Coming Soon
Social Robots
Would you want a robotic friend who could chitchat, do chores, even take care of you? Such bots may be here soon. Airs February 23, 2011 on PBS
- Posted 12.16.10
- NOVA scienceNOW
Program Description
Robots already build our cars and vacuum our floors. Will they one day be our companions, too? Engineers are designing robots with the social smarts to understand human feelings, learn from human teachers, carry on conversations, and even make jokes. But is a future full of robotic companions a delightful dream—or a lonely nightmare?
Broadcast Credits
Image:
- Image credit: (social robots)
- ©Leo Blanchette/iStockphoto
Participants
- Rodney Brooks
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology people.csail.mit.edu/brooks/
- Chad Cohen
- Correspondent
- Neil deGrasse Tyson
- Astrophysicist, American Museum of Natural History
- David Hanson
- Hanson Robotics
- Charlie Kemp
- Georgia Tech
- Sherry Turkle
- MIT
Editors' Picks
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Friendly Robots
Engineer Cynthia Breazeal talks about some of her favorite non-human companions in this audio slide show.
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An Obsession With Robots
What drives engineer James McLurkin to create insect-like robots?
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Profile: Colin Angle
Meet Colin Angle, a robot inventor with a passion for unusual and dangerous sports.
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Robotic Cars
Tiny, battery-powered cars called EN-Vs, now in R&D;, can talk to each other, come when called, even drive themselves.
