That was relatively little when compared to the
lumpen feeling reading the travails of the little Jeeno, in the most
interesting Sci-fi of Sujatha - ‘En EniyaIyanthira ’ and
MeendumJeano – the story of robotic dog woven subtly around a dictator who
keeps the Nation under tight grip. The pet robot dog which can
think beyond humans, assists the dumb Nila in search of her spouse Sibi into
bigger things. Towards the end, the cute exceptionally dog loses it
memory and back up and fades away ! Illogical it might sound, it was afterall a
story – yet, I felt very sad reading of its end.
Reports suggest that Nestlé has
employed a fleet of chirpy robots to sell its coffee machines in Japanese
stores.The US actor, George Clooney who has become the global face of the
Nespresso brand, has been given the elbow in favour of Pepper, a cheeky and
chatty android, which its makers claim can answer customers’ questions.“How do
you enjoy coffee? Number one: An eye-opener coffee; Number two: A post-meal cup
of coffee,” Pepper asked a Japanese TV personality, Kyoko Uchida, at a
promotion event in Tokyo !! Engineers
claim the robot’s artificial intelligence has allowed it to expand its
conversational ability by listening to what customers say.
Standing at a little over a foot tall and capable of recognising human
emotions, personal robot Pepper is already proving a success in
Japan. MailOnline reports that within a minute of going on sale at the weekend,
the first 1,000 units of the humanoid had been ordered. SoftBank Robotics said
that orders are no longer being taken and it would announce additional sales in
July.
Pepper is made by French firm Aldebaran Robotics, a subsidiary of the
mobile carrier Softbank. In December, Nescafe hired 1,000 Pepper robots to work
across home appliance stores in Japan, where they help customers looking for a
Nespresso coffee machine. Pepper robots
are also used in Softbank stores as shop assistants. Claims made by an expert
in artificial intelligence predict that in less than five years, office jobs
will disappear completely to the point where machines will replace humans.
The idea that robots will one day be able to do all low-skilled jobs is
not new, but Andrew Anderson from UK artificial intelligence company, Celaton,
said the pace of advance is much faster than originally thought.AI, for
example, can carry out labour intensive clerical tasks quickly and automatically,
while the latest models are also capable of making decisions traditionally made
by humans. 'The fact that a machine can not only carry out these tasks, but
constantly learn how to do it better and faster, means clerical workers are no
longer needed in the vast quantities they once were,' Mr Anderson said.
For example, a machine can recognise duplicate insurance claims by
knowing it has seen a phone number or an address before.Equipped with the
latest voice and emotion recognition technology, Pepper is able to read
people's facial expressions and listen to their tone of voice to analyse how
they're feeling. 'Pepper will be able to explain Nescafé products and services
and engage in conversation with consumers, ' said Kohzoh Takaoka, president and
chief executive of Nestlé Japan at the time.
'The dream to create an advanced consumer experience with Pepper is now
coming true. The Aldebaran robots retail from 198,000 yen (£1,107 or $1,600 or
Rs.101600 approx) and can understand 80 per cent of conversations. They also
have the ability to learn from conversations.Aldebran additionally makes Neo
which has two cameras mounted to its head, that act as eyes, as well as four
directional microphones to act as its ears.The 1ft 11in (58cm) bot also has
touch sensors, can speak 19 languages and is able to read and respond to
emotions, by analysing facial expressions.This analysis is made using embedded
software called NAOqi.
Aldebran additionally makes Neo which was recently hired to work at branches of
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group on a trial basis. It has two cameras on its
head, that act as eyes, as well as four directional microphones. The 1ft 11in
(58cm) bot also has touch sensors, can speak 19 languages and reads emotions. Artificial Intelligence has been described as
a threat that could be 'more dangerous than nukes'. A group of scientists and entrepreneurs,
including Elon Musk and Stephen Hawking, have signed an open letter promising
to ensure AI research benefits humanity.The letter warns that without
safeguards on intelligent machines, mankind could be heading for a dark future.
The document, drafted by the Future of Life Institute, said scientists should
seek to head off risks that could wipe out mankind.
The authors say there is a 'broad consensus' that AI research is making
good progress and would have a growing impact on society.It highlights speech
recognition, image analysis, driverless cars, translation and robot motion as
having benefited from the research.'The potential benefits are huge, since
everything that civilisation has to offer is a product of human intelligence;
we cannot predict what we might achieve when this intelligence is magnified by
the tools AI may provide, but the eradication of disease and poverty are not
unfathomable,' the authors write.But it issued a stark warning that research
into the rewards of AI had to be matched with an equal effort to avoid the
potential damage it could wreak.
In the short term, it claims AI
may put millions of people out of work.In the long term, it could have the
potential to play out like a fictional dystopias in which intelligence greater
than humans could begin acting against their programming. If the trial is successful, the robotic
employees will be rolled out to more branches of the Japanese bank by
2020.Robotic companions are hugely popular in Japan but have failed to become
commercial successes elsewhere.Japanese electronics and entertainment company
Sony discontinued the Aibo pet-dog robot in 2006, despite an outcry from its
fans.Aldebaran has produced more than 5,000 of its Nao humanoid, and it is
primarily used for research and educational purposes. They can understand 80
per cent of conversations. They also have the ability to learn from conversations Athena
is the first humanoid robot to travel as airline passenger
With regards – S. Sampathkumar
25th June 2015.
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