Humanoids: If Only Miley Cyrus Had An Off Switch Too

        Imagine, it's the year 2026 and you go into the beauty parlor to get that new Kim Jung Un haircut that's so popular (or potentially mandated). Last month the human hair-cutter screwed up your fade, not giving you that boyish charm that your favorite communist exudes so well. Fortunately, the shop just got in the new DictatorBuzzer3000, providing you with immense relief and the anticipation of swooning ladies for the next few weeks as you know you'll get what you want. While this may seem like a dream come true, it is becoming more of a reality everyday as humanoids already exist in real life. Perhaps they're not quite ready to be your Sunday barber conversationalist but they're already trusted with sharp metal objects around your head in their uglier, more technical robotic form. Here are a few other possibilities and realities of humanoids in today's and tomorrow's societies.

The Mariachi Version Will Be Ready Next Month

        Let's explore a few already existing humanoids, which are programmed to execute specific tasks. The Japanese invented Simroid, a very realistic dental training robot, that simulates the movement of a human patient during a dental check-up. It (or is it a "she?") has been programmed to record how dental students perform. She can speak, move, has gag reflexes and is able to react negatively when the doctor "accidentally" touches her inappropriately. Yes, even humanoids have harassment lawsuits. The robot models that don't are still on back order...

Say Ah

       Another type of humanoid robot can be fed information by scientists to evolve and learn by detecting patterns in its environment.  Diego, for example, is a particularly creepy baby humanoid that has been fed pictures of different facial expressions and has learned through Artificial Intelligence how to smile, frown or even show anger. Diego could help scientists understand how a baby's brain works when learning how to move and interact with the world around it through its intricate perceptive abilities. 

In Keeping With The Theme of Excellent Haircuts

        Maybe in the future, you will go to your favorite local bar and be served by a humanoid bartender. Or possibly you'll have your own personal robot that helps out with your chores, teaches you technological innovation management, or better yet, does your homework for you. The Japanese have already found a great use for humanoids with this charming restaurant:

Can You Say Franchise?

Just Don't Get Clingy...

        After all of our extensive research we've come to a profound conclusion: Hollywood wasn't far off when it did I,Robot, A.I. and our all time favorite, Terminator.

Don't Call My Phone, Send A Drone

         We have to admit that researching drones for this week's post has made us feel a little bit paranoid, so we'll do our best to avoid the apocalyptic applications of these flying beasts. Instead, we'll focus mainly on the practical functions of these Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), commonly known drones, from clothing you to feeding you to spying on your neighbors.

Don't Laugh, It's Not a Joke...

         Just imagine: you wake up for your Sunday paper (on your iPad of course), pour yourself a cup of coffee, and open up the window to let in the soothing familiarity of the scent of spring and the buzz of drones. You used to get woken up by those pesky songbirds every morning at 6:00 but due to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations of drone delivery, and of course the mass killing of songbirds from drone prevalence, you get a few more hours of shut-eye as delivery service doesn't start until 9:00. Your day just keeps getting better, and with the delivery of that F.C. Barcelona jersey you just ordered for tonight's game expected any minute by Amazon drone, it's about to do one more.

Now For the Furniture Shopping

         Ok so perhaps there is some slight hyperbole in this anecdote but it doesn't mean Amazon and like-minded enterprises aren't considering the possibilities. Take for instance Amazon's octocopter featured in the video above: it would be used to deliver packages to customers in 30 minutes or less. The Amazon Prime Air service is not yet available because there is no regulation for drones; however, the FAA is working on the necessary rules to start using drones commercially and the FAA could publish the first rules by the end of 2015.

Do I Still Have To Tip?

         Not only Amazon is developing drone services, even pizza companies, small breweries, bookstores, and social development companies are exploring the option. In one particularly altruistic example, one non-profit may use drones to bring medicine and critical supplies to remote places or isolated towns immediately after a natural disaster. In 2013, a UVA of this kind costed $3,000, and was capable of carrying around 2 kilograms over a distance of ten kilometers in 15 minutes while costing only 24 cents for the transportation of the supplies! They are very steady and resist strong winds and hot climates, so imagine the great impact these drones could have if organizations are able to scale this! If you want to know more about this project you can take a look here.

