Student from TX interested in getting started in robotics as part of a research project

Community General Discussions
1

I’m a high school student from Austin, TX and I’m interested in getting started in robotics as part of a research project. Would anyone on here be willing to answer any of these questions to help with my research?
Thanks!

  1. What will be the next breakthrough in robotics technology?
  2. How will robots impact humanity in the future?
  3. What unintended consequences could result from wider use of robots?
2

If you ask 10 people, you will get 10 different answers no doubt. However, I am posting my opinions.

  1. I think the next breakthrough in robotics technology will be professional robots including chefs, surgeons, bomb disposers etc.

  2. Their scopes are quite huge. How well they will impact humanity is totally depending on us, humans. Obviously, risky jobs are most likely to be replaced by robots. So, less casualty , less physical labour will be resulted. They may be also used as rescuers. For example, in flood effected areas.

  3. We are already seeing some of them. Last July, a robot broke one finger of a kid participant at a chess competition in Russia. This one not the first time. There had been some human casualties caused by robots earlier.
    Last year, Alexa told a 10-year-old girl to touch live plug with penny. You can see what mistakes can AI make.
    The job sector will be reshaped in next a few decades. Robots will do many jobs that people do now. But to operate robots, there has to be humans. So, those who cannot be technically trained may face hard luck in getting jobs.
    I think the following links may help you.
    Sheer Influence of Robotics on Employment Reduction - The Engineering Projects
    The Next Big Breakthrough in Robotics - News @ Northeastern

3

Welcome to the RobotShop Community.

I’ll add to @rooppoorali 's reply that not only will people give different answers, the answers each person gives can change weekly or even daily. The answers below are more “hopes” than what I think will actually happen.

  1. Hopefully battery technology (or other storage medium). Longer term, Biorobotics and what many might label a “general AI” (likely several decades away though, if not more).

  2. Completely depends on the field but the evident answer is increased automation, with a growing interest in companionship / care.

  3. Increasing the wealth gap, and realizing that robots are only as good as we program them.