US$1 million dollars in diesel fuel imports. The most important consideration when designing energy access projects in remote areas is to consider the specific needs of the community and of the geography. No two projects should be the

same. For example, our project in Samoa features collapsible wind turbines due to the prevalence of cyclones.

ADVICE TO THE YOUNG ENGINEERS The momentum towards the widespread adoption of sustainable and renewable energy can only be maintained through the collective action of our young scientific, technological and engineering talent. My advice to young engineers would be – think big and work hard. There is no limit to what you can achieve with bold ideas, dedication and determination. You have the power to create the new innovations that will secure our future.

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WORLD’S FIRST CHILD EXOSKELETON HELPS DISABLED KIDS TO WALK

We have already seen many exoskeletons being developed for quite some time, and most of them have been created especially for elderly workers and for people achieving extraordinary strength. This company however, has developed an exoskeleton made especially for children with disabilities. The Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) has developed the world’s first child exoskeleton which is designed to help children with spinal muscular atrophy. Spinal muscular atrophy is a degenerative illness which affects one in ten thousand babies in Spain. This exoskeleton weighs 12 kilos, and is made of aluminium and titanium. It is designed to help the patients walk—for some, for the first time. This exoskeleton will also be used in physiotherapy in hospitals to prevent secondary effects that are associated with the loss of mobility in this illness. This technology is currently in the preclinical phase and has been patented and licensed by CSIC and its technology-based business unit, Marsi Bionics.

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Photo by: Engadget

Photo by: MIT News

Photo by: Medifit Biologicals

TINY ORIGAMI ROBOT REMOVES SWALLOWED BATTERIES AND MARBLES

A ROBOT DID A SURGERY WITHOUT THE HELP OF ANY DOCTOR

Good news for parents and toddlers everywhere. No need to worry about young kids accidentally swallowing a battery or a marble. Scientists from MIT, the University of Sheffield and Tokyo Institute of Technology have developed a robot that can remove eaten batteries and marbles.

something with potential important applications to health care. For applications inside the body, we need a small, controllable, untethered robot system. It’s really difficult to control and place a robot inside the body if the robot is attached to a tether.”

It’s an ingestible origami robot that unfolds itself from the capsule as soon as it enters the stomach. It crawls along the stomach wall and detects the small object and wraps itself around it, then remove it. Scientists also makes it possible for the robot to help in healing wounds inside the digestive system.

This small robot works without wires since it can be controlled by magnetic waves. It is encased in a piece of ice so that it can be swallowed easily.

It’s not new that robots have assisted doctors in medical operations and surgeries, but recent experiment indicates that robots alone can do the job themselves – yup, with the doctor no longer in the operating room. This is what can be derived from an experiment with an autonomous robot named Smart Tissue Autonomous Robot or STAR, who made surgical stitches with pigs. Composed of a robotic arm, a suturing tool and imaging technologies, STAR operates using a computer program which has the intelligence to perform surgical practices, especially stitches.

Professor Danial Rus, leader of the group behind this origami robot and director of MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), said: “It’s really exciting to see our small origami robots doing

Every year, around 3,500 small batteries are swallowed by toddlers. If not removed immediately, it can cause stomach lining burns.

tools that are intelligent, whether autonomous or semi-autonomous, you can make outcomes better.” Surgeons have the tendency to have tremors during operations, which robots do not have. This is what autonomous robots can offer far more than the humans: consistency. Having autonomous robots in operating rooms can reduce human errors and improve efficiency, surgical time and access to quality surgeons in some of the 44.5 million soft-tissue surgeries in the United States a year.

It was found out that the robots were as good as, if not better, than the stitches made by skilled surgeons. Peter Kim, the study’s senior author, believes that if robots can do it on pigs, they can also do it to human patients. He said, “The main message is that by giving surgeons JULY 2016 Future Cities & Robotics

A revolutionary device is now being developed in the laboratory of AndrosRobotics (AR) LLC which will help stroke patients and physical therapists in gait training. The device is called the Robotic Leg Advancement Device (R-LAD). The device will primarily help physical therapists in administering gait training. It will reduce the number of physical therapists required in treating a patient from 2 or 3 to just one, without compromising the gait training therapy. But it isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t designed to replace the therapists and is meant to compliment them.

NEW ROBOTIC DEVICE

TO ASSIST PHYSICAL

THERAPISTS

R-LAD is the brainchild of Dr. Maciej Pietrusinski, Founder and President of AR, whose career is dedicated to medical robotics. The device is a by-product of Dr. Pietrusinskiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ph.D. project which aimed to develop a robotic system for controlling pelvic motion during therapy. The original system was too complicated and too expensive which led to the simpler R-LAD device. A prototype was made thanks to a $225k grant from National Science Foundation. This grant paved the way for R-LAD to place third among 664 submissions in the International Robotics for Good competition in Dubai.

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Photo by: Google/Sites

ENGINEERS HELP PARALYTICS TO GET BACK ON THEIR FEET Photo by: Adrian Malloch The Rex Bionics Group is a leading technology based company that produces robotic walking devices. Paralytics in wheel chairs will now be able to walk, all thanks to this company’s innovation. The robotic innovation’s physical appearance is similar to a human exoskeleton, a sort of robotic suit, which could be the next alternative for wheelchairs. Rex Bionics uses advanced technological solutions, precise engineering, electromechanical actuators and exclusive system of network to make this awesome robotics device possible. The primary concern of the robotic exoskeleton has been to improve the capabilities of the people of military ground. The materials that are used to build it are lightweight, so that the person will be able to maneuver the device comfortably. The individual will strap themselves to the exoskeleton with the help of several Velcro and bucklestraps that are strapped around the legs and the belt wraps around the waist. Unlike most exoskeletons, REX is controlled through a joystick that is placed in the waist level of the user.

With Rex, an individual can make any movement like walking, moving sideways, climbing up and down the stairs, and even turning around. It is convenient to move on any surface may it be on slopes, ramps or flat surfaces. It has a battery that can be recharged and can run for around two hours. However, prior to purchasing a Rex, the person needs to consult a physician and qualified physical therapist to make sure that it is suitable for them. In order to use Rex, a person’s height must be between 4’8’’- 6’4’’, weight less than 220lb and a waist dimension of less than 15”. Rex Bionics ensures that they instruct their customers well on how to use it. They mention that it is suitable for any manual wheelchair user to operate with the help of hand controls. This device has proved to be very helpful for the paralytics.

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‘2045 INITIATIVE’: THE TECHNOLOGY TO GAIN ETERNAL LIFE Dmitry Itskov, a Russian media mogul and multi-millionaire, has one goal: to be able to use technology to live forever. To be able to do this, he is currently heading a science-based project called the ‘2045 initiative’ which aims to “upload” human consciousness into an online avatar that can live forever. Itskov has given millions of dollars into pioneering the research since the initiative was launched. His team of scientists, believe that the human brain is very similar to a computer and will eventually be able to be transferred to upgradable “bodies”. Itskov claims that he has upped the urgency of his research. "If there is no immortality technology, I'll be dead in the next 35 years," he says in an upcoming documentary, The Immortalist. “The ultimate goal of my plan is to transfer someone's personality into the new artificial carrier. Different scientists call it uploading or they call it mind transfer. I prefer to call it personality transfer."

Photo by: International Business Times

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THE MORAL AND ETHICAL

Photo by: geeksofdoom.com

ISSUE WITH ROBOTS

Photo by: EW.com

Take a look at science fiction and you will find innumerable examples of robots gone evil. From the popular Skynet and Terminators to HAL 9000 to Ultron, there are many robots that are out to destroy humanity. Of course, such stories may be a bit of a stretch. Nonetheless, there is a genuine concern about artificially intelligent robots but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not because people worry about these robots taking over the world. The concern is about whether the robots in question are capable of taking the right moral choice at the right time. Thousands of scientists and tech experts such as

Stephen Hawking, Steve Wozniak and Elon Musk have agreed to get autonomous weapons such as drones banned. Such weapons are capable of identifying and destroying targets without human intervention. As scary as that sounds, the actual applications may be more mundane. Nonetheless, it may spark off another arms race. Jerry Kaplan, a scholar of artificial intelligence, believes that morality is essential to robots. After all, humans can end up making some extremely silly and bad choices when it comes to their robots. After all, they may ask the robot to fetch something quickly. Now,

that may turn to be very bad if the robot ends up hurting people when fetching the desired item. Another interesting test proposed by Jerry Kaplan is the driving test. Self-driving cars need to make a very crucial decision when it comes to avoiding a major accident. For example, should the car swerve to save pedestrians and harm the occupants or the reverse? Now that is a moral conundrum that even humans find difficult to agree on. Kaplan declares that machines by their very nature are psychopaths. Therefore, it becomes crucial that robots are taught morality and ethics. A lofty goal? Well, we need that or Skynet is a possibility. JULY 2016 Future Cities & Robotics

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Scary What AI Can Do Artificial Intelligence has come a long way after its introduction in 1950â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. But what if robots and Artificial Intelligence replace the human race as shown in the scifi movies? Sounds intimidating, right? Some eminent personalities like Stephen Hawking seems to be bothered about this same issue for quite some time now. Nevertheless, reality tells us that there is nothing to worry about. The concern of the people is mostly compelled by Hollywood movies. The fact is that though the field of artificial intelligence might be making huge progress but it is nowhere near being a threat yet. There will be enough time to gauge the problem and solve it. This does not necessarily mean that the issue can be left to be ignored. In any case, if you look into the matter very closely you will notice that artificial intelligence needs to reach to some point where they will be able to think all by themselves and evolve into something all by themselves which we will not be perceive and control. There is no reason to think that artificial intelligence will rise up against us one day in an attempt to break free from the constraints of humanity. When you come to think of it logically, you will realize that if you have a robot that performs according to your instruction, then how can you wake up one morning to find the robot to be doing some other tasks which it has not been programmed to do? No way! They are not human beings that they will not have their feelings and opinions about something. They do not have dreams and desires, and they work according to the goals that we set for them. You might want to ask, is there nothing to worry about? Well, not really, not at least at present. For now you can enjoy the privileges provided by the AIs.

