The New Robot Revolution
Robots entered everyday lives a long time ago. They are already used in many industries like car production, packaging and especially in jobs, in which humans would be in danger. Robots that can do chores like cleaning the floor or mowing lawns are already available in stores. In medicine, robots are used to replace limbs and other parts of the body.
Researchers claim that a new generation of robots will be able to do things that were unthinkable in the past. This new generation of machines will do household chores, educate children and even look after elderly people. Some say that the new robot revolution will be similar to the invention of the PC in the 1970s and 80s.
A new generation of robots designed to help the elderly is currently being developed in Japan. Japanese scientists are programming robots to work with people who have suffered a stroke; others will serve as personal gymnastic trainers. New robots can help out people who normally care for others and prevent them from burnouts.
The key to this is making robots more like humans. Scientists are currently working on new technology that will change the way humans and robots communicate. While elderly people have problems working with a computer they have fewer difficulties communicating with machines that can talk and react to their wishes.
Population researchers claim that as people get older, there won’t be as many as needed to take care of the elderly, so why not have machines do this.
Before this new generation of robots can enter our lives we must be able to trust them. That means making communication between robots and humans routine. As robots become more perfect people will trust them, partly because they don’t have moods and perform tasks perfectly. A robot can also be trained to give motivation if something is done the right away. Robots could also be helpful in areas where social contact is necessary, like educating autistic children.
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Words
- area = field
- autistic = a problem in your brain that make it difficult for you to communicate with others
- available = to be had
- burnout = the feeling of always being tired, especially if you have worked too hard
- care for = take care of, look after
- chore = job, task
- claim = to say that something is true
- currently = now
- design = make
- develop = plan, make
- elderly = old
- enter = step into
- especially = above all
- few = not many
- household chore = things you regularly do in the house like cleaning the carpet or washing the dishes
- invention = a useful machine or tool
- key = solution
- limb = a leg or an arm
- mood = the way you feel at a certain time
- mow the lawn = cut the grass in the garden
- necessary = important, needed
- packaging = putting a cover on products so that you can sell them
- perform tasks = do jobs
- prevent = stop from happening
- react = answer
- replace = substitute
- researcher = a person who studies facts in order to find out more about something
- routine = regular, everyday
- scientist = a person who is trained in science and works in a lab
- serve = work as
- similar = like
- social = here: with other people
- stroke = a blood vessel in your brain suddenly breaks open
- suffer = to have pain
- technology = methods
- trust = to believe that they will not do anything bad
- unthinkable = impossible