The variety of images that might surface in one’s mind when someone utters the term “robotics” has exploded in recent years – from autonomous vacuum cleaners to spinal surgery systems to military-grade explosive disposal solutions. For some, however, the term conjures something darker: a landscape of pervasive airborne surveillance, so-called “drones” keeping tabs on average citizens in
At least since George Jetson first came through his front door to be greeted by Rosie the robotic maid in 1962, the endlessly unpredictable wonders of the nebulous “Home of the Future” have held a unique status in our collective aspirations. Though Rosie herself may still be some way off, however, more and more American
When Congress passed the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, it set the clock ticking toward the day when unmanned aircraft systems must be integrated into the national airspace. The target is Sept. 30, 2015, now just a little more than two years away. That fast-approaching deadline has created a new intensity in discussions
It will be years before driverless cars are available to the public thanks to technological and regulatory hurdles, but a new survey suggests that a delay is required for another reason as well: to get people comfortable with the idea of handing the wheel over to a computer. TE Connectivity Ltd. today shared the results
Unmanned aerial vehicles, also known as unmanned aircraft systems to the U.S. Department of Defense and drones to most of the general public, are perhaps the most visible example of how far robotics has come in a relatively short period. Although primitive examples of UAS were used by the military as early as World War
The South China Morning Post published an interesting article today on the burgeoning maker movement in Hong Kong. In it, author Charley Lanyon writes about HackJam, a weekly do-it-yourselfer meetup in Hong Kong that got its start two years ago when its founder noticed a dearth of communal workspaces compared to the West. It’s one signal
The Work Foundation’s annual debate, held yesterday at its headquarters in London, examined a hot topic in the robotics industry: Will robots steal our jobs? It’s a topic that has been in the news frequently in recent months, and you can find a roundup of articles on both sides of the issue here. The British
During the last six months, there’s been a lot of debate about whether robots will eliminate the middle class as we know it by automating nearly every job that doesn’t require an advanced degree — and then, a few years later, start stealing our white collar jobs as well. The piece that got the most
Hello and welcome to The Business of Robotics! If you have even a passing interest in robotics, you know the field is exploding, having reached a technological tipping point that is bringing self-driving cars and robot co-workers out of the realm of science fiction and into reality. Just last week, a new $100 million dollar