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Photo by: Technologyreview.com left:: Stephen Hawking below: Michio Kaku

Photo by: t-online.de

Photo by: consciouslifenews.com

MEET ASUS’ ZENBO: THE FAMILY’S PERSONAL ASSISTANT ROBOT Asus has just unveiled a cute talking robot named Zenbo. It was presented at this week’s Computex trade show in Taipei, it’s priced at $599. Zenbo is an adorablydesigned, friendly home robot which generally provides assistance, entertainment and companionship to families and it helps address the different needs of the family members. It has numerous capabilities like moving independently and understanding spoken commands.

In Asus’ Zenbo video showed some of the robot’s capabilities, like giving reminders, interacting with family members, telling stories to the children, movie streaming, and its face is touch screen too!—which helps the family to connect and browse through the internet. The Chairman of Asus Jonney Shih presented and demonstrated Zenbo at a press conference in Taipei, he gave it various voice commands and asked it questions as it rolled on the stage.

A big reason for Asus’s creation of Zenbo is that it could help assist the elderly. According to Asus, Zenbo “helps to bridge the digital divide between generations” by allowing seniors to make video calls and use social networking with simple voice commands. Zenbo can also connect to a smart bracelet which alerts relatives via a smartphone app if their elderly relative has a fall. Photo by: Android Community

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MEET THE REAL JARVIS FROM IRON MAN Autonomous, a company based in the United States will be offering us, mere mortals, the opportunity to purchase Maya, a Personal Robot for US$1499 come the middle of 2016. Mayaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Kickstarter program had 274 backers pledge $161,537.00 to get the project off the ground and it seems the first of 300 of these Robotic Personal assistants will be born very soon. Some cynics have ridiculed the concept, and sure, the design may look like the unplanned progeny of a Tennis racquet, iPad and Robo Vac after a swingerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s party. But the problems that was solved and the engineering effort that has gone into the making of Maya is simply breathtaking!! The Photo by: Cloud Front 20

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company claims “She’s the whole package: your very own personal assistant, photographer, storyteller, telepresence device & the smartest home automation system.” Sounds good to me, and if the promotional videos are to be believed she will be effective to the point of being a nagging nuisance! But despite this, the company is dedicated to the development of such devices and has gone to painstaking measures to find the best componentry available in the market today. If you fancy yourself as a tech genius and would like to be part of the development process, the company offers a research version called Deep Bot for US$999. Though it looks like something an alien race would use in a death squad, Deep Bot is creating an open source opportunity for anyone willing to contribute to the evolution of this technology.

Photo by: Autonomous

While I think many of the features of Maya are already done well by people, I think the concept is pretty darn clever! The discussion and research it will foster, will make a huge contribution to how we can develop the technology to aid us in our daily lives. Who knows, with further development of these devices, we might even be able to program Maya to match the owner’s preference of assistance like aiding the disabled and the elderly.

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THIS ROBOT HAND CAN LEARN FROM ITS MISTAKES

Photo by: Turner Many robots nowadays can do a variety of tasks ranging from easy to difficult. They are used in different industries, but mostly in manufacturing. Yet while these robots have an edge in specific tasks, they can’t do a given list of chores or learn certain skills on their own. Now a new robot hand can learn how to master new abilities over time, and it doesn’t need help from its programmers. This extradexterous robotic hand is the product of study by 3 researchers from the University of Washington. They call this the Adroit manipulation system, and presented it on Tuesday at

the International Conference on Robotics and Automation in Stockholm. If you’re familiar with Rosie, the robot maid from the Jetsons, the Adroit system is somewhat similar to its technology. Its hardware accomplishes tasks better than humans and is controlled by a “Brain” which learns—just like the human mind. Vikash Kumar, the lead researcher, and his team focused on building a robot that could do general tasks and be able to adapt. According to the researchers, their creation can be used in many applications like space exploration and healthcare.

Photo by: Youtube/ ADROIT Manipulation Platform

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WHAT HAPPENS WHEN COMPUTERS START TO LEARN ON THEIR OWN How do computers learn something new? One might say programming, but it involves telling the computer every little step that it needs to perform in order to complete the new task. You need to know the steps yourself in order to teach the computer. However, what do you do when you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know the steps yourself?

Photo by: Stanford Info Lab

This is where machine learning comes in. With this technology, the computer is made to learn things and processes on its own. Jeremy Howard is a specialist in this field. He gave a TED Talk to show how much machine learning has evolved and how it will begin to affect the world at large. The first example of machine learning took place in 1956 when a guy named Arthur Samuel wanted his computer to be good enough at checkers to beat him. His solution was to make the computer keep playing checkers against itself and learning from the games. Suffice to say, it worked so well that the computer ended up defeating the state champion of Connecticut. Today, examples of machine learning are all around us. The most common application is the search engine. Google makes use of machine learning to get its search engine locate the information that you actually want. Remember those recommendations shown in Amazon? Those recommendations are provided by machine learning algorithms. Pretty nifty, right? Well, it can be creepy too like those friend recommendations in LinkedIn.

Photo by: Your News Wire

Take for example the team which created a computer program for automatic drug discovery. Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cool is that the team did not have any knowledge in biology or medicine. They simply used what is called deep learning. Deep learning allows computers to actually learn Chinese. Now, what does that mean for people and their jobs? We might be heading into another Industrial Revolution, except, the results might not pretty. After all, deep learning will allow computers to perform 80% of human jobs easily. JULY 2016 Future Cities & Robotics

ATLAS THE ROBOT DOESN'T WANT TO BE PUSHED AROUND ANYMORE It’s 2016 and these engineers have finally programmed a robot that can’t be pushed around anymore. Boston Dynamics, an engineering and robotics design company, has just released an updated version of Atlas. This company is where people from the military and even the entertainment industry turn to when they need help with specialized robots. And as expected, Google owns this company. In its Youtube video, it has described its latest addition to the company’s weird but very innovative collection of robots: “A new version of Atlas, designed to operate outdoors and inside buildings. It is specialized for mobile manipulation. It is electrically powered and hydraulically actuated. It uses sensors in its body and legs to balance and LIDAR and stereo sensors in its head to avoid obstacles, assess the terrain, help with navigation and manipulate objects. This version of Atlas is about 5' 9" tall (about a head shorter than the DRC Atlas) and weighs 180 lbs.” Atlas can now walk and move just like a normal human being. It can even stack boxes on its own. One feature that makes this latest version remarkable is its ability to get back right up after it has been pushed over by a stick. Is this the beginning of robots finally sticking up to itself and eventually picks a fight with humans? Are we seeing a possible humanrobot war in the future? Will these robots evolve into something that would make them our enemies? Future enemies or not, these robots will be used to help soldiers carry equipments and probably replace humans in deployment to dangerous areas. So far, Boston Dynamics tests its robots’ efficiency by treating them to different kinds of tortures like kicking them and making them walk in icy steps. Still brutal even for robots. Good thing they don’t feel anything. Photo by: 4erevolution 24

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Photo by: UAH

AUTONOMOUS ROBOTS CAN ALSO SAVE LIVES Science is doing everything in its power to bridge the gap between humans and robots. The students of University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) and their adviser have built an autonomous robot that has managed to grab a lot of attention.

Engineering Major, has been working on the project for more than one year.

There are a lot of robots out there, so what is so special about the robot? The project that they are developing teaches the robots the way they will control themselves in certain environments. These robots function primarily like driverless cars.

They have written a code and inserted it into the robot which will make the robot function. The robot has a GPS system to be able to detect its surroundings. It is supposed to function in an unfamiliar environment without any kind of assistance from you. You just let it do the task. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s it; but it can be operated by a remote control if you desire.

Dr. Farbod Fahimi, along with mechanical engineering graduate Sai Susheel Praneeth Kode and his research assistant, Tevon Walker, an undergraduate Computer

The robot is so smart that it can detect the surroundings and report about its conditions to you. That way, it can also cut off human element when it is not required.

At present, the robot is working according to the inputs that they are giving but they are unsure as to how accurate the robot executes the code. However, what is amazing about this robot is that this has the capability to adjust its error automatically. Somehow, their robot fixes a problem that their makers cannot fix. This robot is definitely opening up new opportunities in the field of autonomous robots. With time, these kind of robots will come out of the laboratory and find its place in the hands of the military and emergency response where they are needed the most.

