Back in 2019, MIT graduate student Daniella DiPaola and I began to frequent our local grocery store, and not to shop for food. The store had introduced a robot that we wanted to see in action. The 1.9m-tall machine roamed the aisles, scanning the floor for spills and paging the employees to clean up hazards. But what interested us most was that, despite its large googly eyes and friendly name, Marty the robot was unpopular with customers.
As robots come into shared spaces, people tend to have strong positive or negative reactions, often taking engineers by surprise. But the key to designing automated systems may be simple: recognising that people treat robots as if they're alive.
Even though robots have been building cars in factories for a while, we've seen a more recent wave of deployments in areas where they interact with people. Whether they're doing the hoovering or delivering food, robots are increasingly entering our workplaces, homes and public spaces.
Bu hikaye BBC Science Focus dergisinin Summer 2022 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye BBC Science Focus dergisinin Summer 2022 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
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IS IT SAFE TO RUN EVERY DAY, OR SHOULD I DITCH MY RUN STREAK TO SAVE MY KNEES?
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WHAT MAKES THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET SO GOOD FOR US?
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WHAT IS MEXICO'S BLUE HOLE?
The world's deepest blue hole (marine sinkhole) lies off the coast of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula. It's at least 420m (1,378ft) deep, but explorers still haven't found its bottom.
HOW CAN I TELL IF I'VE GOT HIGH CORTISOL LEVELS?
Cortisol is a hormone produced by glands in our bodies called the adrenal glands, which sit above the kidneys. It plays a critical role in various bodily functions, including regulating metabolism, reducing inflammation and helping the body respond to stress. While essential for our health, chronic elevation of cortisol levels can lead to several issues.
THE LUNGFISH
In 1836, European scientists discovered a peculiar animal from the River Amazon that they struggled to identify. Its eel-like body was a few feet long and its air-filled lungs persuaded anatomists it must be a reptile.
ARE WE THE ONLY SPECIES TO HAVE BEEN THROUGH A STONE AGE?
The Stone Age might conjure up images of early humans, sitting around a campfire or hunting prehistoric beasts, but evidence shows that we're not the only species that has learned how to work with stone tools. Wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) use stone tools to crack open nuts.
Should we scrap daylight saving time?
Most of us look forward to the extra hour we get in bed every October, but researchers argue that changing the clocks twice a year harms our health
THE INTERNET OF ANIMALS
SCIENTISTS ARE USING ELECTRONIC TAGS AND SATELLITES TO TRACK WILD ANIMALS AND CREATE A DATA NETWORK THAT COULD HELP US ADDRESS THE BIODIVERSITY CRISIS
MUSIC FOR A DISTRACTED GENERATION
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