Even those of us who aren't avid Star Wars fans have been impacted by this cultural phenomenon. Heard of "droids"? Yup, those are robots with near human level artificial intelligence. While, science hasn't developed robots that are as intelligent as R2-D2, researchers are developing robots that can solve more complex problems and adapt to various environments. Here are some of the amazing feats that the field of robotics has created so far:
Driving Droids- Google is testing a self-driving car that can navigate the roads safely and automatically using lasers and a system of sensors that create a 3D map of the area. A South Korean tech company took a humanoid robot and programmed it to fly a plane! I believe this is an extremely significant contribution since the amount of fatal road accidents is very high and this could potentially lower the amount of accidents from ignorance, drunk-driving and texting while driving.
Scout Droids- In Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes back, the probe droid or drone reveal the Rebels base and Vader attacks using this information. In real life, drones (unmanned aerial vehicles) are used in the military and are flown by remote pilots. Scientists are attempting to develop more artificial intelligence for these drones although it is controversial since it could cause more war casualties and the possibility of problems with ethics. I think this is so beneficial to the military especially now with ISIS since we could send these drones in to take down the terrorist groups without human error or death.
Medical Droids- Robots are being introduced into the medical field. In Montreal, engineers have been working on "microbots" that can seal wounds, clear arteries and explore them. Also, devices allow doctors to remotely care for their patients such as the "Robotic Nursing Assistant". IBM's Watson (who won Jeopardy!) searches though medical databases and finds people who would be the perfect candidates for medical trials. These inventions could save so many lives and gives us a better understanding of the human body and could help discover the cures for diseases. Also, patients from developing countries where many diseases are prevalent could receive remote care from experienced and well-trained doctors.
Astromech Droids- An astromech droid is a multi-functional robot that can respond to a variety of problems (Like R2-D2!). While there are no true to life versions of the lovable R2, in 2006 NASA developed a robot that helps astronauts in micro gravity such as during docking operations and emergency repairs. I think this is a very beneficial engineering feat since it could decrease the number of machine failure related deaths in outer space and help solve problems in dire situations.
Protocol Droids- The robots that you can communicate with as a friend, translator or servant. (Like R2-D2's friend C-3PO). Honda developed one named Asimo who responds to human actions and voices and can also play soccer. Japan's Otonaroid is able to converse with people although the robots are really only mouthpieces for human operators. It would be so much fun to be able to converse with a robot with artificial intelligence. These robots could be the new translators or servants to prestigious families and I would love to have a robot friend!
I strongly believe that devolving of robot droids is significantly contributing to various fields including road safety, aerodynamics, military operations, medical procedures and research and space. This really shows how what was once thought to exist only in the realm of science fiction is becoming reality.One an't wait to actually communicate with an R2-D2 like droid and finally live in a world like George Lucas's universe. Perhaps one day, the world will be a safer place with these artificially intelligent droids.
Source: Article and Pictures: http://www.livescience.com/48209-star-wars-droids-drones.html
I find it interesting how you were able to connect Star Wars characters to actual droids. It amazes me how there is such a vast number of droids out there that have such simple yet important jobs. I think that it would be awesome if in the next 15-30 years we were able to create so many more droids that can further aid in helping us and the Earth. It would also be pretty cool to help create the drones, don't you think? What kind of droid would you want to build and what would its purpose be?
ReplyDeleteStar Wars was created as a science fiction series, yet it is getting closer to realistic fiction everyday. While there may not of been a Luke Skywalker and no lightsabers (...yet...) I think that introducing droids and robots to everything from the military to driving would be very interesting. While I do not believe robots always know better than human nature, I think it would be very beneficial to have them help doctors while they perform surgery, for an example. I can not wait to see how this research develops in the upcoming years.
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing how far science has come! Perhaps within the next decade, droids and robots will become a more integrated part of our lives that we can interact with on a quotidian basis.
ReplyDeleteWhile using artificial intelligence to help us in our daily lives does seem quite convenient, there may be some drawbacks as well. The idea of self-driving cars scares me a little bit. Driving is an important (and dangerous) task that I would not trust technology with artificial intelligence with. Considering the amount of malfunctions and lag we experience with technology on a daily basis, it doesn't seem like a good idea to let a computer operated device drive on its own.
I really like this article as it is informational and allows for us to relate to something everybody knows. If you could have one of these robots which kind would you get and what would it look like. I also was wondering if this will put people out of jobs such as taxi drivers, pilots, and even maids.
