We already live among robots: tools and machines like dishwashers and thermostats so integrated into our lives that we'd never think to call them that. What will ...
========== You only get one chance
to make a first impression, and that's true if you're a robot
as well as if you're a person. The first time that I met
one of these robots was at a place
called Willow Garage in 2008. When I went to visit there,
my host walked me into the building and we met this little guy. He was rolling into the hallway, came up to me, sat there, stared blankly past me, did nothing for a while, rapidly spun his head around 180 degrees and then ran away. And that was not a great first impression. The thing that I learned
about robots that day is that they kind of do their own thing, and they're not totally aware of us. And I think as we're experimenting
with these possible robot futures, we actually end up learning
a lot more about ourselves as op...