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SCIENTISTS ARE TEACHING AN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE SYSTEM TO TELL STORIES BASED

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Photo by: Pinterest

Scientists will soon prove that Artificial Intelligence may be able to embody the saying “A picture is worth a thousand words,” because now, they are teaching programs to tell a story based entirely from pictures. According to the researchers, computers will soon be able to explain what is happening in videos, just like people do. Scientists at Microsoft Research with their colleagues are developing

a system that can automatically describe images just like a person would tell a story. Their objective is not only to let the system enumerate the objects in the picture, but to explain what is happening in the photo and how it can make a person feel. In other words, they are giving the AI storytelling capabilities. For example, if a person is shown a picture of a man in a tuxedo and a woman in a long, white dress, instead of

saying. “Bride and groom,” they would say “My best friend got married. They look happy, and it was a beautiful wedding.” According to study senior author Margaret Mitchell, a computer scientist at Microsoft Research, "The goal is to help give AIs more human-like intelligence, to help it understand things on a more abstract level — what it means to be fun or creepy or weird or interesting.”

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AN AI CAN NOW READ AND ANSWER QUESTIONS BASED ON NEWS ARTICLES In the future, you may be able to chat with your computer about the daily news headlines, because now, an AI is being taught how to read, analyze and answer questions about a news article accurately. One of Computer Science’s goals is to be able to create AI systems that can learn humanity’s existing information. According to Chris Manning at Standford University, “Computers don’t have the kind of general knowledge and

Photo by: Makeuseof

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common sense of how the world works [from reading] about things in novels or watch[ing] sitcoms,” Last year, Google’s DeepMind team got a series of articles from the Daily Mail website and CNN to help train an algorithm, so that it can read and understand short stories. The researchers used the bulleted summaries of the articles to create short and simple questions which trained the algorithm to search for the article key points.

Now, a group led by Manning has designed an algorithm that was able to beat DeepMind’s results by 10 percent on the CNN articles and 8 percent for Daily Mail articles. Overall, it got a score of 70 percent. “Some of the stuff they had just causes needless complications. You get rid of that and the numbers go up.” Manning said.

NASA’S CURIOSITY ROVER TO SAMPLE WATER ON MARS NASA scientists have been searching for liquid water on mars, and they’ve found hints. Now, they want to have a closer look at it. NASA revealed that the Curiosity rover will be investigating recurring slope lineae— the dark narrow streaks on the above photo—around Mars’ Gale Crater hoping to find water. It will first take a photo using its mast camera to make sure that there really is water. If it does find water, the machine will go and get samples. The

agency is expecting to take photos within a year.

Photo by: Express

However, finding water doesn’t mean Curiosity will find life. As we all know, Mars’ harsh conditions like fierce radiation might have prevented life in the first place. We may take a look at this investigation as a stepping stone for mankind. By getting results, the findings Curiosity will collect may help plan a mission for finding signs of life. A small success in this trip may lead to greater things in the future.

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BIG GUYS - HAWKING, WOZNIAK, HASSABIS AND MUSK ARE OPPOSING AUTONOMOUS WEAPONS

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Until now, it was just in the science fiction movies, but now, it is known that the “killer robots” are possible. Throughout the world, there are around 40 countries that are engaged in building autonomous robots. Probably, the day is not far when the humanity has to be on war against the machines for their survival. There are talks that the world is nearing an autonomous arms race. To stop this kind of a destructive war, which can have a devastating impact on the entire humanity, some great scientists of the world have come together. They have filed a petition to the governments all around the world to put ban on

autonomous weapons. There are some high profile names on the list of petitioners including Prof. Stephen Hawking, Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk, Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak. They have joined hands to put a ban on the designing and development of weapons that can autonomously “select and engage targets without human interventions.” The letter of declaration states: “AI technology has reached a point where the deployment of [autonomous weapons] is – practically if not legally – feasible within years, not decades,

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and the stakes are high: autonomous weapons have been described as the third revolution in warfare, after gunpowder and nuclear arms.” Hawkings and Musk reiterated that mankind’s biggest existential threat is to develop an AI that could spell the end of the human race. A few of the early examples of machines that could hit targets and kill without any kind of human help are drones, quadcopters armed with weaponry, and various military targeting systems. However, that is not the end of it, they are

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just the beginning. With the advancement of robotic technology, more lethal weapons are going to come to the forefront to kill people and wage wars against one another. According to roboticist Noel Sharkey, the new world robots will not look like the ones we see in movies and televisions. The killer robots will probably look like the autonomous machines that we have now. According to Sharkey, the machines will almost look like the tanks, jet fighters, or ships. The main aim of the petitioners is to stop the kill decision to be given to machines.

An open letter from Future of Life Institute summarizes the ideologies of every petitioner: “We believe that AI has great potential to benefit humanity in many ways, and that the goal of the field should be to do so. Starting a military AI arms race is a bad idea, and should be prevented by a ban on offensive autonomous weapons beyond meaningful human control.” In the distant future, I hope that mankind won’t have to choose between the red pill or the blue from Morpheus?

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Photo by: digitaltrends

DOMINO’S PIZZA UNVEILS SELF-DRIVING PIZZA DELIVERY ROBOT If you told my college self that in a few years, pizza would be delivered by a smaller and less depressed version of the robot Marvin from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, I’d have laughed in your face (and maybe barfed, too, because college was an insane blur). Well, my past self should have known better because Domino’s Pizza just told the world that it is currently testing a new, totally autonomous, pizza delivery robot that will be driving itself to your door in the very near future. The Domino Robotic Unit, or DRU, is apparently not an elaborate marketing stunt but an actual robot that’s been driving around Australia for some time now for its trial runs before Domino’s rolls it out to the world.

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According to Domino’s, DRU can deliver pizzas up to 12.5 miles away and will be using the sidewalk and bicycle lanes while following your GPS coordinates. After ordering, you get a unique code on your phone that will let you open a specific compartment on DRU, which incidentally can carry up to 10 pizzas in separate heated compartments, along with drinks. For those worried that little DRU might fall into a pothole, worry no more because this robot was built by Marathon Targets, a company that works primarily with the military in developing robots specifically for obstacle-avoidance during live-fire exercises. Because when I’m having my pizza delivered, I take comfort in knowing it’s being done by a military-grade piece of technology.

Photo by: PCmag

Photo by: imgix

Photo by: Arstechnica

ROBOTS THAT WILL COOK FOR YOU

Photo by: Moley Robotics

If you have a problem with your own cooking, or wanted a chef in your own kitchen, that won’t be so much of a problem anymore with the world’s first ever robotic kitchen. The robotic kitchen features four key integrated kitchen items of robotic arms, an oven, a hob and a touchscreen unit. It can be operated right at your fingertips via a smartphone or via the included touch screen; all you need to do is pull up a recipe and wait for the robot to serve you the food. It isn’t a machine that just cooks; it has hands that can cook like a master chef. The hands get its articulation – its speed, its sensitivity, and its movement – by recording the cooking

skills of Master Chef Tim Anderson, winner of the BBC Master Chef title, in a demonstration and putting the skills into its system. The hands then replicate, even the pauses in between and the OK gesture in the end, the master chef’s abilities into its kitchen. No wonder about that, since the nuclear industry and NASA uses the same kind of hands made by the Shadow Robot Company. If you are concerned with being stabbed by the robot, no need to fret as the robots uses a food processor and limits itself to knives. The kitchen also comes with a protective screen as an additional layer of safety. This technology, however, will not be

available to consumers until the fourth quarter of 2017. It will be supported by an iTunes-style downloadable library of recipes that the robot chef can cook at your own home which are about 2,000 recipes. Just prepare a good amount of $75,000 at its first launch. The robot kitchen is the brainchild of U.K.-based Moley Robotics, which prototype premiered at an international robotics show Hanover Messe. The eureka moment for the idea was of Mark Oleynik in January of 2014. The first patents were filed in the following month; a prototype was built by Moley in September of the same year.

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ROBOTS ARE THE FUTURE OF CONSTRUCTION We have seen many robots integrated with laboratory machines and factory equipment, but we have just started seeing robots helping in the construction of our buildings. It doesn’t end there: there’s more with robots in the field of

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construction in the future. The future of construction lies in modern technology that will help in various aspects: drones to monitor site activities and robotic bulldozers to push soil without the human touch.

Robots can also be used with off-site fabrication of the buildings’ elements by 3D printing them. Drones have become recently popular and their applications in construction sites are already realized. US

start-up Skycatch uses drones on high-profile building projects, which provides a bird’s-eye view of a site to give progress reports, and speed up site logistics through delivery monitoring and real-time updates. Japanese construction

Photo by: dronologista machinery giant Komatsu takes it a step further and uses Skycatch drones to have eyes for automated bulldozers. Their function is to send 3D models of a building site to a computer which will then feed information to the driverless machinery.

Other than drones are 3D printing machines which will be prevalent in the future to solve the housing crisis. The United Nations estimates that by 2030, approximately three billion people will require housing and has introduced 3D printing as

one possible solution. Technology is moving forward and the construction industry is adapting with it. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a lot more in store for this teaming up that engineers have to deal with.

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Learn Buddhism from Xian’er, the Baby Robot Monk

Photo by: Crowd Fund Insider

CUBETTO, A PROGRAMMABLE ROBOT FOR KIDS Photo by: The Malay Mail Online This is what we get when we meet Buddhism and technology. A modern approach has been made to introduce one of the oldest religions in the world, Buddhism, and that is through a baby robot monk named Xian’er. It’s more than just a cute robot as it will promote the religion in its own way. The robot, which is dressed like a Buddha but only standing two feet tall and purely electronics, has a touchscreen on his chest which helps him answer 20 questions about Buddhism and its lifestyle. It can also move around in seven different ways adding to the fancy of its appearance. Xian’er is the brainchild of

Master Xianfan who says that this integration of science and technology with spirituality is but a natural alignment. He said, “Science and Buddhism are not opposing [or] contradicting, and can be combined and mutually compatible. Buddhism is something that attaches much importance to inner heart, and pays attention to the individual’s spiritual world.“ He added, “It is a kind of elevated culture. Speaking from this perspective, I think it can satisfy the needs of many people.” The current robot monk is still up for development to cater to more functions. But if you want to have an overview of Buddhism, Xian’er will give you that just enough in Beijing Longquan Temple.