Why Do We Always Seem To Migrate Towards Wal-Mart These Days?

         In military procedures, the most commonly used drone is the Predator UAV, which was created with the intention of performing combat operations reducing the risk to human personnel and resources. Predators currently can carry up to 200 kilograms and can fly for up to 24 hours without assistance, and these figures are evolving quite rapidly. Drone pilots are able to recognize enemy forces and combat in the fiercest of battles without stepping foot outside of a building: suddenly, we see a use for those Call of Duty extraordinaires. Even if our COD pilots run out for a Mountain Dew refuel and find their drones out of commission, they can be quickly replaced at a much lower price than your average fighter jet. In addition to combat uses, drones are also used for reconnaissance such as photographing enemy positions, which enables the commanders to make faster and more dynamic decisions than ever before.

Protecting Against Enemies, Both Foreign and Domestic...

         Although met with widespread criticism, drones are highly useful and could be used in a variety of industries. In China, they’re even being put to use as agents of pollution reformers as they can cover as much as 70 square kilometers an hour to view the output of factories outside the cities (read more here). Perhaps with widespread usage, these flying vehicles could become pesky or downright oppressive, but with the right balance of usage and proper governmental restraint, they could just be the catalyst for an era of change and progress. Or not:

It’s A Drone, You Idiot

It's Not the Size that Matters, it's How You Use It: Entering the World of Small Robots...

         They’re everywhere: in the air, in the water, even in your blood. We're not talking about bacteria, dust, or even pictures of Justin Bieber's mugshot. 

Selena must be so disappointed...

          No, today we're discussing robots and their future potential in the miniaturized form. These small robots, commonly referred to as microbots or nanobots, are tiny machines that often work together in a swarm to achieve precise tasks or enter toxic or complex environments like our bodies. Once envisioned only in dreams and popular science fiction (maybe just for nerds like us), these microscopic mechanisms are becoming more and more a reality in today's world and are already being used in such fields as molecular engineering, brainwashing, and fine arts. All right, perhaps it’s not quite so advanced yet. The world’s smallest example to-date is this riveting “robo-fly” the size of a penny created after 12 years of intensive research at Harvard, capable of such astounding feats as hovering 15 centimeters off the ground while attached to a power cord.

I don't know about you but I just got goosebumps

            We know, how can it get any better than this, you may be asking yourself. What can you not achieve with a world full of string-attached, brainless, low-soaring, micro-flies, you may be wondering. Well, we hope for the sake of our future, and perhaps the future of these Harvard scientists’ jobs, there may be something more interesting in store. Let’s be clear, it’s taken countless (wo)man hours and perhaps a few million more IQ points than we possess to get to this point but as of now, the field is largely theoretical. However, the field is growing exponentially, with huge investments from such players as Google¹, as the presumed applications seem to be endless.

One small step for robot, one giant leap for robotkind

One of the critical areas of focus is medicine: it is hypothesized that micro and nano robots will be able to complete such tasks as clearing blood clots, aiding digestion, repairing tissue, and even fighting cancer cells. As the size of the robots decreases, more and more precise procedures will become only a matter of routine with new technology capable of encountering, removing, and fixing faulty heart valves². Another potential application lies in the gloomy, uncharted depths of the oceans. More than 70% of Earth’s surface is covered by water; the importance of the hydrological cycle in our lives is undeniable, from consumption to bathing to manufacturing to Madrid’s nightlife. Imagine the possibility of releasing millions of nanobots into the ocean to use them as sensors for monitoring pollution, water temperature, and weather in order to prevent natural disasters while travelling through the water. In comparison to the medical purpose, the size of these machines is not as restrictive and the level of control is almost unnecessary³.  With a self-regenerative capability, nanobots could become fully integrated within the oceanographic biosphere, allowing new research in hard to reach areas or of previously difficult to study life forms like giant squids. Who knows, IE’s future Japanese Club just may serve you up some tuna sashimi choc full of vitamins, minerals, and nanobots one day.

