Although the topic of robots may not seem to be connected to the study of biology at first, if we take a closer look into the cutting edge of robot manufacturing is it evident that biology plays a large role in the creation of humanistic robots. I read an article titled “Making Robots More Like Us” by John Markoff and discovered many interesting and exciting details about the world of robot engineering. This article discusses the changes that have been taking place regarding the application of robots and how they will function in the future. Markoff writes, “Until recently, most robots were carefully separated from humans. They have largely been used in factories to perform repetitive tasks that required speed, precision and force…the industrial era of robotics is over.” Now robots are not only being programmed to have some of the same chemical and biological responses that humans have but they are also being made to look like humans. “Moreover, the new robots are designed not just to replace but to collaborate with humans.”
The science and industry of robots is becoming more and more popular and is becoming recognized as a legitimate and vital field of study. “Today’s robot designers believe that their creations will become therapists, caregivers, guides and security guards, and will ultimately perform virtually any form of human labor.” Robots are ultimately the answer to the future; they are opening and will continue to open new opportunities to people of all walks of life. They will also revolutionize the field of medicine in ways that will save thousands of lives. Furthermore, Markoff writes, “To function in the real world and to be safe, robots must have a radically different design from factory robots, which are based on “stiff” actuators capable of moving with great speed to a precise position. The new robots have “compliant actuators,” which respond to external forces by yielding in a natural fashion.” Robots will be able to carry out actions that will not only make ordinary life easier but will also be able to carry out extraordinary feats that will revolutionize the ways in which we approach life as a whole.
This article was written in such a way that it was both easy to understand and interesting to read. The writing was clear and concise and the author’s voice was authoritative and exciting. I also really enjoyed the media that was included along with this article. A video of the different types of robots was attached to the article which helped me to visualize the complex structures that were described in the article. This made it easier to understand exactly what the author was saying. Furthermore, pictures were included along with this article which added to my level of understanding. Overall, this article was interesting and informative.
Markoff, John. "Making Robots More Like Us." New York Times. The New York Times Company, 28 Oct. 2013. Web. 10 Nov. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/29/science/making-robots-more-like-us.html?ref=science&_r=0>.
After reading Emma’s review of the article, “Making Robots More Like Us” by John Markoff I thought she did a great job summarizing the article. I really liked how she showed the importance of robots in biology. Also, I thought that her review was very clear and interesting. Also, I really like how she integrated the quotes from the article because it gave us a real sense of what the author was trying to say. I really liked how she described how robots are going to have more human interactions and not be as “stiff”. We picture robots as machines, but Emma’s review and the article describe them in a different way for the future.
ReplyDeleteThough her review was very well written I thought that there were a few changes that could be made to make this review better. One change that could be made was I think that there was a lack of background information in the review. For example, she discusses that robots are innovative but she doesn’t discuss why. I think if she included a little more from the articles it would be clearer for the reader. Also another change that could be made was she could have used less quotes because we didn’t get to hear a summary in her own words, which made it a little confusing for the reader. I also really liked how Emma discussed the positive critique; however, I think maybe she could have included some negative criticism as well.
I thought it was very interesting that the robots had new functions. I had only thought that robots could be used in places like factories where they had to perform simple tasks repeatedly. However, I found it very interesting that these robots could be used for therapists, caregivers, guides and security guards, and will ultimately perform virtually any form of human labor, which I think is really important for society. Overall, I thought that her review was really informative and entertaining to read.
My peer Emma Berry did a fantastic job of reviewing the article, Making Robots More Like Us by John Markoff. One thing that Emma presented particularly well was that incorporation of quotes from the article. She chose key quotes, especially ones that came directly from people interview, which helped portray the point of the original article. Another thing I think she did well was linking the article to modern day and helping the reader understand how the world of robots is becoming more and more prevalent. This connection helps the reader see the importance of this article and builds credibility for her review. A final thing I think she did especially well was talking about the style in which the author wrote the article. By characterizing his styles and describing what the original article was like, she assists the reader visualize the original structure of the article.
ReplyDeleteWhile she undoubtedly did many things very well in the review, there are a few things that she could have improved upon. One thing she could have done better was talking about how robots are going to revolutionize the field of medicine. She stated that the incorporation of robots will bring great changes to the field of medicine and I am curious to know exactly what changes robots will bring. Another thing I think she could have improved upon is further explaining what photos and visuals were utilized in the article. She stated towards the end that the article incorporated many photos that helped the reader visualize the article but she hardly explained what these photos were. I think if she explained a little more, it would have made a great difference.
One thing that I learned from this article was that the industrial age of robots is coming to a close and new age of robots incorporated into everyday life is on the horizon. I was very surprised by this and I have always been interested in robots and what the future will bring us. I am interested to see where this will go and I cannot wait to see if robots will make their way into daily society.