ReplyDeleteAre these droids all necessary? Are military drones necessary? The answer is no. Not even remotely close. I understand that some of these droids could potentially answer one the many science questions that are unanswered. However, do the benefits outweigh the negatives. I doubt it. We will become so reliant on technology we will become like the humans in the movie WALLE.
ReplyDeleteI Agree, droids are the best tools used by mankind of this age. Many droids can be used when human life hangs in the balance or at harm. One kind of droid used was the Bomb disposal robot which deactivates bombs by remote control. Maybe one day in the future, we might accomplish the feat of creating soldier droids which act as soldiers and are controlled by humans to fight wars sop human lives is not threatened. Going back to what Elyse Jo said, having droids may create a little unemployment but a world filled with droids is world with less deaths and more science.
ReplyDeleteI found that the information on robots going into the medical field was very intriguing. Connecting Star Wars to the topic of droids was a great way to "paint a picture". The way that robots have begun to have so many human characteristics really astonishes me. As technology evolves, so will science.
ReplyDeleteI agree that artificial intelligence and robots in science fiction are actually coming to be true in the real world. It is really impressive that scientists are creating robots for the most important aspects that need to be made easier for humans. But, creating robots in the medical field can have a bad result, and that of decrease in jobs, since the robots will take over.
ReplyDeleteI believe that there are both benefits and disadvantages of having droids in our daily lives. The artificial intelligence of the droids can eliminate human error which hinders painstaking medical procedures and proper driving ability. However, in developing droids we must be careful because a surplus of them will significantly increase unemployment, over-dependence on technology and even social isolation. Humans are meant to interact with each other, not only mechanical entities.
ReplyDeleteI have always been a fan of robots being a part of human society. In some cases. our lives would be much easier if they did a couple of the challenging tasks for us such as precise surgery. The problem is that if humans start making robots for everyday tasks then humans would get lazier and fatter like the people from Wall-E. However, I will have to agree with the fact that human knowledge and technology has really advanced far and I think we can do better in the future.
ReplyDeleteI find it funny how allot of science fiction is today now becoming reality. I was just recently reading an article about the development of a devise from Stark Trek that with one scan can determine the type of disease one has.I believe it would be very beneficial to the human race if we introduced robots into human society. As long as we stray away from any iRobot situations.
ReplyDeleteWow its cool how you connected Star Wars to droids. It's really interesting that robots are being introduced into the medical field. It amazes me that these droids are able to do some of these complex jobs and how much more they will be able to do in years to come.
ReplyDeleteBuilding off of what George said, though some people may be scared or encourage the development of droids in the military and other places, it is happening. Humans are evolving and even if we may not like it we need to adapt to survive. We need to compete and work with other countries doing the same thing so that we as a society making up Earth can move forward in OUR development. So, even though some people may not like it (to be completely honest sometimes the new technology frightens me) they need to eventually, because we are evolving whether people like it or not.
ReplyDeleteAlthough new advances in technology are helping nations step forward into becoming world-powers, there comes a point where Earth may be coming to reliant on technology. These droids may be cool, and help humans accomplish tasks, we have to realize that there is also a funding issue. To be able to support the immense assembly of these machines, we need to realize that it would cost nations world-wide.
ReplyDeletethis article is extremely well written, it really makes you think about how much the human race has progressed. I thought we would be equal to star wars when we saw little R2D2s wandering around, but never realized we have our own R2D2s in astromech droids, and that we are so advanced now we don't even need though robot for it to complete its function
ReplyDeleteI never thought about how similar Star Wars and reality became. The article helped me gain new insight on how technology has grown and I especially love how this article connected to real life, science and Star Wars at the same time! I hope pretty soon droids are as commonly seen about as they are in Star Wars! Even though, the thought of a medical droids operating on me just doesn't sit well.
ReplyDeleteIts hard to believe how fast technology is progressing, and what really intrigues me is the fact that stars war technology is available to an extent. Personally, I thought that this type of technological advancements would come around in the next century or so. Also, Honda has built a robotic prototype that resembles the attributes of a human child.
ReplyDeleteI think it's awesome that we are progressing far enough with modern day technology that we can even consider making literally science fiction reality. I think it's amazing and really cool that humanity has made enough advancements like this.
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing how far science has come, from only imagining these things in a movie which seemed impossible at them time but are now reality. So many of these robots can benefit the human society in various ways, as the ones you stated after describing each droid. This gives us hope for the future, if scientists can create these amazing robots maybe they can find a cure for chronic diseases like cancer. Science continues to amaze me each day.
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