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Just when you think that the kids of this era is all about playing games on tablets or iPads (where no fundamental skills are developed), an educational toy is created that aims to revolutionize the way youngsters think and learn. Introducing Cubetto by Primo Toys, a playful wooden robot that lets kids aged 3 and above to learn programming and STEM skills through storytelling. Using its screenless blockbased control panel and tactile methods specifically designed for young minds, the toy set is able to introduce debugging, queue and recursions which in effect teaches the children to think more logically. Basically, the kids have to command the cube robot to move around obstacles to reach its home. Think it's all too much for the innocent minds to handle? Not really because of the colorful, creative displays and easy to maneuver toy parts, Cubetto is able to provide joyful learning memories for the 'curious little minds with big imaginations'.

WORLD’S FIRST POLICE ROBOT

WORTH $3.2 BILLION China has unveiled the world’s first police robot at the 12th Annual Chongqing Hi-tech Fair. The robot is called “AnBots”, and was created by the National Defense Univeristy— the Chinese military base for innovation. Anbots is 1.49 meters long, and weighs around 78kg. It is programmed to patrol the streets at one kilometre per hour. It can run for a span of 8 hours and charge its battery on its own. The robot is 1.49 meters long and reportedly weighs approximately 78 kg. It is programmed to patrol the streets one kilometer per hour and can reach a speed of 18 kilometers per hour. It can run for 8 hours and charge its battery on its own.

Photo by: Popsci

It includes other features like biochemical detection, explosive clearing, intelligent monitoring, emergency call response and also environmental monitoring. The Ministry of Public Security has also pointed out the limitations of the robot at the launch, they mentioned its lack of social and emotional intelligence, and the inability to catch suspects and it also carries the risk of cyber-attacks. They also mentioned that robots will never fully replace the police, and that the system will be controlled by humans. Civilians will also be able to use the robot using the SOS button on the robot.

Photo by: Telegraph

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Elios: The World's First Collision Tolerant Drone Pho

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Drones have been around for some time and they are usually used for different purposes like taking aerial footages of events, and taking aerial selfies. For the engineering field though, drones have a different purpose, they are used to survey and inspect different areas that are too difficult or dangerous for people to do so themselves. Using drones not only makes the job safe and effective, it also promotes safety—since

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people don’t have to risk going through extreme measures to survey or inspect a certain area. However, one flaw in using drones is that it could get damaged during inspection or surveying. This can happen if the area being inspected is too tight—the drone would bump into different places, and could get damaged. Falling debris, and weather issues could also damage the drone. This is why the company

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Flyability developed Elios, the world’s first collision tolerant drone. This drone is surrounded by a 15-inch exoskeleton-sphere (approximated size). The idea of this drone was inspired by houseflies, which bounces off a surface and keep flying. Elios is equipped with a free-rotating carbon-fiber exoskeleton which spins on a separate axis from the drone avionics inside. When Elios hits a wall, the cage will continue to spin and

therefore absorb the energy from the collision while the propellers inside are still spinning and the HD camera and lighting system are still stabilized. This drone can be used in different extreme and dangerous environments that could cause harm to a person like chemical spill sites, collapsed buildings and even glaciers.

Photo by: youtube/Laundroid

THE WORLD’S FIRST LAUNDRYFOLDING ROBOT

Anyone who has tried to live alone (and by alone, I mean no household help, not even parttime) will most probably agree with me that folding clothes is such a pain in the arse. I mean, come on! It personally takes me some three tries before I can successfully fold a simple short-sleeve shirt, let alone a long sleeve one. I am sometimes just tempted to fold each of the clothing item the way I want just to get the chore done and over with. If there is a device that can do the washing and the drying, why isn’t there that can do the folding? Well, folks, our wait is over! Presenting the “laundroid” – a device that can wash and dry clothing, then identify each clothing item and neatly fold them up. The Japanese technology, produced by Panasonic, together with Seven Dreamers and Daiwa, is about the size of a refrigerator, and is said to be capable of folding a t-short in about five to 10 minutes. Wait, what? Ten minutes! The creators admit that laundroid’s present turnaround time is exceedingly long compared to manual

work, but it is committed to shortening that and also reducing the product’s size as soon as it hits the market by 2017. Laundroid’s trump card is its ability to recognize the type of clothing and to fold the item by means of its robotic arm. It has an automated opening in the center in which the user can toss the piece of clothing. The machine accepts the item, then after folding it, tosses it out neat and tidy. The makers of laundroid plans to integrate the device with its user’s home by 2020, in that the user can simply dump their used clothes into laundroid, and the machine itself will put them in their proper closet spaces once washed, dried and folded. The creators, as early as now, envision that laundroid will be most useful in hospitals and nursing care facilities, which require an exceedingly high volume of items to be washed, dried and folded. A prototype of laundroid was demonstrated at the CEATEC trade fair, Japan’s biggest IT and electronics fair. JULY 2016 Future Cities & Robotics

Photo by: Robotic Gizmos

THIS ROBOT CAN BEAT YOU AT BADMINTON

A group of students and professors from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China developed a robot that can play the sport badminton just like any amateur player. This robot uses cameras, motion sensors and a special navigation system.

According to Huang Xi, a student from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, "We were the only team who made this robot fully-automated. We are in the business of making clever devices. We might as well make it fully intelligent,"

It was named the Robomintoner, and was created for competition. The UESTC team was given a task to create a badmintonplaying bot for the Asia-Pacific Robocon 2015, wherein the robots would compete against each other in doubles matches.

This robot has become very popular in China. It played ceremonial matches against Dong Jiong, an Olympic medal winning badminton player. Recently, it competed against table tennis champion Wang Liqin.

Photo by: Prog3

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This Creepy Robot Is Designed Just to Stab People Pho

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Biochemist Isaac Asimov has Three Laws of Robotics. The first law says, “A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm;” while the second law states, “A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.” But both laws are challenged by a roboticist from California who just invented a machine that purposely stabs humans with needles. For a reason. Alexander Reben from Stochastic Labs in Berkeley, California wants to join the ethical

debate with robots but on a different light – by breaking the laws, he wants people to realize about the inevitable robot population that might harm us later in life. He does not intend to scare people with his robot either, which by the way, is only a black box with a mechanical arm. Nothing scary at all on first look, but when you place your fingers (for the fun of it) inside a pair of brackets, the robot is alerted of your presence and it starts pricking your finger until it bleeds. That’s it.

that does this that actually exists...That was important, to take it out of the thought experiment realm into reality, because once something exists in the world, you have to confront it. It becomes more urgent. You can’t just pontificate about it.”

He says, “No one’s actually made a robot that was built to intentionally hurt and injure someone. I wanted to make a robot

He could have just chosen a robot that pinches the humans, right? But no, he wants it bloody.

Reben wants the people to start confronting the physicality of robots harming the people. He reiterates that it will raise a bit more awareness outside the philosophical realm, so he broke the robotics laws.

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There are a huge mass of people who love tattoos, from simple, minimalistic designs, to hardcore awesome hyperrealistic tattoos. Some get tattoos because of many reasons, the most prevalent one is because each tattoo has its own special meaning. That’s why it’s important to many tattoo recipients to make sure their tattoo artist is skilled in his/her art.

Photo by: Metrouk2

TATTOO ARTIST GETS THE WORLD’S FIRST TATTOO-GUN MACHINE PROSTHESIS But let’s be honest, it’s really difficult to find a tattoo artist who can satisfy the perfect tattoo art. After all, getting a tattoo is somehow a ‘forever’ commitment—since they don’t come off unless you have it professionally removed. If you’re one of those people who love special tattoos, you might love that tattoo art of JC Sheitan Tenet. Why? Because, not only does he do awesome realistic tattoo art but he does it using a prosthetic hand! Woah! Confused? Tenet is from Lyon, France. He lost is arm 22 years ago, and his existing prosthetic hand was modified into the world’s first tattoo machine prosthetic by French artist JL Gonzal. Here are some of his works.

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Photo by: Metro UK

3D-PRINTED PROSTHETIC ARM HAS FEATURES YOU DON’T SEE WITH THE OTHERS

This design is created by a Konami developer and publisher of the Metal Gear Solid titles, who worked with a leading prosthesis artist Sophie De Oliviera Barata and a technical team. It is inspired by the protagonist Snake in the new PlayStation 4 game Metal Gear Solid V.

The recipient of this first-of-itskind prosthetic arm is James Young, a gamer who fell under a train which left him with a damaged left arm and a severed lower left leg. It happened May 18, 2012. James is happy to have been provided with the arm. He shared, “It gives me a hand – and not a device. It’s soft, but firm, so it’s really nice to shake!”

Photo by: Fashionably Geek

We have seen artificial arms that enable limb mobility, but not with one with a laser light, a torch, a USB port, a watch, and a drone fixed on a panel outside of the shoulder.

