So what is the need for robotics one might ask. We have all watched science fiction movies and have thought that is not practical. Well, you might be right (for now). However, in an earlier blog I noted that the "need" for robotics can often accelerate the innovation within a field. So, why would we need a robot?
In reading the following article, the author shows some clear examples of what services a robot could provide. One example was how the household vacuuming is now done by a robot. Here is a link to the robotic vacuum he mentioned. He notes that each night the robot comes out and vacuums up the house. This is clearly a service that many would be interested in, and is available today.
Another example are the Predator unmanned drones used during wartime. These drones have proven to be invaluable to the military as illustrated by their continued use. Other robots include devices used to dismantle bombs which are used by SWAT and the military teams. In both cases above - risk to the human operator is reduced. Other robots could certainly be used in search and rescue operations. Combining robotics with advanced sensors could certainly help save lives in environments where humans might not be able to easily go such as into burning or collapsed buildings, or other hostile environments. These robots could send feedback about the environments and then the human operators would be able to make better decisions. Many of these examples are highlighted in the above article.
The above examples are meant to illustrate the need for robotics. Between the commercial value and the benefit to human lives, many would agree that robotics offers solutions to problems that have yet to be addressed. Given this need, the innovation is sure to follow.
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Robotics - Developing the Infrastructor
When reading an article about robotics, it became clear that many of the topics that we have covered in a our class need to intersect to develop the required infrastucture. Many of the items seemed to echo comments made by Dr. Halal during our residency. Here are some examples.
In order for robotics to flourish, the computational requirements need to be addressed. Robotics leverage AI, which is recognized as heavily computational. However, looking to the future, we see quantum computing just up on the horizon. Also, parallel computing is under active research right now - just look at Best Buy to see the presence of the new Quad-core computers from Intel. Robotics will benefit from the advances in computational computing - who knows - they might turn out to be a major driver.
Grid computing is another interesting concept. If there is not enough computational power within a system, then the system can reach out to the network and ask for network resources. This collection of computing resources is called grid computing, among other names.
However, to reach the grid, the network must be established. To have a network, not only bandwidth is required, but also coverage must be in place. Both of these requirements are already under active research. Look at the proposals around WiMax, Wi-Fi, 802.11n. Distances of both long and short range are addressed, and transfer speeds of data are becoming quite impressive, and will continue to grow.
Grids and city coverage are also being established. Cities like Albuquerque and Portland already have blanket city coverage. Technologies such as the iPhone and Blackberry are starting to leverage the VOIP to make calls, which will continue to drive the proliferation of these networks.
In short, the infrastructure to enable robotics to thrive is either in development or on the horizon. Really, the question is if robotics is going to help drive and accelerate these solutions, or if it is gated by the current technology. My take - it will drive it. The need for robotics is huge - and when there is a need, innovation always prevails.
In order for robotics to flourish, the computational requirements need to be addressed. Robotics leverage AI, which is recognized as heavily computational. However, looking to the future, we see quantum computing just up on the horizon. Also, parallel computing is under active research right now - just look at Best Buy to see the presence of the new Quad-core computers from Intel. Robotics will benefit from the advances in computational computing - who knows - they might turn out to be a major driver.
Grid computing is another interesting concept. If there is not enough computational power within a system, then the system can reach out to the network and ask for network resources. This collection of computing resources is called grid computing, among other names.
However, to reach the grid, the network must be established. To have a network, not only bandwidth is required, but also coverage must be in place. Both of these requirements are already under active research. Look at the proposals around WiMax, Wi-Fi, 802.11n. Distances of both long and short range are addressed, and transfer speeds of data are becoming quite impressive, and will continue to grow.
Grids and city coverage are also being established. Cities like Albuquerque and Portland already have blanket city coverage. Technologies such as the iPhone and Blackberry are starting to leverage the VOIP to make calls, which will continue to drive the proliferation of these networks.
In short, the infrastructure to enable robotics to thrive is either in development or on the horizon. Really, the question is if robotics is going to help drive and accelerate these solutions, or if it is gated by the current technology. My take - it will drive it. The need for robotics is huge - and when there is a need, innovation always prevails.
Robotics - Initial Read
I started to read a bit on Robotics and thought I would start internally with my company. I was curious to see how we played in this field. Here is a press release that I thought was very interesting. The format is an interview Q&A style. Click here for the article.
Jim Butler talks about some very interesting aspects of robotics - areas that I had previously not thought about. For example, I was curious about Intel's engagement in this field. As it turns out, robots requires a lot of computing power. This power is for the computations and the associated AI that helps drive a robot. As such, the computational component call out to Intel as this is their expertise. Many other interesting items were covered in the article. Anyways, I'm going to blog on specific areas of this article over the next few days and dissect portions of the article as there are many areas that require further exploration.
