Gone are the days when robots were looked on with suspicion and Issac Asimov had to write his “Three Laws of Robotics” before the concept of a positronic robot being part of humanity’s daily life could be accepted, even in fiction. Forget Skynet, don’t scare yourself silly over Hollywood’s fantasy tales of evil robotic masterminds, just read on to find out how artificial intelligence is the definitive antidote to the drudgery and routine monotony of our lives. These lovelies here will change your perspective on iron-wrenching robots, hell-bent on taking over the world. Some will simply help clean up your living room, another can help your grandmom pick up groceries and yet another will assist you in catching your flight home. Thanks to them, you’ll get time to enjoy your cool mojito and an afternoon siesta.
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1. Heathrow Airport’s pretty little PRTs
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The familiar terrain of Heathrow Airport has rapidly transformed into a Martian landscape thanks to these Personal Rapid Transit pods. These uber-cool podcars are self automated and has a remarkable “no-accident” record to boot. It’s fun to see them zipping around the parking lot in their sweet four-seater configurations at 25mph. What’s more, they operate on demand. So just hop onto one for a fun ride when you are in the vicinity. Take a look at the futuristic world created by these Ultra PRTs.
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2. Robovie R3
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This one sounds more like a new cyborg developed under some top secret project. But this “life-sized”, friendly neighborhood robot goes all out to help elderly and handicapped shoppers in your local supermarket. It is the latest addition in a long list of personal humanoid robots, and is all set to assist shoppers, by providing info about products and help lost shoppers by leading them through the crowds. This piece of gadgetry has 11 touch sensors, two USB cameras for eyes, two microphones, a speaker and a pair of easy-to-grasp hands. With a top speed of 25 km/hr, it sure is a head turner. Watch the Robovie R3 in action.
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3. Wakamaru
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Wakamaru from Mitsubishi is a full communication robot. This simply means that in case you come across one, it will have a natural conversation with you in a similar way that a human being would. It maintains eye-contact, makes hand gestures and even brings up new topics in the conversation from its memory. But the most amazing part is that Wakamaru operates on its own and even charges himself whenever it feels necessary, without any human help. See how the Wakamaru wows customers in a store.
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4. Luna from RoboDynamics
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Coming from a company that promises a robot for every home by 2021, Luna seems completely poised to take over all your household drudgery, and that day isn’t far. Equipped with an 8-inch touchscreen panel, a pair of cameras, a three-mic array, wireless connectivity and an assortment of sensors. Programmability is the word and Luna can be customized to do a whole lot of stuff once an app has been designed for it. This is because it is based on an open-source OS and hence programmable just like an Android smartphone. Seems like you won’t have to wait long now before you can carry your cool mojitos to your porch. Take a look at Luna.
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