A product of 3D printing technology, the arm allows its recipient to pick up the tiniest objects through commands sent by the shoulder muscles. It communicates with the sensors and does its tasks like a real hand, only with the extra features.

Scarlett Johansson Becomes A Doll Robot Hong Kong-based product and graphic designer Ricky Ma just created a female robot that is modelled after the Hollywood star Scarlett Johansson from scratch. The female robot prototype is named Mark 1 and is able to response from verbal commands. It could also make facial expressions. As an example, when the robot is told 'Mark 1 you are so beautiful', it will bow and smile while replying 'Hehe, thank you.' The success of Ricky Ma was all thanks to his persistence and dedication to live out a dream--that is to create his

own robot. He did not mind spending more than $50,000 just to finish what he wanted. Even if he had no background in 3D printing, programming and electromechanics, he pursued with learning it. To him, it was a sweat and blood project but it was all worth it. "I figured I should just do it when the timing is right and realise my dream. If I realise my dream, I will have no regrets in life," Ricky Ma happily commented on his work. What do you think is going to be the consequence if humanoids become a part of our daily lives?

Photo by: economictimes/indiatimes JULY 2016 Future Cities & Robotics

HOW THE JETSONS PREDICTED THE FUTURE One of the many fascinating cartoons that we’ve watched as a kid must be The Jetsons, because of an element contrary to other animations: the future. The makers of this cartoon have imagined what the world will look like in 2062, through the lifestyle in its characters George Jetson, his son Elroy, his daughter Judy, and his wife Jane. And oh, not to forget the family’s space dog, Astro and their robot maid, Rosie.

Photo by: Apartment Therapy

Robot Maids Let’s start with Rosie the robot maid. In 2012, we already have a Rosie version through Honda’s Asimo, who can walk, talk, and interact with humans. Some other robots can now do housekeeping like she does.

It’s not 2062 yet as how this Hanna Barbera 60’s cartoon is staged, but there are some feats seen in many of their episodes that are already happenin – a safe conclusion that the writers of The Jetsons somehow predicted the future.

Video Chat Remember Jane getting to call George while he is in his Spacely Sprockets through video call? Yes, that’s it, but that’s only two of them – there’s a lot more in the cartoon that used video chat. It’s prevalent now with the camera technology we have and the Internet connection. Communication has become easy in the modern times because of video calls.

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Photo by:Smithsonian Mag

Flatscreens The video calls of the Jetson couple were done on flatscreen televisions, on top of having to watch the news. Right now, the best tool for entertainment and information is through those thin and wide TVs.

Photo by: Venture and the city

Photo by: chipchick

Photo by: Article 3

Flying Cars

Jetpacks

The transportation in The Jetsons is primarily flying car, if you can recall George driving everyone to their respective locations in their opening billboard. Although we are not there yet with flying cars, maybe in 2062, but humans have made significant improvements with Terrafugia Transition, which can get up to 62 mph on the road.

Human flight is achievable in the said television series through jetpacks. We also have that now in our aim to also be elevated.

Dog Treadmills

Smartwatch

Astro casually takes dog walks through a treadmill, which already exists to exercise their favorite canine.

The first smartwatch that shows images and videos might have been in The Jetsons. Even when the screen is so small, it still works with George and even the humans just to watch the favorite shows.

Photo by: retrokimmer

Photo by: Youtube

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Photo by Hubspot

Photo by:Cartoon Scrapbook

Tanning Beds

Mall Architecture

Tanning beds, at the time The Jetsons was aired, wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t very relevant at all. It is only after over a decade that tanning beds were introduced to America in 1979 through Friedrich Wolff.

The malls we have now are shaping to look like the shopping centers in The Jetsons. Instead of the conventional concrete and wood, we already use huge amounts of glass for the exteriors.

Cloning

Vacuum Tube Transport

In one episode, George decides to clone himself to do dual duties: be relaxed at home and be busy at work. But in the new century, we only have until animal cloning because of moral debates regarding the possibility of having to clone a human. That is not the same way George cloned himself though as such only exists in fiction, but through biomedical engineering.

The Jetsons havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t stepped on the levels of elevators and stairs, but of vacuum tubes that will serve as transport. Today, undergoing study has been done by US and China if such system can work in real life. The transporters might hit 2,500 miles an hour as predicted by scientists, which will enable the commute from America to Europe be shortened to an hour rather than 6 hours via plane. There is a catch though: the clear elevator shafts are already existent.

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Photo by Devops

Photo by: Flickr

WORLD’S FIRST ROBOT-RUN FARM OPENS IN JAPAN Automation is on the way to the industries. Spread, a Japanese vegetable producer, announces its automated farm run by robots in Kameoka, Kyoto prefecture. It will the world’s first “robot farm” in an attempt to address labor shortages by the country’s shrinking workforce and aging population. The robot will do the re-planting of young seedlings, watering, trimming and eventually harvesting of crops. The feat is said to boost the productions from 21,000 to 50,000 lettuces per day and a consequent plan to raise it up to half a million lettuces daily in five years. It will also improve efficiency and reduce labor cost into half according to Spread’s global marketing manager, JJ Price. With the success of the first automated farm, surely, Japan plans to build more robotic plant factories elsewhere, even across the globe.

Photos by Getty Images

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The Queen of Useless Robots All hail the queen of shitty robots! She who works on useless automation! by Dion Greg Reyes For Swedish inventor Simone Giertz, robots are not entirely as useful as we think they are. There are ways to utilize robots in everyday life to the point that they are already useless. And this is evident in her YouTube channel, filled with videos of robots and their out-of-this-world applications, that has already gathered enough followers â&#x20AC;&#x201C; more than 200,000 of them â&#x20AC;&#x201C; to say that the Internet is indeed a weird place. Her shitty machines speak of her imagination and abilities. She already considers making such machines a job (she earns quite a fortune with her ingenous robots) and never plans to stop from manufacturing and posting about them. Using only Arduino UNO boards, she has brought robots and contraptions to a different dimension that no other engineer could have ever thought of. If you visit her YouTube channel, you can find

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there her robot that feed her with cereal, her robot that puts on her lipstick, her robot that chops vegetables, and her robot that argues on the internet by banging itself on a keyboard, among others. All are products of self-taught robotics. She built stuff on her own being so ideaoriented - she figures out building stuff by herself rather than just learning them in theory. It usually takes her an afternoon of work for projects that only require minimal programming, and one to two weeks full-time when she’s working on more complicated robots like the Applause Machine, which claps for you when your hands are full (such a groundbreaking idea for a robot, huh). Living in an old tugboat makes her wish to have a project of a submarine houseboat someday. It’s a dream robot project that is up her sleeves when she has enough time, skills and money for it. But she will get there, undoubtedly, having to do her unusual job on a regular basis that she enjoys. She left her job in San Francisco for this kind of life in Stockholm. All hail the queen of shitty robots! She who works on useless automation!

All photos are screencapped from Simone Giertz’s YouTube channel.

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Robots that Will Make the Kids Want to Learn Math and Science by Dion Greg Reyes For the kids, learning math and science is almost always boring. The methods of teaching such subjects to the young ones do not usually appeal to them especially when the styles are too traditional or lacking with techniques or innovation. You can see in their eyes that they show no interest at all because let’s face it, they would rather choose to play with their toys rather than immerse themselves in the seemingly difficult to process world of math and science. But with advent of modern technology through robots, this might change. There is a certain charm with robots that children can be so enticed with. Using that charm, the robots can capture the attention of the children to be directed to a fun learning process, teaching them about math and science. The children will be immersed more than ever in wanting to learn with the enhanced interactive tools. “Kids recognize when they are learning something themselves—robots give them that. Building and programming these devices is part of becoming a creative science and engineering kind of person.” That’s what Larry Johnson, CEO of a research organization specializing in educational technology called New Media Consortium said. Robots have been proven to be more effective educational tools starting from the lower grades up to graduate school. Here are robot platforms specially designed to teach children:

Play-i The robot tandem that encourages kids to engage in computational thinking without knowing it, Play-i robots are a product of a successful Kickstarter campaign. No doubt about that because it holds a lot of promise in teaching kids through learning activities. Play-i robots are ballshaped and composed of two: Bo and Yana. Bo is made up of four connected spheres that children program to glide along the floor on three wheels, avoiding obstacles and delivering small items in the process. Yana is a single sphere laden with sensors. Both are connected with a variety of Apple iOS and Google Android mobile devices using Bluetooth 4.0. “The goal is to keep interaction open-ended and free-play so kids discover what they can do with the robot. The robot draws them in while posing new challenges over time,” says Play-i founder and CEO Vikas Gupta. Photo by Robot Launch

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RobotsLAB This robots platform feature a lot of educational robots that will ultimately keep the kids have fun while learning. There’s the mini humanoid NAO, the two-wheeled Qbo series, and the RobotsLAB BOX. The RobotsLAB BOX has a tablet computer containing 50 lesson plans and quizzes, which are math and science at its core, as an aid to the flying AR.Drone, stationary ArmBot, rolling Sphero and mobile Mustached Rover. “This helps teachers create the bridge between the concrete world and the abstract world of mathematical concepts,” says RobotsLAB CEO Elad Inbar. Photo by RobotsLAB

Linkbots

EZ-Robot If the kids love to craft and program new robots and want to share them with its other users, EZ-Robot is the one for them. It is an open-source software platform that works on personal computer and mobile devices, and also a hardware platform. It uses a graphical user interface that promotes robot-making for the newbies.

