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Top 5 Technologies Shaping 2015: Robots

The annual World Economic Forum for 2015 was held this month Davos, Switzerland, and robots were an unexpected hot topic.Β UC Berkeley professor Ken Goldberg discussed robotics at Davos with Bloomberg News. He touched on the rather new concept of cloud robotics, or the idea that robots are able to...

3. Robots

The annual World Economic Forum for 2015 was held this month in Davos, Switzerland, and robots were an unexpected hot topic.

UC Berkeley professor Ken Goldberg discussed robotics at Davos with Bloomberg News. He touched on the rather new concept of cloud robotics, or the idea that robots are able to access tons of data and then communicate that data with each other. The ability to share information is transforming robotics, because upgrades and advancements can happen across the field.

While Goldberg is optimistic that we are currently at an β€œinflection point” in robotics, he mentioned the widespread fear that robots are moving into the human job market and eliminating the need for human labor.

This fear may be well-founded, but robots in manufacturing facilities can also be a good thing. The friendly manufacturing robot Baxter robots exists to collaborate with humans, not replace them. GE Reports writes, β€œBaxter is leading a new category of smart, collaborative robots designed to safely and intelligently work right next to people.”

Robots are also beginning to make their way into other related industries. GE Reports recently featured undersea robotic oil and gas processing plants that may one day replace expensive manned floating platforms. The International Space Station’s ability to receive supplies from earth is made possible by the robotic arm featured in a Manufacturing Snapshot of the Week.  

Stay tuned this week for the rest of January’s countdown of the Top 5 Technologies Shaping 2015.

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