Jim Butler talks about some very interesting aspects of robotics - areas that I had previously not thought about. For example, I was curious about Intel's engagement in this field. As it turns out, robots requires a lot of computing power. This power is for the computations and the associated AI that helps drive a robot. As such, the computational component call out to Intel as this is their expertise. Many other interesting items were covered in the article. Anyways, I'm going to blog on specific areas of this article over the next few days and dissect portions of the article as there are many areas that require further exploration.
Web 2.0 - MySpace - you can keep it...
In an earlier post I spoke about the Google web interface/web page. I had tried this tool/interface out but it didn't meet my needs. I decided that I would check out MySpace as I hear a lot about that interface. I poked around at it for a few hours and wasn't too impressed. It did a great job on giving choices and profiles, but the layout seemed a bit restricted. It seems that flexibility of AJAX hasn't quite caught up with some of these web tools. If drag and drop applets were allowed, then this would significantly enhance the experience. I was content to move on and say this tool didn't meet my need. However, the next day, I woke to an inbox of spam from MySpace. I don't mind if a tool doesn't meet the need, I do mind if the tool creates waste, or allows waste to be created. I need to check my settings, but an inbox full of spam is just not acceptable. My goal for today, delete my account from MySpace.
Friday, August 17, 2007
Web 2.0 - Driving a changing in my behavior - how about you?
I realized last night that blogging has driven a change in my behavior and was curious if anyone else in our class noticed that they had changed as well. I realized that my typo's have been reducing. When I initially used the spell check on the blogs I would have lots of corrections. However, as I continue to blog the number of errors has been dwindling - in terms of typo's. I know that I often use the wrong word, but spell check can't catch that issue. However, I have also upgraded to Word 2007 which provides instant feedback - so maybe that is driving the change in behavior. I was curious if anyone else noticed that their accuracy was increasing with the arrival of these new feedback mechanisms?
Web 2.0 - Communication Tools - Linked-In
I tried the Google Groups and the web page as a way to stay connected with family. I liked the idea of the Google Groups, but as a connection tool with their web pages, I wasn't overly impressed. In terms of connection tools, the Groups are great for generic email addresses, but I think that there are some better web tools to allow connections and networks. Here is one such tool.
LinkedIn (found here) is a great tool that allows personal networks to be formed between individuals. I didn't find this tool, it found me. Let me explain. LinkedIn allows social networks to be built - and people can be added to your network. When I came in one day, I had a number of "LinkedIn" emails waiting for me. I read up on the concept, and I started accepting these "invitations." The power of this system becomes readily apparent as you see your network of business contacts grow. In fact, I even became connected to one of the CTU professors that taught one of our classes through a friend - yup - small world! Anyways, as people tend to move around and change industries, you can keep in touch and develop your network over time.
Another neat item about LinkedIn is that it seems to cross reference with the monster.com job posting. If your network is big enough (which it grows quickly because your friends friends become your friends) you can possibly get an inside contact on the job front. I think that there was a movie about everyone being within 7 degrees of freedom of knowing each other - this system works off of the same concept.
Anyways, the point of this post is that finding the right tool for the right job is very important. If the tool you are using isn't a perfect fit, chances are that there is a tool out there that will work better. GoogleGroups are great for emails, but LinkedIn is better for maintaining a business/social network - IMHO.
LinkedIn (found here) is a great tool that allows personal networks to be formed between individuals. I didn't find this tool, it found me. Let me explain. LinkedIn allows social networks to be built - and people can be added to your network. When I came in one day, I had a number of "LinkedIn" emails waiting for me. I read up on the concept, and I started accepting these "invitations." The power of this system becomes readily apparent as you see your network of business contacts grow. In fact, I even became connected to one of the CTU professors that taught one of our classes through a friend - yup - small world! Anyways, as people tend to move around and change industries, you can keep in touch and develop your network over time.
Another neat item about LinkedIn is that it seems to cross reference with the monster.com job posting. If your network is big enough (which it grows quickly because your friends friends become your friends) you can possibly get an inside contact on the job front. I think that there was a movie about everyone being within 7 degrees of freedom of knowing each other - this system works off of the same concept.
Anyways, the point of this post is that finding the right tool for the right job is very important. If the tool you are using isn't a perfect fit, chances are that there is a tool out there that will work better. GoogleGroups are great for emails, but LinkedIn is better for maintaining a business/social network - IMHO.
Google Groups and Home Page
I decided to try and create a home page for a Google Group that I created. I worked on this for a while, but I wasn't too excited about the end result. However, considering that this was a first for Google to go into this space, I wasn't too disappointed. I think what would make this better is if they were to leverage the applet concept from the personalized web space. If you haven't created your own Google home page, you are missing out. The problem I had with the Google Groups home page is that I couldn't really get the layout that organized the web page in a way that I liked. It needed the pick-up and drag concept. Maybe someone out there has an example of what a great Google Group web page looks like? If so, I would love to have a link so I can shameless copy it!
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