We have Isaac Asimov to thank for thinking about robots as a science when he coined the term “robotics” in the 1940s. Originally, the term came from the word “robota” from Czech (possessing a similar meaning in other Slavic tongues) referring to hard labor. In an interesting twist, robots portrayed in movies are often nearly omnipotent or all-powerful in the future, but today scientists who are working on these incredible machines envision them to be autonomous devices that will essentially perform their previously intended role: work. In this edition of Future Lab we visit with the CEO of Willow Garage, Steve Cousins, who runs a company that recently announced its robot, the PR2, would be available for purchase at $400,000 each. And we check in with the robot HERB at Intel Labs at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, which serves as a platform for advanced software.

Tags: Carnegie Mellon University, Future Lab, HERB, Intel, Intel Free Press, Intel Labs, IntelFreePress, PR2, Research, robot, Robotics, Sidd Srinivasa, Steve Cousins, Willow Garage
 
Posted in: Future Lab Radio, Intel, Intel Free Press, Intel Labs, Research@Intel