Not only for the younger ones because of its advanced quality, Linkbots are for those who like to play with customizable machines on two main modules. Such modules are connected wirelessly with accelerometers, which can be controlled one by the other through simply moving them. The robots are designed with a program similar to stop-motion animation, which is manipulation of the robot using the hands instead of giving instruction over a computer. It can go further complex movements with the a software for programming. Photo by Linkbots

Photo by Robot Shop

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An Autonomous Robot as your Grocery Shopping Assistant

Say goodbye to the conventional push and pull shopping cart as Kartum by Charles Bombardier has revolutionized your weekly shopping experience. Kartum is an electric autonoumous shopping cart that is also a virtual grocery-shopping assistant. It has features that will pick up the items in your shopping list that you can create via an online application, monitor your items that will be over your budget and even calculate the calories in your items. It can even plan the best itinerary in the store which can link up with the store’s database to identify location of the products. This ‘smart shopping cart’ also eliminates the

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need to stop at the counter as you can pay by using your digital print. Once you unload the items from the cart, it will proceed with the next customer in sight. There is no need to plug Kartum in as it recharges itself with wireless electricity. It walks along with you based on the user’s preferences, may it be behind or just ahead of you. Bet that this will make you want to visit the grocery stores even more.

Photo by Charles Bombardier

A Robotic Arm that Acts Like an Elephant Trunk Biomimetics is a damn exciting field. Engineers in this field use nature as their inspiration for systems and designs to create awesome stuff. For example, they used the elephant’s trunk to create a cool robotic arm. At first glance, the thingamajig looks like a cross between a mechanical claw and iron snake with a good measure of tentacle horror thrown in. In fact, they are reminiscent of the sweet robotic arms used by the infamous Dr. Octopus, the Spiderman villain. Of course, they are calling it the Bionic Handling Assistant, the blandest name possible for the cool robot. But it’s cool anyway. As it stands, elephant trunks are possibly the coolest appendages in the Animal Kingdom. So, making a robotic arm based on that is a fantastic idea. This robotic arm was made by Festo, a German automation company. What is even more fantastic is that the arm acts and learns just like a baby’s arm. The researcher

will guide the arm to perform certain actions. The robot will learn and memorizes the movements so as to repeat them whenever necessary. This will enable the robot to fulfill functions such as operating in tight quarters and helping people in the medical or the industrial sector. It can even be programmed to change a light bulb. Festo has also been responsible for the creation of the first robot kangaroo that actually moves like the real thing. Again, they have used biomimetics to mimic the leaping movements of the kangaroo precisely. The robot jumps and lands perfectly as a result. Now, that’s a kickass use of science.

Photo by Festo

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Would You Let a Robot Do Your Make Up?

Girls, by now you may have probably perfected your everyday make-up routine from washing your face, to putting on foundation, eyeshadow, blush and lipstick. After all, you’ve been doing it everyday, over and over again, until such a time you are able to create a systematic way of putting on make-up that you don’t have to concentrate so much when doing so anymore. But what if you were offered the option of letting someone or something else take your place in putting on your everyday make up, let’s say—a robot? Would you let it? Two students from the University of Applied Arts Vienna in Austria wanted to experiment on the idea. The two students are Maya Pindeus and Johanna Pichlbauer. They designed three robots that can mimic three real human make-up application motions, which are swiping on lipstick, putting on eyeshadow and using a facemask.

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The pair wanted to answer the question: “If aesthetic judgements are resigned to robot intelligence, would it make our lives emotionally less complicated?” Their answer: No. After they set up the installation with the robots, it proved that the irregularities and uniqueness in different people’s faces make it simply impossible to perfectly beautify the face of every person. This experiment proved one thing: that mindless robots can’t beautify every woman the same way, since every woman’s face is unique and has its own way of being beautiful. A make-up style may look beautiful for one, but may look bad on the other. This experiment also opens the issue of why are women trying to achieve the same beauty standards, when we all obviously look different? So how about you, would you like a robot to do your make up?

Photos by Pindeus & Pichlbauer

Exoskeletons to Begin

Iron Man Age

ActiveLink, a Japanese tech company and subsidiary of Panasonic, released its first commercially available assist suit AWN-03, an exoskeleton that detects and assists body movements. It has been showcased in Tokyo’s International Robot Exhibition, the world’s largest robotics show, a few weeks ago where it garnered a huge interest from the audience. This is to address the aging population of Japan and supporting its shrinking workforce focusing on health care, physical assistance and maintaining the country’s level of production. Using the exoskeleton, which weighs a few pounds (6kg), the user would be able to lift up crates or things effortlessly, six to seven times in a row. The device is composed of

two disks on the front part of thighs and distributed over the shoulders. It is powered by lithium-ion battery with an electric engine according to ActiveLink Engineer, Yasunori Nishi. The exoskeleton costs $10,000 each. Also, Japan is not the only one developing the exoskeletons. In Europe and the United States, a number of projects were soon be unveiled under the sectors of defense and rehabilitation industries. Exoskeletons ranging from modular arms, limbs and chairs are now being developed for commercialization. In this technological age of robotics, from parts to overalls, these “Iron Man suits” are now a reality. Photos by Panasonic

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FUTURISTIC

CITIES YOU’D WANT

TO LIVE IN

If you’ve come from a small town, you’ll definitely find yourself amazed at the wonder big cities can give you. With buildings so high and people living a very different lifestyle compared to those who live in a small town, it’s impressive for small town people - but imagine going to a futuristic city. It’s not exactly what we see in movies and shows such as The Jetsons but it’s still innovative and creative than ever before. Futuristic cities give us a feel of what the future will look like. It’ll give us a peak on how things will be in the future. Isn’t it exciting to see all these things in just one place? If you’re the type of millennial coming from a small town who would like to wander around futuristic cities, how about going for a visit in these cities:

DUBAI, UAE

It’s got the world’s tallest building and a hotel located underwater. If you find yourself looking at the place in a bird’s eye view, you’d definitely catch The Palm, man-made islands that form the shape of a palm together. They offer free wifi using their palm trees and they even plan to have a smart beach. There’s definitely a lot of things to look forward to this place considered one of the most futuristic cities in the world. Photo by All Dubai

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HONG KONG, CHINA

If you find yourself walking in the streets of Hong Kong, observe all the buildings in the place. You’ll find yourself amazed at how highlyadvanced these places can be.They even have plenty of skyscrapers that they’re more than of them compared to any other country. Photo by National Geographic

SILICON VALLEY, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES

It’s the home of the offices of your favorite tech companies - from Facebook to Google. We all know what we can expert from nerds who gather in just one place. They definitely know how to make one helluva futuristic area. Photo by Spiegel

TOKYO, JAPAN

HELSINKI, FINLAND

If you’re crazy about getting connected to your social media all the time, you might want to consider getting your free Wifi access in Helsinki. What makes this place a little extra special is the government’s attempt to improve the quality of lives of the citizens.

You’ve probably seen futuristic anime set in Japan. As you can see, it’s not that far from reality. Everywhere you look, you’d see how advanced the city is. They have a sci-fi cuisine to its advanced railway system, you might consider living around there. It’s actually any tech-Savy’ dream to visit Tokyo. Photo by Vacation Advice 101

Photo by Helsinki Blog

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6 GADGETS MADE FROM LEGO BRICKS If there’s one certain toy every engineer as a child loved to play with, I’ll bet it’s building things using LEGO bricks. If there’s one certain toy every engineer as a child loved to play with, I’ll bet it’s building things using LEGO bricks. When we play with LEGO, anything we plan to build are limited only by our imaginations. From a rocket ship to a bulldozer, from a simple robot to a skyscraper. While, our creations as children weren’t able to really do much, we were content with the simple joys of being able to create our first designs as young engineers. Now, we would like to show you some awesome creations made from our once cherished toys. These creations will bring you back to your childhood days and show you that it’s possible to create almost anything if you just put your mind into it.

THE WORKING LEGO CAMERA This creation is a camera that was created to capture indelible images. Cary Norton, an Alabama-based photographer built this working 127mm f4.7 camera by using LEGO’s Digital Designer application. Photo by Engadget

THE DIY LEGO 3D PRINTER The LEGObot 3D printer was created by Matthew Kreuger. This is the LEGO version of the Makerbot, an inexpensive NXT-powered printer.

THE WORKING LEGO PRINTER Some years ago, a 14-year-old boy designed this working LEGO printer which moves a pen to write drawings and text. It’s called the LEGO Mindstorms NXT printer, or PriNXT. Photo by ICT Press

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Photo by Inhabitat

LEGO’S MUSICAL BEATBOARDS This year, LEGO will be launching a new line called Beatboards, wherein anyone can use LEGO bricks to create original musical compositions. Touch sensors are built into the baseplate and it registers the resistance formed under the weight of the LEGO bricks and turns those messages into sound. Photo by Wikia

THE PROSTHETIC ARM THAT GIVES KIDS LEGO ABILITIES Carlos Arturo, a former LEGO intern, developed the IKO prosthetic arm. It was made especially for children, so they can create custom-built limbs. Torres was inspired by his childhood in Colombia, where many children lost their limbs during armed conflicts.

