Sound The Trumpet : Rise of the Machines: How Robots are Taking Over All Aspects of Our Lives

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“Rise of the Machines: How Robots are Taking Over All Aspects of Our Lives”
by Mirror
September 4th, 2014

One man and his dog? Old hat. It could soon be one man and his ’droid after scientists say they can program a robot to round up a flock of sheep.

Researchers at the University of Swansea found that sheepdogs use only two simple tactics to herd wandering woollies and have come up with a way to mimic them.

Similar tactics could even create robots that rescue us from burning buildings or clean up an oil spill.

But sheepdogs are not the only ones with jobs in danger...

Delivery drivers

Delivery man: Amazon's Octocopter

Online shopping giant Amazon is developing unmanned drones to deliver their packages.

These “Octocopters” could get goodies weighing up to 2.3kg to eager customers within 30 minutes of an order and Amazon has already posted a video online of the drone in action.

However, chief executive Jeff Bezos says it could be five years before the service is ready.

Butlers

The world’s first robot butler is already on duty at Californian hotel Aloft.

He is 3ft tall with a snazzy bow-tie and uses the lifts to move between floors and delivers toiletries and phone chargers to guests.

Vice-president Brian McGuinness says there are no plans to replace human staff with the ’bots.

Birds of prey

Remote-controlled eagles and falcons that scare birds away from airports and city centres are being tested in the Netherlands.

Smaller birds flee from a bird of prey, but hiring real ones is expensive. Smartphone-controlled robots get the job done by mimicking a bird’s complex movements.

Nico Nijenhuis, founder of Clear Flight Solutions, said: “If it doesn’t look like a predator or move like a predator the prey don’t care.”

Jockeys

Get the hump: Robot camel racer

First dreamed up in the 1940s as a way of replacing the corrupt real jockeys that were rife at the time, robots have been used in Dubai camel races in Dubai after a ban on using children as jockeys.

Each £15,000 robot weighs less than 3kgs and has GPS tracking systems and shock absorbers. Owners control them from their speeding 4x4s.

Security staff

Bob became the first metal minder in the UK when he spent three weeks patrolling the Gloucestershire headquarters of security firm G4S in June.

When he spots something out of place he reports it. He can speak to staff, ask for help if he gets stuck and plug himself in for a recharge.

Hospital porter

Swiss scientists have created a Robocourier that uses lasers to find its way around hospital wards with supplies.

It has a lockable container to keep drugs safe.

Bosses at Swisslog say the robot can cut waiting times and costs, as well as freeing staff to focus on patient care.

Burger flipper

Food for thought: Robots can be butlers, waiters and burger flippers

The sight of spotty teens flipping beef patties could be a thing of the past.

US firm Momentum Machines says its fast-food robot can churn out 360 burgers an hour (one every 10 seconds), slicing toppings and pickles then placing them on freshly ground burgers.

Boss Alexandros Vardakostas claims they can replace human staff entirely.

Astronaut

A NASA Robonaut has been on the International Space Station since February 2011 and according to project manager Ron Diftler, it helps with “dull, dangerous or dirty tasks” including spacewalks.

The extra-terrestrial android even has its own Twitter account.

Plans to replace astronauts with robots, allowing longer missions into space, took a giant leap forward in April when Robonaut was fitted with 4ft 8in legs.

Hitchhikers

So it’s not a job and this robot may not look particularly hi-tech with his wellies and a bin-lid for a hat, but that hasn’t stopped him hitchhiking 3,700miles across Canada from Nova Scotia to British Columbia.

Hitchbot even stopped at a wedding and an aboriginal pow-wow on the way, updating Dr Frauke Zeller and Professor David Smith on his progress via GPS, 3G and a camera.

He has an artificial intelligence system to chat to drivers and asks to be plugged it if his battery runs low. By journey’s end last week he had 35,000 Twitter followers.

Cabbies

Hi-tech taxis with no driver and a 25mph speed limit have been developed by Google.

They navigate using GPS and use radar, lasers and roof cameras to recognise people, other vehicles and road signs.

Business Secretary Vince Cable says they can be trialled on Britain’s roads from January 2015.

Soldiers

Did The Terminator teach us nothing? The US is considering replacing thousands of soldiers with robots.

Unmanned drones already spy on and kill the enemy and now the US Army could replace manned convoys with robot vehicles.

General Robert Cone even suggests military machines could be on the battlefield by 2030 or 2040.

A “Stop the Killer Robots” has already been launched.

Surgeons

The Da Vinci robot is already used by surgeons in the UK to fight prostate cancer.

This cutting tool is carefully inserted through small holes in the abdomen and guided to the prostate gland using a tiny camera.

Using the robot to cut out a tumour avoids the risk of human hand tremors.

And studies suggest robotic surgery has fewer side effects, so patients can recover faster and are at less risk from infection.

Prison wardens

Jail bosses in Pohang, South Korea, have tried out three robotic guards.

The 5ft-tall Roboscrews use 3D cameras to monitor inmates and spot violent or suicidal behaviour, easing the burden on staff at the crowded prison.

But they don’t step in with a warning laser blast. They call in human prison warders who “run and arrive at the scene it time”, says Lee Baik-Chul, chairman of the Asian Forum for Correction.

Guide dogs

Japanese experts are developing a robotic guide dog for the blind.

It will respond to voice commands, monitor its surroundings and guide its owner to locations using GPS.

It has wheels for flat surfaces and hinged legs for climbing steps.

It still lags far behind a real guide dog – but creators NKS believe an ageing population will create a huge market.

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