Wow, it has been a LONG time since I posted here ... please accept my profuse apologies
It started with the Jetsons, I think.
I remember the robot maid and other time- & labor-saving appliances used in the cartoons I watched as a child.
Then came Asimov -- he had me hooked as I voraciously consumed his stories about the future and all things robotic during my teen years: I, Robot
In college, I remember Hajime Sorayama's robot creations adorning the walls to my room:
Shortly after the turn of the century, I remember a friend telling me about this uber-cool robotic vacuum cleaner he had bought called a Roomba and how it was the shape of things to come:
In 2004 came the (loose) movie adaptation of Asimov's vision: I, Robot
Fast-forward to 2014. Where are the robots today?
I feel a bit let-down, even though I hear of advances such as medical assistant robots and future robotic assistants, such as Jibo, which are slowly advancing towards a robotic future.
I found the following article illuminating, especially since the title agrees with my question above: iRobot CEO decries the slow advance of robotics.
Here's an interesting insight from the article:
It started with the Jetsons, I think.
I remember the robot maid and other time- & labor-saving appliances used in the cartoons I watched as a child.
Then came Asimov -- he had me hooked as I voraciously consumed his stories about the future and all things robotic during my teen years: I, Robot
In college, I remember Hajime Sorayama's robot creations adorning the walls to my room:
Shortly after the turn of the century, I remember a friend telling me about this uber-cool robotic vacuum cleaner he had bought called a Roomba and how it was the shape of things to come:
In 2004 came the (loose) movie adaptation of Asimov's vision: I, Robot
Fast-forward to 2014. Where are the robots today?
I feel a bit let-down, even though I hear of advances such as medical assistant robots and future robotic assistants, such as Jibo, which are slowly advancing towards a robotic future.
I found the following article illuminating, especially since the title agrees with my question above: iRobot CEO decries the slow advance of robotics.
Here's an interesting insight from the article:
Pam Henderson, a former assistant professor at
Carnegie Mellon University and co-founder and CEO of consulting firm
NewEdge, Inc., agreed, adding that too many roboticists are in love with
their own ideas.
"Some of you have one idea you
are in love with and you are going to ride that thing until it goes to
market or it kills you," Henderson said during a keynote talk at
RoboBusiness. "Robotics is not the industry. Appliances are the
industry. Home health care is the industry. The need isn't for a
robot.... What's the opportunity? No opportunity? Don't build. Be pretty
crisp on the applications before you do the development."
In the end, it comes down to money:
"It takes $20 million or more to build a legitimate robot. It's a much bigger check to write to get to play," said Colin Angle, CEO and co-founder of iRobot (the maker of the Roomba vacuum cleaners).
Allow me to add my personal appeal to all the Angel Investors out there:
Please don't overlook the robots!
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