**Muscle-like action**: Researchers are exploring the use of piezoelectric materials to create artificial muscles in robots. By leveraging the properties of piezoelectric materials, such as their ability to convert electrical energy into mechanical strain, scientists aim to develop soft actuators that can mimic the characteristics of human muscles in terms ... Show More
Sep 2021
Ruth Aylett and Patricia A. Vargas, "Living with Robots: What Every Anxious Human Needs to Know" (MIT Press, 2021)
There's a lot of hype about robots; some of it is scary and some of it utopian. In this accessible book, two robotics experts reveal the truth about what robots can and can't do, how they work, and what we can reasonably expect their future capabilities to be. It will not only ma ... Show More
1h 5m
Apr 2024
Robots and the People Who Love Them
Shermer and Herold discuss: social robots, sex robots, robot nannies, robot therapists • flying cars, jetpacks and The Jetsons • Masahiro Mori • emotions, animism, mind • emotional intelligence • artificial intelligence • large language lodels • ChatGPT, GPT-4, GPT-5 and beyond • ... Show More
1h 13m
Feb 2023
Babbage: An interview with a humanoid robot
Engineers have spent decades trying to create functional humanoid robots, which look and act like humans. But these machines, which combine complex mechanics with generative artificial intelligence models, like ChatGPT, are finally coming-of-age. Are they good enough to sustain a ... Show More
44m 44s