In "So, Where are My Robots?", an article written for the professional trade journal IEEE Spectrum (published by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers), Erico Guizzo examines where personal robot technology currently is and speculates on where it is going. Funding, open sources software platforms, altruistic purposes and common applications are all areas Guizzo explores.
While perhaps a few of us may have a personal robot in the form of a Roomba, more of us might possess or be more familiar with "wearable technology". Wearable technology is commonly defined as clothing and accessories incorporating computer and advanced electronic technologies. You've heard of Google Glasses, for instance?
Another wearable technology gaining popularity today is the activity tracking device (FitBit, Jawbone, Nike+ FuelBand). These devices track things like activity levels, movement, heart rate, sleep quality, and more. And, your watches are getting smarter all the time.
Lest you think wearable technology is something new, this article on Mashable, "The History of Wearable Tech; from Casino to Consumer" will take you all the way back to 1961.
So, where do you think wearable technology and personal robotics will take us? Do you have a wearable device? Do you want one? In what ways will these technologies help us? In what ways might they hinder?
I am hesitant to make predictions, as I can still remember thinking there is no way I'll ever use a PC. I guess I'm a late adaptor. I still don't have a cellphone.
ReplyDeleteBased on our society's experience with washing machines and vacuum cleaners, the stuff will catch on if it promises to make our lives easier at an affordable price. But it may also raise standards of cleanliness, towel neatness &c. so we wind up spending more to stay in place.
What will we do instead of folding towels or walking to the refrigerator? If we use the time to interact more with others, to get outside and walk in nature, that's good. If we sit on the couch and get fatter and dumber, that's not good. The world of stuff doesn't care about "good," of course, only what people will buy.
Personally, I'm looking forward to wearing a toupée with a microchip in it: A literal 'thinking cap'.
ReplyDeleteTo the extent that some students (granted a small minority) insist upon wearing headphones every possible second, I'm a bit concerned about more 'wearable' technology. Then again, when it comes to technology -- while not wearable -- I confess I grew up to a household in which the television was constantly on -- and it's a habit that I have far from broken.
I am excited about the way in which technology has been integrated with health. My mother is one of those people with pacemakers that can transmit useful data to her health practitioner via the phone. Cool. And it terms of robotics, it seems like driverless automobiles (thus a true "auto"?) are on verge of being viable, which holds the promise for fewer vehicular accidents and fatalities -- as well as, hopefully, more efficient consumption of resources.
Then again, I'm just happy to get sit here and bond with my TV remote. Ooo, . . . another rerun of "The Andy Griffith Show"!
I don't own a Fitbit, but I once knew someone who had a calculator watch. It also had games and a random number generator.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me that the people who get Fitbits are those who are already active and fit. They can use them to "share" status updates about their latest runs, etc. But maybe they could be useful for diabetics?
I've been thinking about what I'd like a personal robot to do for me. I'm not crazy about Bavarian breakfast (weisswurst--bleah), and folding towels is not that hard. Besides, I'm not averse to most household chores--they're a nice break from my normally sedentary lifestyle as a writer/prof. Still, it might be nice to have one that would weed the garden, prune the juniper bushes, or sweep out the garage.
That is, as long as it did not fall into the uncanny valley (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncanny_valley).
I hope that we move more toward using technology such as these to enhance our lives (like the Fitbit, medical technology, etc) instead of having them take over our lives or do things for us.. I really don't want things to turn out like Wall-E!
ReplyDeleteWith the technology that we do already have, my thought is that people are a little more hesitant to pick up this one as some others. We have the technology, but even some of the wearables are not "everywhere" yet, making me think that people are thinking a little bit more before adopting this, so it may not turn into the Jetsons anytime soon! :)
I'm sure the activity tracking devices and smart watches would all be fun to have, but I'd just like to have a smart phone! Oh, and maybe some sort of wearable GPS too as I am very direction challenged!
ReplyDeleteAs all these new things become available, I wonder where does it all stop? Will we ever HAVE enough, or every few months do we continue to buy the newest and greatest? Like Jane, I don't mind doing some of those mundane things, however if a robot could be created to clean the bathroom...well then, I might check into that!
ReplyDeleteI appreciate my Garmin watch and heart rate monitor. I wear it running or biking. It gives me approximate pace and distance as I exercise. After working out, it uploads data to my computer and gives me a map of my route, pace, and heart rate. I'm skeptical about FitBits and the like. I'm not sure I want to release that much personal information into the cloud. There is legal precedent that we don't have any right of privacy about stuff we post - even when we think it might be personal and anonymous.
ReplyDeleteWith all these labor saving devices, what will happen to all the people? We’ll end up looking like the characters in the cartoon movie WALL-E: sitting in our hover chairs all day, eating all day. While I appreciate some devices like the Garmin watch and heart rate monitor, I don’t need a robot to vacuum my floors.
ReplyDeleteOh, and the Google glasses fill me with dread – can’t you see people driving their cars while wearing them?
I think wearable technology definitely has its place - in supplementing our lives, not taking over for it (Ex. running apps, etc.). I am not sure how I feel about the robot piece.... I definitely do not want to become more dependent on technology than I already am. Also, I find folding laundry and doing other chores therapeutic sometimes, so I wouldn't want to give that up all the time! I'm content with the amount of technology I have now, but it will be very interesting to see how things play out in the future!
ReplyDeleteI love GPS devices. I need all the help I can get. And improving technology for health/medical benefits, bring it! But I'm not big on the ideas of robots doing my everyday chores. What better way to work toward those 10,000 steps and burning calories than vacuuming? Or stretching while dusting those hard to reach places?
ReplyDeleteHa - Linda I agree with you! We are becoming more and more like the characters in WALL-E (although seemingly absurd) everyday. Yikes!
ReplyDeleteI see robots/technology never really taking over physical tasks that we do like the Roomba does. I think that may be the extent of how helpful robots can be. I do, however, think and hope more devices will be developed so we can analyze and track our activities and daily lives so that we can learn from what we do and make improvements. I think the wearable devices like FitBits are on the right track and could lead to health and wellness improvements as a population. Just as analytics are being integrated and used in professional sports more each year, I think those same analytics can be used to make improvements in a larger population. "The more you know..." (NBC PSA), "Knowing is half the battle" (GI Joe), and "We don't know what we don't know" (everyone) come to mind when thinking about all we could do by aggregating (anonymously, of course) and analyzing this information.
ReplyDeleteI've been daydreaming about robotic lawn mowers since about 1980. Mostly while mowing, of course.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Wendy....technology to supplement our lives. I use a fitness monitor and find it motivational so much in fact I'm bummed out if I realize it wasn't working while I was on my ride. I am also the first to admit I spend much of my free time using technology but also love to just sit in the sun and read.
ReplyDeleteTechnology is our friend. I'm old enough to remember getting a microwave for the first time... and getting up to change the channel to one of four choices. What a Godsend my iPhone and Googlemaps was last week as I was navigating the clogged streets of LA. There was a time not long ago when folks had to rely on Thomas Guides.
ReplyDeleteI got a kick out of the commercial video at the top of this page. I can see our life becoming this outlandish relationship to our wearable technologies and not really interacting with those around us. (Oh don't get me started on the people that are so worried about missing a text or phone call that the conversation they are having with you takes a back burner by constantly looking at their stupid device!) I can see definite merits to robots--robotic surgery can do many things that a human can't or the handy app to track your exercise. I do worry about technology taking over our lives. I don't have any wearable technology and really don't see investing in it in the near future.
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