         Sending swarms of robots to explore the final frontier is also a prospect. The lightweight structure of the robots could allow them to travel through space as small solar sails, requiring no energy or engine for propulsion. Imagine a cloud of nanomachines searching for something of interest to human kind on another planet or solar system while transmitting information back home⁴. The same principles of exploration learned in the abysses of the ocean could be applied to Titan, the moon of Jupiter with the most earthlike characteristics in the solar system.

 Just imagine the potential for Pokemon games

         Unfortunately, the development of the potential applications of this technology is stymied by insufficient or unrealistic sources of energy. However, scientists are beginning to make headway: in 2013, a professor of electrical engineering at UT Arlington designed a micro-windmill capable of producing energy. The wind engine is 1.8 mm at its widest point and is ten times smaller than a grain of rice⁵. Originally designed as a solution for cellphones batteries, its potential and possible uses as a source of energy for nanobots are being vigorously explored.

Pretty soon there will be mini Don Quixotes too

            We don’t yet know where the road of robotics will lead us as the complexities and usages are seemingly never ending. However, in the case of mini machines, we do know that there’s always room at the bottom. And no, we’re not talking about Justin Bieber.

Small Can Be Good?

Sources:

1.     http://www.33rdsquare.com/2014/02/will-google-make-waves-in.html

2.     http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2813556/

3.     http://www.nanorobotdesign.com/papers/M2VIP027NANO.pdf

4.     http://www.slideshare.net/gvrteja/nanotechnology-and-nanorobotics-for-space-applications

5.     http://dailyfusion.net/2014/01/tiny-micro-windmill-recharges-phone-batteries-25864/

Facebook and Google are buying drone technology, and you thought the NSA was nosy... Read here to find out why

Welcome readers, to your new favorite tech blog. We are six MBA students at IE who share a passion for innovation and technology, and given our extensive backgrounds in the sector, we thought you should hear our thoughts. Ok, so we aren’t exactly the foremost technological experts in the world but we do share a craving for knowledge and have big imaginations for the future. Whether in medicine or the auto industry, banking, computer programming, or environmental science, technological innovations have huge implications on your future and will reshape global dynamics entirely. Therefore, why not ride the wave, jump on the bandwagon, and dream big for how you can take advantage of it in your daily lives.

For our first series, we’ve chosen to write about robotics, which ranges from manufacturing equipment to nanobots to drones to human cyborgs bent on taking over the world. In their current state, they can be found used in medicine, manufacturing, military operations, and a wide array of functions. In medicine for instance, robotics has been used in certain procedures, enhancing the capabilities of doctors performing surgeries and creating greater precision during operations. 

Excuse me, robot, can you please scratch my nose?

In the military, robots are already being used on risky jobs that were previously handled manually by soldiers, such as detecting mines and defusing bombs. One of the most commonly known military application is the infamous unmanned aerial vehicle (“UAV”), or combat drone, which is an aircraft without a pilot that is able to target and eliminate enemies from a distance. Even places like auto manufacturing plants are more and more automated, producing cars without ever touching human hands. More interestingly to us and more importantly to you, however, is what you can expect to see in the near future and in years to come.

In our upcoming posts you can expect read about nanorobotics; these nanobots are the byte-sized (pun intended) robots that typically work in coordination to potentially solve problems such as clogged arteries, pollution break down, or even clothing repair. 

I wish this guy would lay off the tortilla a little bit...

We will have an edition on drones, which can be anything as simple as a toy helicopter to as advanced and dangerous as a military striking tool (UAVs such as the U.S. Reapers). The military uses them for spying on enemies, the NSA uses them for spying on other countries, and Facebook and Google may use them for spying on YOU. 

I saw you run that red light...

There will be a post on our personal interaction with robots, such as with those that may be used for caretaking in Japan¹ (A.K.A. changing diapers). We know what you’re thinking and no, given our large expected contingent of 6-year-olds, we will not be discussing the recent sex-bot rumor.

With several posts more in store for you, you just might learn something interesting and useful, if your paranoia hasn’t already scared you into moving to a deserted island. Regardless, know that robots are here to stay and we want to be your tour guides to understanding how they may impact you throughout our first series of writings. That’s all for today, and in the words of one of our heroes,

Sources:

1. http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/06/19/national/robot-niche-expands-in-senior-care/#.Uxi0BdwQ5uY