THE PANCAKEBOT

Photo by Engadget

This clever invention uses pancake batter to draw onto a sizzling griddle. It can create any elaborate shape you want. You’ll never see pancakes the same way again. Photo by YouTube

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Everything You Need to Know ABOUT ROBOTICS ENGINEERS by Cielo Panda Nowadays, our technological world is filled with gadgets, Artificial Intelligence, Deep Learning, and Robots that help make our daily lives easier. All these are made possible thanks to the hard work of robotics engineers. So if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re planning to be a robotics engineer, here is a short overview of what they do and what it takes to be one.

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What is a Robotics Engineer? A Robotics Engineer is basically an engineer who specializes in robots. They are also known as Automation Engineers, Robotics and Automation Engineers, or Automation Robotics Engineers. They are designers who are responsible for the creation of robots and robotic systems that does work that humans cannot or prefer not to do. With the help of their innovations, robotics engineers helps make different tasks easier, safer and more efficient. What are the Necessary Skills to be a Robotics Engineer?

To be able to become a successful robotics engineer, one should be highly-creative with the ability to think outside the box. After all, robotic engineers design robots and robotic systems that can improve a certain job. They should have a solid understanding in subjects learned in school such as advanced mathematics, applied physical science, and computer science. It is also important that they enjoy collaborating with a team, and have adequate communication skills. Lastly, since programming new robots is one of the most challenging part of robotics engineering, it is important that one should be an expert in programming such. Others even get a degree in software engineering to expand their robotics engineering career further. What does a Robotics Engineer Particularly do? Robotics engineers spend most of

Photo by AP

Photo by Press Herald

their time designing plans that are needed to build robots and robotic systems. This also includes programs and processes that the robot will need for it to run correctly. There are even robotic engineers that create robotic systems that assemble robots. The design phase is crucial since it embodies every aspect that will build up the finished robot. Once the design is complete, they will move to the more exciting processâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; assembling the unit. Robotics engineers are responsible for creating several different types of robots depending on what task it is supposed to do. Prior to construction, it is important that the engineer researches properly what the robot will be used for, and the

manner in which it will perform the needed task. More often than not, creating a robot takes a lot of time. This includes the research phase, design phase, assembling phase, and testing phase. Many robotics engineers get stuck in one of those phases and revise what needs to be revised to get the desired results. It can even take a few months to years to complete one robot. Professionals who want to enter in this field need to be extra patient.

Photo by Alpine Daily Planet

Photo by University of Michigan

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HOW WOULD HUMANS SURVIVE A CURRENT ROBOT APOCALYPSE? Photo by Noval World

Ok, when you hear “Robot Apocalypse” what usually goes on in your head? You may be imagining an army of Terminator-ish automations ready to destroy the human race who built them—just like in those sci-fi movies. Our technology is evolving through time, but we still have a long way to go. So instead of imagining the terminator-style robot revolution, let’s imagine: what if our current machines suddenly turned against us? How long would humanity last? Here’s how the scenario might go.

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#1 In laboratories, experimental robots would go wild and leap from their benches and try to locate the door, only to suddenly crash onto the door and fall over. However, for those robots who have limbs, they may be able to open the doorknob and successfully leave the room. After a few hours, they would be found in bathrooms, trying to destroy and trash everything while looking for humans to exterminate only to be short-circuited due to the water spillage they’ve caused.

#2 What about the machines in our offices, and our cell phones? Well, they could attack us but their options are limited. They could start annoying us with ringtones and irritating noises. Our desks would start to rattle because all our phones would be set on vibrate. In the end, the only physical damage our cell phones could do is if it falls off the desk (because of the simultaneous vibrations) and fall on our toes. Ouch!

Most modern cars have computers now, so they’ll join the revolution. This would be way more dangerous, but mostly to their drivers and passengers. But there are options to fight back, drivers could still control the steering wheel, which has a direct mechanical link to the wheels. The driver could also pull the parking brake.

#4 What about industrial robots found in factories. Most factory robots are bolted to the floor, so they won’t be able to hurt humans if they suddenly fled the area. All they can actually do is assemble things.

Military Robots would be the most dangerous of them all, but there are very few of them in the world. Most of them are kept in storage lockers, and if there were machine-gunarmed military robots on the loose, they can be easily subdued by a couple of military men. Military Drones on the other hand is the closest to the terminator description, and they are dangerous. However, they easily run out of fuel and missiles.

Photo by Corbett Report

With all these scenarios, there is still a part of the story that gives us hope. We still have our nuclear weapons to counter their attacks. In addition, nuclear explosions cause powerful electromagnetic pulses (EMP’s). EMP’s overload and destroy sensitive electronic circuits which in turn could destroy the robots. A few more strikes from us and the human race will be able to eradicate them completely.

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Photo by Wallpaper Made

HOW R2-D2 AND C-3PO INSPIRED THOUSANDS TO JOIN ROBOTICS If there are fictional characters that have played crucial roles in robotics, it will be the famous sidekicks in the Star Wars trilogy. R2-D2 and C-3PO have charmed their way around the audience and made a huge impact as well in the robotics field. As soon as they bicker in front of the screen, they have caught our attention and definitely inspired a lot of robotics enthusiasts to create their own robots. R2-D2 has inspired the public to create their own assistants that could help them around the house. The droid also helped in inspiring younger generations spark their curiosity in science in engineering. Through its beeps and bops, little children have curiously tried learning how the robot works and how to make one. R2-D2 got inducted into the Robot Hall of Fame back in 2003 while made it in the list of 101 Objects that Made America - a list made by Smithsonian Institution. The droid has definitely made an impact not just in pop culture but in robotics as well. It was also believed that this funny little robot was George Lucas’ favorite character in the series. According to him, he makes it intentional that R2-D2 manages to save the day every now and then in each movie.

As for the humanoid robot character, C-3PO, we can see a lot of robots nowadays that has clearly taken inspiration from this funny easily frightened robot. Re-created by Anakin Skywalker in the Episode I, C-3PO has also made an impact in the robotics field. One example on projects that was inspired by the protocol droid was the robot built by the United States Navy. It’s called the Autonomous Shipboard Humanoid and its purpose was to extinguish fires, climb ladders and carry hoses. For both robots, we can see a lot of high-level toys created to develop the learning skills of children. Clearly, a lot of kids have sparked an interest in building robots as soon as they were introduced to these two funny droids. With the release of Episode VII last December, the public was also given a new robot to love - BB-8. Star Wars has a strong fan base and while not everyone got into robotics because of it, we still can’t admit how this series has helped out the robotics field in terms of increasing people who join the field and inspired designs and prototypes that shaped the way we see the world now.

Photo by Hello Giggles

Photo by Ubergizmo

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TOP 50 ROBOTICS COMPANIES IN THE WORLD Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve welcomed robots in our lives. This is very noticeable especially in futuristic and first-world countries that are fastpaced and give importance in giving people convenience and comfort. While some give a bad reputation for robots, it is quite obvious that robotics have played a crucial role in how we develop as a society. Nowadays, engineers have developed robots that can do all the chores for us, robots that work for us and robots who could even think for us. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why every robot has been very useful in making our daily lives better.

There has been a debate going on lately about robots though. For some, robots pose as a threat to humanity. With the threat of actually replacing humans one day, some people believe that we should stop developing them into a more complex human-like machines. But other people thought differently and have made it their mission to produce highquality robots that could be more useful to us than ever before. Robotics Business Review released this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Top 50 robotics companies that made crucial commercial influence, groundbreaking applications and have shown innovativeness in their products. Photo by Robotnor

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3D Robotics ABB Robotics Aethon Inc. Alphabet, Inc. (Google) Amazon Autonomous Solutions CANVAS Technology Carbon Robotics Clearpath Robotics Cyberdyne Delphi Automotive DJI Ekso Bionics Energid Technologies EPSON Robots FANUC Robotics

Fetch Robotics Foxconn Technology Group GreyOrange IAM Robotics Intuitive Surgical iRobot Jibo Kawasaki Knightscope KUKA Robotics Lockheed Martin Locus Robotics Omron Adept Technologies Inc. Open Bionics Rethink Robotics ReWalk Robotics Robotiq

Samsung Savioke SCHUNK Seegrid Siasun Robot & Automation Co Ltd SoftBank Robotics Corporation Soil Machine Dynamics Ltd Swiss log Titan Medical Toyota ULC Robotics, Inc. Universal Robots A/S Vecna Technologies Verb Surgical VEX Robotics Yamaha Robotics Yaskawa Motoman

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10 MOST FAMOUS FICTIONAL ROBOTS In this age of information, more and more robots are being developed to aid humankind’s varying needs. Bit by bit they are being involved into different fields in our society, like manufacturing, construction, healthcare, automotive field, and even in the movie industry! You may have been familiar with some robot superheroes, and supervillains in some movies you’ve seen. We collected some of them to show you 10 of the most famous fictional robots.

