Roboethics: Are robots like Tesla Optimus a tread to humanity?

6

October

2022

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One of the most genius people on this earth, Elon Musk, came out with the news this week that a Tesla robot will be on the market in 3-5 years. This AI-driven robot will be called Tesla Optimus and should cost around $20000. The purpose of the robot is to help with everyday tasks, such as delivering parcel or watering plants (McCallum, 2022).
That Tesla is coming out with an AI-driven robot seems strange, as Elon Musk has often spoken out about the dangers of Artificial Intelligence, saying, for example, that robots will one day be smarter than humans. He even calls AI as humanity’s “biggest existential threat” (BBC News, 2017). Yet he says the Tesla Optimus will not be a danger to humanity because Tesla adds safeguards, such as a stop button (McCallum, 2022). It is therefore good to think about where the boundaries are with regard to designing humanoid robots.

Despite robots only starting to become truly realistic in recent years, Isaac Asimov (1941) wrote about ‘The Three Laws of Robotics’ over 80 years ago:

  1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
  2. A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
  3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws.

Later, the EPSRC (Bryson, 2017) added the following five principles:

  1. Robots should not be designed solely or primarily to kill or harm humans.
  2. Humans, not robots, are responsible agents. Robots are tools designed to achieve human goals.
  3. Robots should be designed in ways that assure their safety and security.
  4. Robots are artifacts; they should not be designed to exploit vulnerable users by evoking an emotional response or dependency. It should always be possible to tell a robot from a human.
  5. It should always be possible to find out who is legally responsible for a robot.

These laws and principles indicate that robots are there to help people and not to hurt people. In addition, humans should always retain power over robots and not the other way around. This seems logical, but with the rapid growth rise of AI, robots may one day become smarter than humans. Therefore, I think this is the time when there should be strict and clear laws around designing robots. Robots should always be limited so that they can never be smarter than humans.
If proper regulations are put in place, I think robots can be of great value to humanity. Think for example of humanoid robots in healthcare, these robots can ensure that more people can receive good quality care at the same time. I am curious to see how AI driven robots will evolve in the coming years, at least we can say that robots are no longer the future, but they are the present!

Bryson, J. J. (2017, April 3). The meaning of the EPSRC principles of robotics. Connection Science, 29(2), 130–136. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540091.2017.1313817

Asimov, I. (1941). Three laws of robotics. Asimov, I. Runaround.

McCallum, B. S. (2022, October 1). Tesla boss Elon Musk presents humanoid robot Optimus. BBC News. Retrieved October 6, 2022, from https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-63100636

BBC News. (2017, August 21). Musk warns of “killer robot” arms race. Retrieved October 6, 2022, from https://www.bbc.com/news/business-40996009

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Behind the Scenes: Delivering your online groceries

28

September

2021

5/5 (1)

In light of the Covid-19 pandemic and restrictions towards face to face transactions, delivery markets such as courier services are growing explosively due to the proliferation of online transactions. The vast “mobile shift” from offline to mobile purchasing items in sectors such as food & beverage, food delivery, and clothing/household goods leads to the growth of the online shopping market. As a result, 50-70% of customers globally have changed their purchasing patterns from offline to online.

The rapid growth of non face to face distribution and logistics following Covid-19 led to an unprecedented expansion of online e-commerce which required logistics centers globally to accelerate their efficiency and modernization. 

The function and roles of logistic centers are changing due to a surge in demand, the previous traditional market structure relying on inter-company logistics (B2B) has now shifted to satisfy customer-tailored on-demand market structure. The big question is how do logistics centers keep up with the surge in demand?

Current online logistics centers require the ability to quickly deliver individual and small quantities of products ordered by customers as a core requirement, as opposed to delivering bulk products to a distribution center. While the existing logistics center’ functions are limited to loading and unloading cargo, recent logistics centers rely heavily on automation and advanced technological development for logistics facilities that are suitable for sorting and picking smaller quantity products to respond to the e-commerce and home shopping market.

What is the role of technology in this case? 

Automation of logistics centers and facilities is expected and bound to happen rapidly. For example, Korean e-commerce conglomerate Coupang, which has 58% of the Korean market share, has been making large-scale investments to automate their fulfillment centers and modify their processes for online sales. Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV), a robotic automation equipment, has been introduced in their largest fulfillment center, Deokpyeong Center, which possess a mis-delivery rate of 0% (allegedly). 

In the Netherlands, Albert Heijn, the largest online supermarket, fulfills orders for 86% of Dutch households from their 4 fulfillment centers. To keep up with the demand, Albert Heijn utilizes ORTEC’s advanced cloud-based routing solutions to compute optimal routing plans and personalized time slots for customers which consequently, generates monetary and environmental savings. 




From the U.S, e-grocer FreshDirect in New York uses an advanced AI system to deliver 100,000 grocery orders each week. FreshDirect’s process still requires teamwork between AI and manpower, The AI robots divide orders into tasks and autonomously delegate them, they would move package orders from temperature-controlled zones into dispatch areas. The team of employees will then pack the individual orders.

What does the future hold for the logistics industry? 

To keep up with the demand of e-shopping, logistics centers around the world have made technological investments to satisfy the influx of customers. The future of the logistics industry is not only contingent on the automation of its facilities, however, it is also contingent on creating a flexible system that can easily respond to changes in the production environment as well as reduce waiting and travel time. 

References

https://ortec.com/en/customers/albert-heijn
https://venturebeat.com/2020/07/28/microfulfillment-startup-fabric-partners-with-freshdirect-to-launch-on-demand-delivery-in-washington-d-c/
https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2020/11/23/2131523/28124/en/Global-663-33-Billion-Online-Grocery-Market-to-2024-with-Potential-Impact-of-COVID-19.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQBw7J9S47A&ab_channel=KENGICIntelligentTechnology

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The Rise of The Robot Nurse.

