Fifth
Blog: Google
Puts Money on Robots, Using the Man behind Android
Summary
The
article “Google Puts Money on Robots, Using the Man behind Android” was written
by John Markoff and published on December 4, 2013. Markoff talks about Google
inventing a robot that delivers packages to front doors off an automated Google
car. Google executives believe that this job is nearly impossible but Amazon
proposed a new drone delivery service that delivers books by a drone; which wasn't impossible to imagine so Google is positive about the invention of new
robots.
Over
the last half-year, Google has acquired seven technology companies that will
put these new generations of robots into play. The engineer behind this effort
is Andy Rubin, who built Google’s Android. Google is not aiming this new
technology towards consumers, instead they are targeting in manufacturing, for
example, electronics assembly. Andy Rubin says that we need at least 10 year’s
worth of time and vision on our hands.
Google
has already started making personal deliveries of the shopping service to
places like Target, Walgreens, and American Eagle Outfitters. This service is
available in some urban areas like San Francisco. Markoff talks about Google
making home personal delivery system one day but that all depends on humans, he
says.
Mr.
Rubin is a 50-year-old executive that is in charge of the robotics project. He
claims to have history in making his hobbies into careers. In the 1990s, Andy
was a robotics engineer for the company Carl Zeiss. He is passionate for
building intelligent machines. Andy has a vision of building something like the
windshield wiper that has enough “intelligence” when it rains. The co-founder
of Google, Larry Page, shares the same vision as Andy and feels that humans
should be free from drudgery and repetitive tasks.
Mr.
Rubin has stepped down as the head of the company’s Android smartphone division
so that he and the co-founder of Google Mr. Page can venture into this idea.
Mr. Rubin was comparing this project to the company’s self-driving project. He
said the automated car project was science fictions and now it is coming within
reach. The only problem that he claims he’s going to encounter is the need of
having a breakthrough for areas like software and sensors.
Andy
has acquired an array of robotics and artificial intelligence start-up
companies in the United States and Japan. Among those companies is Schaft. It
has a small team of Japanese robotics who left Tokyo University to develop a
humanoid robot, and Industrial Perception, a project that includes the
development of computer vision systems and robot arms for loading and unloading
trucks. The makers of humanoid robots and robot arms in San Francisco called
Meka and Redwood Robotics was also acquired. Bot & Dolly, a maker of
robotic camera systems, used their invention in the movie Gravity; Andy also
acquired Autofuss and Holomni.
Andy
talks about acquiring more companies to build this robot but discusses how
these previous seven companies has what it takes to partake in this creation of
robots. Andy isn’t too sure about where he wants to begin this new project;
within Google or somewhere else. The robotics groups, however, will initially
be in Palo Alto. Andy has already started hiring robotics and bringing in other
Google programmers that are going to be of help.
Opinion
In
my opinion, I believe that this is a great new invention. Google is coming up
with new ways of making life easier for humans. A lot of repetitive tasks that
takes place in our daily lives are not going to be a factor in the future.
Google isn’t too sure who they want their consumers to be for this invention
but I feel that it going to be a breakthrough for mankind.
As
great as this new invention is, I feel that machines are going to take over the
roles of workers and a lot more people will be unemployed because of this. They
are designing automated delivery systems through robots to complete repetitive
tasks and replacing people with machines.
Questions/feedback
1.
What
do you think about Google’s new robotic invention?
2.
Do
you feel that unemployment rates are going to get higher?
Reference:
Picture
and article retrieved from:
John
Markoff. (2013, December 4). Google Puts Money on Robots, Using the Man behind
Android.
1. I love technology, but we are rapidly approaching transcendence and the rise of AI as a partner in the world 50 years from now it will interesting to see how we feel about robots dominating our daily lives. Google's progress is merely the beginning.
ReplyDelete2. Nope, but they were be a dearth of high paying jobs. People will have to continue to work 2 or 3 jobs just to maintain some stability with or without Google's inventions and technological advances.
Thank you Richard for your input. I also believe that it is going to be interesting seeing technology in the future and what it has come to. Google has many great ideas and this is just the start!
ReplyDeleteI think it's an interesting idea, we will see how many ideas like this one will be adopted by everyone in the future. There will always be people for and against it, like nowadays with things like cellphones or computers, even though most people use it and can't imagine life without it, there are also people who can't get used to it and don't need it that much.
ReplyDeleteNo I don't think they will because there will always have to be people building it, fixing it, improving it; so as some jobs will vanish, new ones will have to be created.
Thanks Joanna for your comment. I think new technology is not always good or bad. it gives results after using them. I agree with you that few people are living without even touching the computers and new generations can't even think life without computers.I think new technological era will might get the unemployment rate high that time.
ReplyDelete