R2-D2

R2-D2 is part of the robot duo tandem in the Star Wars saga. R2-D2 is the abbreviated form of Second Generagtion Robotic Droid Series-2. Though it only knows how to whistle talk, slowly move, and do minor things like create hologram messages, it is considered to be one of George Lucas’, the Star Wars creator’s, favorites. Photo by: Hello Giggles

C-3PO

C-3PO is the other half of the robot duo in Star Wars. This robot is famous for being a nervous and talkative. It is able to speak and interact in over 6 million forms of communication, which makes him a valuable asset to the group. It works as a protocol droid, and its main purpose is to be a liaison for different races, and planets by knowing their customs, etiquette, and language. Photo by: Side Show Toy

Optimus Prime

Optimus Prime is a fictional character from the Transformers franchise. This robot is depicted as one that has a strong moral character, excellent leadership, and good decision-making skills. Photo by: Comic Vine

BB8

BB8 is a new robot droid favorite in the famous sci-fi saga, Star Wars. In the film, it loyally accompanies Poe Dameron on many missions for the Resistance. BB-8 is a spherical robot with a free-moving dome-shaped head. He is colored white, with orange and silver accents. Photo by: Tf3dm

JULY 2016 Future Cities & Robotics

Wall-E

Wall-E, or Waste Allocater Load Lifter- Eart Class, is a fictional robot that was featured in the 2008 heart-warming film Wall-E. The plot of the story follows his adventures as he does his duty to clean the earth wasteland in a future era. While he was cleaning the earth he comes across and falls in love with another robot named Eve, and he follows her into outer space as they try to alter destiny that will save humanity. Photo by: No Cookie

T-800

This robot character was played by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1984 film. T-800 is a cyborg that was programmed as an assassin and military infiltration unit by the resistance in the future to kill Sarah Connor to prevent the birth of her son. Photo by: Geek Style Guide

RoboCop

RoboCop is a fictional robot in the movie, RoboCop in the year 1987. In the movie he was the veteran police officer Alex Murphy, who was murdered. His body was reconstructed in a cyborg project by Omni Consumer Products (OCP) to fight crimes in the city. Photo by: YouTube

Megatron

Earlier, I’ve mentioned Optimus prime. This robot is the total opposite, he is the leader of the evil robot faction, the Decepticons and the nemesis of Optimus Prime and the Autobots.

Astro Boy

Astro Boy is an atomic-powered robot with 100,000 hp. He is a robot that resembled its creator’s dead son. This robot is a superhero that saves his town from crimes done by evil doers. Photo by: Time 4 Smart

Photo by: Enterpreneur

Voltes V

Voltes V is a robot from the Japanese Anime series, Chōdenji Machine Voltes V. Voltes V is a robot composed of five “Volt Machines”, and each of them are weapons. When the 5 machines combine, they create the ultimate robot that saves the earth from the invasions of the Boazanians. Photo by: YouTube

JULY 2016 Future Cities & Robotics

THIS IS LIFE IN A FUTURISTIC CITY What will the future look like in 50 to 100 years? Nobody really knows for sure but our imaginations can come up with so many possibilities that it could either fascinate us or terrify us. There’s no certainty if we’d still see the big blue oceans or the wild animals in the safari but we do have a glimpse of what futuristic cities can look like. We are on the way to living in the future and today’s engineers have very big ambitious plans for the places we’ll be living in. First, our future cities will definitely involve a lot of artificial intelligence systems. Remember The Jetsons? We’ll probably be living their lives soon. We can have cars that fly and a robot for a maid. We let things move on its own through science and engineering and we’ll have more robots to take over the government and the private institutions to serve us. There’s even a possibility that real dogs and cats might go extinct by then and we’ll replace them with robotic pets. According to a robotics professor from the University of Sheffield, Professor Noel Sharkey, robots will take on an important role in law enforcement and crowd control: “They keep the police out of harm’s way in an increasingly dangerous world of armed criminals, gangs and terror organizations.”

JULY 2016 Future Cities & Robotics

How about our mode of transportation? It is possible that futuristic cities can easily allow citizens to travel in just a short period of time. Aside from autonomous cars (which aim to avoid accidents and lighten the load of traffic), engineers are working on flying cars and rail transportation that’ll only take a few minutes for people to arrive from point A to point B. We might even see a hovercraft in the near future.

As for the infrastructures of future cities, we’ve already seen what they’ll look like in smart cities around the world. They’ll be selfsustaining and will use renewable energy to power up buildings, homes and industries. In an attempt to make places a safer and cleaner place for the future generations, engineers are working very hard to use solar, wind and other sources of renewable energy to power all of the energy needed for all human consumption.

Source: Lava 360 All those infrastructures you see in dystopian movies may be our future cities but it is also possible that we could live underwater. This is currently what engineers are working on given that the crowd in the land are too many already for us to continue dwelling on land. As you know, it’s also possible that companies will be sending us to Mars to let us live there. That’s something Elon Musk is working on with his team.

Who knows what the cities of the future will exactly look like? We have glimpses of it already but we are constantly changing and constantly working on making things better, faster and more efficient for us. Add the human factor to that, we’re vulnerable to any kind of change. One thing’s for sure, the futuristic cities waiting for us will definitely be an exciting thing to look forward to. May it be a positive change for the all species in this world.

JULY 2016 Future Cities & Robotics

THE 10 SMARTEST CITIES IN THE WORLD Cities around the world are constantly shifting to modern technologies, especially in information and communication, in order to provide a higher quality of life. Every opportunity for innovation is embraced by these cities – rightfully called to be smart cities – towards efficient use of resources, savings in cost and energy, and reduced environmental footprint. Such efforts are reflected to the cultural assets, human infrastructure, and networked markets of the city. Among the many cities true to their initiatives of urban progress by innovations, here are 10 cities that are worthy models of a smart city:

VIENNA

With programs like the Smart Energy Vision 2050, Roadmap 2020, and Action Plan 2012,-2015, Vienna is one of the smartest cities in the world with laser focus in improving the lives of the people. The city does well in almost every aspect of urbanization including innovation, green technologies, quality of life, and digital governance. Their strategies are leaned on Vienna’s planners who make decisions cohesive to the cities’ targets.

Photo by: Urban Transform

TORONTO

If there’s a city in North America that is worthy to be included in the smart cities list, that’s Toronto. The city has a target towards a low-carbon economy (being an active member of the Clinton 40 megacities), and its private sector also contributing with the Smart Commute Toronto initiative, that aims to increase transit efficiency in the metro area. It also began using natural gas from landfills to power the city’s garbage trucks.

Photo by: Navigatored

JULY 2016 Future Cities & Robotics

PARIS

Paris comes close with Vienna in this list from Europe, with competencies in innovation, green technology and digital governance as well. They have a successful bike sharing program called Velib and a bunch of small electric vehicles called Autolib. Photo by: Itespresso

NEW YORK

Despite the low quality of life, New York fares in other categories of being a smart city. Notable is IBMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s launch in the city with their Business Analytics Solution Center to address "the growing demand for the complex capabilities needed to build smarter cities and help clients optimize all manner of business processes and business decisions." Photo by: Navigatored

LONDON

The capital city of the United Kingdom is well-known of its sustainability innovations. To add to that is their efficient mass transit system. It holds a promise towards transport, government, business, academic and consumer data efficiency through a smart city research center in the Imperial College. Photo by: Urban Data Hack

TOKYO

Being the house of tech giants like Panasonic and Accenture, among others, this Asian city is among the better cities when it comes to innovation and digitalization. Tokyo leans towards smart mobility solutions and also forwards the use of green technologies in the suburbs. Photo by: Jama English

BERLIN

The inclusion of Berlin in this list is because of its green technologies, innovation and quality of life. The city has been talking with car manufacturers in electric vehicle (EV) technology, which already includes vehicle-to-grid, or V2G, a system that collects power from electric vehicles. Photo by: Smart City App Hack JULY 2016 Future Cities & Robotics

COPENHAGEN

The leaders of Copenhagen must be happy to see that their sustainable innovations are paying off: the city was ranked by Siemens as number one on the green scale. Well, this is due to their cumulative efforts in pursuing a carbon neutral city by 2025. The locals also already promote and use bicycle as an alternative to cars. Photo by: Shutterstock

HONG KONG

The smart cards are Hong Kongâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s key in this list. The city has been successful in forwarding the use of RFID technology in almost everywhere: airport, public transit, library, residential, car parks, and shopping centers. Their digital governance is working to their advantage. Photo by: SCMP

BARCELONA

The edge of this smart city in Spain primarily lies in its lowcarbon solutions. Barcelona is among the pioneers in solar thermal ordinance more than a decade ago, and is now promoting the adoption of EVs and charging infrastructure. The city also has a living lab for smart-city innovation to tap other sectors. Photo by: Fast Company

JULY 2016 Future Cities & Robotics

ROBOTS CAN NOW RECORD YOUR MEMORIES Recently, a new feature has been announced for the humanoid robot, NAO, by French researchers working at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique. This new feature will allow NAO to build up an autobiographical memory. Sounds pretty cool, doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t it? It is, in fact, pretty awesome as this technology can be used in space and can even reach to far more ordinary tasks like taking care of the elderly. The scientific explanation is that a human can teach NAO new actions via physical demonstrations, voice command or visual imitation. Physical demonstrations are performed by putting the limbs of the robot in the correct position while visual imitation uses the Kinect system. NAO will learn and store the information gathered as procedures, which the robot can later recall and even explain to other people. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s quite a nifty skill for a little robot to have!

This ability to not only learn but also teach information can be quite useful for the International Space Station. After all, in the ISS, astronauts have to come and go and still solve a problem right on the spot. In situations which have not been foreseen, this ability can be extremely useful. An experienced astronaut can teach the solution to a problem to NAO. Later, when a new crew arrives and the same problem occurs, NAO can help the new crew members solve it. In other words, NAO acts as a guide in different unexpected scenarios. It will be capable of providing information rarely found in manuals. This ability can also be used for serving people suffering from short-term memory loss back here on earth. This can make NAO a great companion for taking care of the elderly. Now, where was NAO during our exams at school? Photo by CNRS

JULY 2016 Future Cities & Robotics