23

September

2020

5/5 (4) Many people all around the world are afraid of having their jobs stolen by robots. A report conducted by the McKinsey Global Institute estimates that automation will eliminate 39 to 73 million US jobs by 2030. While the people whose jobs are at risk might see automation and robots as a curse, there are some countries who might see it as a blessing – countries such as Japan.

As you may know, Japan is known for being the ‘oldest country in the world’. More than 20% of the Japanese population is over 65 years old, the highest proportion in the world. By 2030 this proportion will have grown to over 33%. There are two fundamental reasons for Japans ageing population: increasing life expectancy and a declining fertility rate. While the number of retired Japanese is growing, there are not enough young people to fill this void. Japan is particularly expected to face big issues when it comes to healthcare and long-term care. Due to the shrinking workforce, there is a reasonable risk that there will not be enough healthcare professionals to deliver the needed care.

The solution for this problem could be closer than one might think. Apart from being the oldest country in the world, Japan is also known as the world’s leading ‘Robot Nation’. In 2012 Japan made up nearly 50% of the total global market share in the export of robots. Japanese nursing homes are now experimenting with different kinds of robots that support staff in taking care of their patients. Robotic animals are used as therapy for dementia and loneliness while other robots help nurses to lift heavy patients out of bed.

Japan is not the only country that encounters these demographic issues. Western countries are also facing a shrinking workforce and aging population in the future. While robots are commonly accepted in Japan, Western pop culture often depicts robots as dangerous machines that could revolt against humanity. US- and EU-citizens might not be too eager to welcome robots into their nursing homes. What would you do? Would you let a robot take care of your loved ones?

References:
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/332468#:~:text=A%20recently%20released%20report%20conducted,loss%2C%20perhaps%20without%20knowing%20it.
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/09/elderly-oldest-population-world-japan/
https://www.eoswetenschap.eu/gezondheid/wereldwijde-vergrijzing
https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/whyutokyo/wj_003.html#:~:text=In%20recent%20years%2C%20robotics%20has,and%20number%20of%20operating%20units.
https://www.wired.com/story/ideas-joi-ito-robot-overlords/

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For All The Lazy Cooks Out There!

17

October

2018

5/5 (1) We all know that the manufacturing industry is utilizing robots on a mass scale for their production. They do the heavy lifting and are more capable in complex precision work than us. It seems like robots could solve anything, but could they also cook for us?

Apparently, one start-up asked the same question and made their goal to develop the first domestic intelligent cooking robot that can just do that. The company is called Moley and they already have a working prototype under development. Moley is capable of not just cooking but also cleaning, learning recipes and mimicking the actions of a master chef that can be utilized to improve the cooking process and the food experience.

This dream of a domestic robot that cooks for you while you are away and leaves no mess in your kitchen, sounds really promising and this is the case. Moley is attracting already a lot of culinary chefs and investor that that want to contribute into this technology to further improve its potential.

The industry for professional service robots is growing and sales rose from 2014 to 2015 by 25%, 32,939 units to 41,060 units, to a $ 4.6 billion industry. Furthermore, the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) projects the unit sales for professional service robots to 332,200 units with a value of $ 23.1 billion for 2019.

Moley comes with a hefty price tag of approximately $ 15,000, however this does not include just the robot but also an entire purpose-built kitchen environment and utensils that the robot uses for cooking. Depending on the learning capability that utilizes AI, it could provide you also with food recommendations or come up with its own created recipes that are accustomed to your taste preference. The possibilities are endless here and I am personally very excited when this product will have its first commercial launch.

References:

Main

http://time.com/3819525/robot-chef-moley-robotics/

 

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Iron Ox – the future of autonomous farming

14

October

2018

No ratings yet. Last week the first autonomous farm in the USA was unveiled – Iron Ox, located in San Carlos, 20 miles outside of San Francisco. An unusual type of startup for the Silicon Valley,  Iron Ox focuses on the automation of the production of leafy greens (romaine, butterhead, kale and various herbs) through the use of robotics and AI.

Iron Ox is quite a nontraditional farm. Its indoor measures are only 8000 square feet and its main farmer is Angus – a giant, 1,000 pound robot. However, the company’s goal is to grow roughly 26,000 heads of crops each year by adapting a completely different farming process.

Iron Ox uses the hydroponics method of growing plants, which does not require soil, but instead uses mineral nutrient solutions in a water solvent. This allows the innovative farm to grow 30 times more produce per acre than a regular farm by arranging crops  in vertical and horizontal stacks. The advantages of the hydroponics method are significant: reduced use of water, sterility and space efficiency. This method, however, requires more manual labor in moving the plants. Here is where Angus’s role comes in – completing the heavy lifting, farming and sensing tasks, while humans are responsible for the more essential roles in the process – planting each seedling and packaging the finished product.

Apart from robot automation, a cloud-based, A.I., called  “The Brain” has been put into place to monitor important metrics, such as nitrogen levels, temperature, and the location of robots. In time, the company plans to increase its functions by incorporating more data and analytics of food-based trends in order to make exact decisions about what crops should be grown and in what quantities.

What is your opinion of this innovative approach to farming?

How do you think the agriculture industry will develop in the future and be affected by technological innovations?

 

Sources:

The Guardian, 2018. Retrieved from:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/oct/08/robot-farm-iron-ox-california

The Verge, 2018. Retrieved from: 

https://www.theverge.com/2018/10/9/17950502/robot-farm-future-iron-ox-agriculture-automation

 

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