I think that Emma did a great job summarizing and reviewing this article. I found myself really interested in the topic due to her concise but informative summary and attention to the necessary details. The way that Emma discussed the possible benefits of robots that are more like humans got me thinking on the topic and prompted me to consider a lot of the benefits, but also the negatives of robots. Another thing that she did well was quoting the article. She quoted enough that it was clear that she read the article and understood it, but not enough that most of her review was in quotes and that it became unnecessarily annoying.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I think Emma could have done a better job on was considering the negatives of robots participating more in the human world. I know it wasn’t really mentioned in the article, because it was trying to give an especially positive outlook on the rising technology, but I think it would have been an interesting idea. When I read the part about how the technology for sentient artificial intelligence was not yet in existence I began to think about movies such as 2001: A Space Odyssey and Terminator. While those are obviously films and strictly fiction, it makes me wonder about the dangers that robots, especially sentient ones, could pose to humans. In addition, robots like these would take away jobs from human workers. I also think that Emma could have gone into more detail about the connections and possible uses for these robots in other areas of science. In particular, the example of how to give a robot the capabilities of walking on the ground made me think that this technology could be used for prosthetic limbs, to actually replace missing arms and legs with technology that would be able to react to their surroundings.
What I found so interesting about this article and this review was how far science has come in the past few years, and how far it can still go. The uses for these robots, from making coffee to being physical therapists astounded me, and reading this article made me really excited for the advances to come in this field of science.
I read the article review "making robots more like us" by Emma. I think she did a very good jobs writing this article and had many supportive details included throughout her review. Emma showed the reader how the field involving robot creation is growing and how these new innovations can drastically change life for all people. Some thing I liked in this article were the way she wrote the positives and the negatives of robots. Emma also did a great job explaining how robots are being created to not only replace jobs that requires labor but also communicate with humans as well. Another thing I liked was how she interpreted the information and describes it in a way that keeps the content interesting and easy to understand.
ReplyDeletesome thing I would change would be the paragraph about how robots change everyday life. I think the information she wrote was interesting but I think it would be better if she elaborated on how robots make a difference. I would also explain how they preform the laborious jobs and how the breakthroughs in science help make these robots preform these jobs. how anatomically similar are robots to modern humans.
Overall, I think Emma did a very good job on this article summery. I think this is an extremely interesting topic and I'm excited to see how this technology will advance in my life time and how it will affect the lives of people everywhere in the world. I was really impressed with how Emma used not only the article but other sources for this review.
Emma did a great job of summarizing and explaining the article “Making Robots More Like Us” by John Markoff. She started off with a clear summary of the article that was easy to read and understand because it was concise and to the point. This summary was interesting and gave an excellent description of the article’s main ideas. I also liked that she really encouraged the reader to look at the original article in order to learn more on the topic by making robotics seem Her tip to look at the attached photos and video to enhance our understanding of the science and industry of robots was helpful. When I read the original article, the media helped me understand further as well. A third thing Emma did well was including quotes from the article. She chose well-worded quotations that supported the overall effectiveness of her article review.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Emma’s review was great, I think she could have made it even better in a couple of ways. For example, she could have included more specific details about the article. I understood the concept from the review and appreciated that the summary portion was concisely written, but after reading the actual article as well, I think that more detail could have been added to the summary. I also thought she could have included some information about specific research involving robots, whether it be from the article or outside information.
One thing I found really interesting and surprising in the article was the fact that biology can be so closely related to robotics. The two seem somewhat unrelated at first since robots aren’t living things, but it was cool to learn how they relate.
I read the review of the article “Making Robots More Like Us” written by Emma Berry. Emma did a really great job of reviewing the article. There were three aspects of the article that were particularly well presented. First, Emma did a great job of linking the study of robots to biology. She mentioned that upon first glance one would not usually see the connection between robots and biology and then she proceeded to discuss how they were linked and helped me to understand the true importance of biology for this project. Another aspect that was well presented was the fact that Emma quoted the author of the article in talking about the usefulness of robots. This quote allowed us to understand exactly what he was trying to say and it summarized the fact that robots are now starting to be used for everyday human collaboration tasks. The last aspect of this article review that was particularly well presented was the organization. Emma did a really great job of commending and critiquing the article and keeping the two aspects separate, but making sure they all linked together in the end. It made her review very readable and relatable.
ReplyDeleteThere are two ways this review could have been made better. First, there were some grammar mistakes in the writing that made it difficult for me to read the text fully and completely. It disrupted the flow of my understanding and with the correct spelling and grammar, the article review could have been even more helpful and informative. Second, I wish that Emma would have included examples of how these robots were going to be used in the future, not just listing ideas but actual examples, because I think that would have been very interesting to learn about.
One thing from this article that I was very impressed by was the fact that the people who were creating these robots are hoping to make these robots very useful and so human-like that they can serve as caregivers, therapists, and guides. Overall, this article was very interesting and Emma’s commentary was very informed and well written.