Robots are taking on lots of human jobs, or at least lots of human work tasks if not the entire job. The latest example comes out of a Cambridge University study that used robots to hold initial interviews with children though to have mental health issues. The robots worked through an initial interview with the… Read more »

There are people who get a thrill out of finding a good deal. They might tell you about the time they badgered that car salesman until he knocked $5,000 off the asking price and threw in floor mats. Their idea of fun is ransacking bargain bins, and their palms get all sweaty at the mention… Read more »

Have you ever used a word that you couldn’t define? Not some antiquated or seldom used word that you might have used just because you heard it in a movie and thought it sounded pretty neat, but a word that you understand without really knowing the meaning. A word that you know how to use… Read more »

The next frontier for automation is the cyborg: a robot-living creature hybrid. The science fiction versions of these beings tend to be androids or human beings with implanted chips in their brains. But cyborgs already exist in less elegant forms. For example, there are remote controlled cyborg insects from the DARPA HI-MEMS project. Unpacking the… Read more »

Interesting Engineering suggests that Ameca, a robot that can mimic human facial expressions, is or at least could be a new threat to human workers. Whether robots will take over human jobs is a big question that comes up frequently in discussions of automation. Robots, we’re told, are tireless, emotionally undemanding, make fewer errors than… Read more »

The NFL has been trying out various kinds of technology for a while. Now they have a new robotic practice buddy, The Seeker, made by Monarc Sport. It’s a modern version of a JUGS machine, a mechanical football throwing and kicking device. The advantage of The Seeker is that it can be programmed to throw… Read more »

Technology gets more and more incredible everyday. Things that seemed like they’d be stuck forever in the pages of fiction are finding their way into the real world. Cars that drive themselves and invisibility cloaks that bend light are being perfected. Even the Internet, something that seems so mundane and ordinary to us now, is… Read more »

Most people are aware of the importance of computers and the Internet, but not everyone thinks that it’s important to know the language, that is coding. They figure, “Well I know how to turn a computer on, and I know how to browse the Internet, so I’m probably good.” They recognize that knowing how to… Read more »

Who are the world’s top manufacturers? The answer changes over time, as the animation below shows. You’ll see that Japan and Germany, the home of Indramat, actually stay pretty much in the same place. The United States, so clearly in the lead in 1990, swaps places with China in a shocking outcome as you watch…. Read more »

Walmart has been automating for a long time, and you may have seen robots in their stores if you’re a Walmart shopper. Maybe you don’t go into their stores, though. Maybe you are one of the growing number of shoppers who order things and drive to the store for pickup (Buy Online and Pickup In… Read more »