The discussion revolves around the challenges of building robots that can adapt to changing environments, rather than robots that rely solely on prediction and mapping.
This podcast explores the different examples of things that people call robots and their level of agency, such as the ability to interact with the environment, converse with other agents, take responsibility, make decisions, and make plans. Real-world examples of robots include Roomba vacuum cleaners and self-driving cars.
The conversation centers around the potential for robots to be a part of everyday life in the future, including robot-human interaction and the role of robots in the household.
Boston Dynamics’ robot moving at five miles an hour isn't as outlandish as some critics suggest, as cars on the road moving at 75-85 miles an hour are processing data, doing machine learning and figuring out the car's trajectory in real-time, making the robot’s task easier. Special-purpose automation is a cheaper and more elegant solution to solve customer's problems, given the leveraging of core IP at Boston Dynamics can provide a great set of applications to existing product lines and customers they serve for businesses in special purpose automation, which Hyundai is now part of, following its acquisition of Boston Dynamics from SoftBank.
The speaker discusses game theory and understanding people's social value orientation in order to program robots to make better decisions. Although simulating cameras is difficult, as the physics of the real world are known, game theory and understanding human behavior can help create robots that are less aggressive.
This episode discusses the dilemma of designing robots that are both functional and aesthetically pleasing, without crossing the "uncanny valley" and potentially causing discomfort in humans. Real-world implications such as the cost-benefit analysis of using humanoid robots in workplace settings are also explored.
The emergence of robots that can mimic human behavior and characteristics raises the question: when does a robot become human? Physicist Michio Kaku argues that if a robot acts and looks like a human, it should be considered a human.
The speaker discusses the impact of robots in the industry, exploring how they can improve efficiency and require more skilled labor. However, there are concerns about automation taking away jobs from human workers leading to a dystopian future.
