Friday, August 31, 2012

Newsnight's Drone_Robot-copter and Privacy Issues

Thursday 30 August 2012 episode of BBC2's Newsnight had Gavin Esler attempting to discuss serious concerns over drone-hovering and information-capture, all without the consent of anyone caught by an offending drone's cameras, with robotics Professor Noel Sharkey and cyberneticist Professor Kevin Warwick.

Gavin Esler interviews Professors Noel Sharkey and Kevin Warwick*
 * picture from The Bureau of Investigative Journalism

Watch a clip of the discussion on BBC's News Technology site here.

Drone Robot: School of Systems Engineering, UoReading


Articles about the Newsnight programme include:

The Bureau of Investigative Journalism's "More drone than debate: Newsnight loses track of issues at handhere.

Thursday, August 30, 2012

IET: Era of Social Robots


IET Robotics and Mechatronics Network Talk on 'Era of Social Robots'
 - given by Professor Shuzhi Sam Ge
Social Robotics Laboratory 
The National University of Singapore & University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
 21 August 2012, Bristol, UK
Control & Automation channel







Era of Social Robots

Professor Shuzhi Sam Ge

From: Era of Social Robots, 21 August 2012, Bristol, UK
2012-08-21 00:00:00.0 Control & Automation Channel






"About the presentation
Social robots are envisioned to become an integral part of our social fabric as we embrace the coming “silver†society. Across continents, governments have foreseen the needs of an aging population and funded a number of leading groups in universities and research institutes to focus on the research and development of social robots for improving services, healthcare and productivity.
In this talk, I will first present a brief history of social robotics and the state-of-the-art in research and development. Then, I will introduce three social robots developed at the Social Robotics Laboratory of the National University of Singapore, including Carine for interactive edutainment, Adam for hospitality service, and Nancy for human robot collaboration. To appreciate the advanced technologies in making social robots possible, I shall describe the core technological modules, or building blocks, including locomotion, intelligent control, visuoauditory interaction, and artificial skin. Deeper understanding and further advancements in the modules can help us to make social robots become more appealing, more engaging, and ultimately better companions.
As a community, we are working hard to make social robots help our "silver" society more vibrant, connected, and productive. Let me illustrate part of this big picture by presenting a few robots for different issues such as security, mobility, and productivity. Finally, I would like to conclude my presentation by giving a few futuristic scenarios how human and social robots live, work, and enjoy life together happily."
From: The IET Robotics and Mechatronics Network: here.