Blogpost 7: Robots on the move

After years of development, technology created the greatest invention we could have, and these are the Robots. Robots are human-like machines manipulated by human, some are guided by computers. These mechanical inventions are powered by electricity or batteries. Some robots have their sense of intelligence or thought of its own, and some don't. But robots have one trait that every invention has, and that is they don't have feelings.

However, some robots don't look like humans. Many of these were invented just to help humans in some work. Just like in factories, people don't usually do all the work. They only press buttons and let the robots operate and finish their job.

Have you wondered what Robots can do? Well, stop wondering and keep reading. I read the article "Fast building inspection from the air: Quiet flying robots do the work" by Christian Eschmann from the site www.sciencedaily.com. In germany, several buildings need to be renovated. Why? Some of the reasons are because these buildings are getting old, painted walls are starting to get cracked, some parts of the structures are rusty. These are the results of the environmental influences. Since they technology came, workers came up with the idea of inventing something that might help them. They thought that they need something to make them exert lesser effort in maintaining the structures in a good state, inspect every corner with less danger and hazard. With the help of researchers, they created the Aerial Robot.

Compared to the most commonly used methods, this invention was created to simplify inspections around the structures. It moves to detect crack paints, damaged walls, weak joints and crumbling concrete. This aircraft is equipped with high-resolution digital camera that details image of every part of the building. In addition, it is also equipped with sensors to adjust altitudes and gust to avoid colliding with the walls. Since this was a remote controlled aircraft, Christian Eschmann was the man manipulating it. He is a researcher that develops and adapts micro-aircrafts for insoections in the buildings.

"Our micro-airplane are no substitute for experts or a close-up inspection. However, the octocopter accelerates the test procedure and enables permanent monitoring and documentation from the beginning. Design defects and warranty claims can be identified at an early stage, so appropriate repair measures can be taken in time. This means more security for buildings and people," says Eschmann. I am totally amazed by this person, he invented this thing to help his co-workers in the site. I believe that technology really helps us to do a lot of work without getting tired and exhausted. His invention reduced the danger and effort that the workers should have.

I read another article entitled "Scientists Worry Machines may Outsmart Men" by John Markoff from the site www.nytimes.com. Scientists have been debating since robots were invented. They were impressed and alarmed at the same time because these robots acquire several characteristics that may surprise you. The first one is it can open doors and find for outlets that they can charge. Second, they have the ability to create computer viruses and you can't stop them. Lastly, even it is manipulated my human, it still has the ability to kill autonomosly. These are not the only traits they have, in fact there are so much more. Though these acts are really alarming, scientists still want it and still find something that can make it even better. 

The debate countinues until today. Moreover, scientists thought that they are getting off limits and may lead to loss of human control. They even wage war with the customers through phones. Their concern is more about the further advances could create such disruptions and consequences. Some scientists point technology like in the hospitals, these machines interact with patients to feel empathy. They said that it may reach the "cockroach" stage of machine intelligence. Researchers also discussed the possible threats of what Robots can give. For example, if these machines are being developed soon, some criminals may attempt to use it to improve their tactics. Criminals can also use these to gain access to several confidential information that may give them the authority to hack. However, developers are still limiting their production of these inventions so that people won't be having any idea how it works. 

John Markoff said, "Their concern is that further advances could create profound social disruptions and even have dangerous consequences. They focused particular attention on the specter that criminals could exploit artificial intelligence systems as soon as they were developed." I totally agree with him because these things are happening in real life. Some criminals were put into jail for using technology to commit crimes. Computer viruses are also common nowadays, this way, some personal information are being hacked and can be used for against you.

In coonclusion, Robot are being invented not to outsmart man. These tools are used to help us do our work with convenience. We should not worry about what bad things these machines can do, we should put attention on how it improves our living. Let's leave all the worries to scientists and developers, after all they are more knowledgeable than us.