By Bill Gates| January 23, 2024\u00a0 4 minute read<\/span><\/p>\n Is it harder for machines to mimic the way humans move or the way humans think? If you had asked me this question a decade ago, my answer would have been \u201cthink.\u201d So much of how the brain works is still a mystery. And yet, in just the last year, advancements in artificial intelligence have resulted in computer programs that can create, calculate, process, understand, decide, recognize patterns, and continue learning in ways that resemble our own.<\/span><\/p>\n Building machines that operate like our bodies\u2014that walk, jump, touch, hold, squeeze, grip, climb, slice, and reach like we do (or better)\u2014would seem to be an easier feat in comparison. Surprisingly, it hasn\u2019t been. Many robots still struggle to perform basic human tasks that require the dexterity, mobility, and cognition most of us take for granted.<\/span><\/p>\n But if we get the technology right, the uses for robots will be almost limitless: Robots can help during natural disasters when first responders would otherwise have to put their lives on the line\u2014or during public health crises like the COVID pandemic when in-person interactions might spread disease. On farms, they can be used instead of toxic chemical herbicides to manually pull weeds. They can work long days lugging hundred- or thousand-pound loads around factory floors. A good enough robotic arm will also be invaluable as a prosthesis.<\/span><\/p>\n I understand concerns about robots taking people\u2019s jobs, an unfortunate consequence of almost every new innovation\u2014including the internet, which (for example) turned everyone into a travel agent and eliminated much of the vacation-planning industry. If robots have a similar impact on employment, governments and the private sector will have to help people navigate the transition. But given present labor shortages in our economy and the dangerous or unrewarding nature of certain professions, I believe it\u2019s less likely that robots replace us in jobs we love and more likely that they\u2019ll do work people don\u2019t want to be doing. In the process, they can make us safer, healthier, more productive, and even less lonely.<\/span><\/p>\n That\u2019s why I\u2019m so excited about the companies across the country and around the world that are at the forefront of robotics technology, working to usher in a robotics revolution. Some of their robots are humanoid or human-like\u2014constructed so they can interact easily in environments built for people. Others have super-human traits like flight or extendable arms that can supplement an ordinary person\u2019s abilities. Some move around on their legs. Others have wheels. Some navigate using sensors. Others are operated by remote controls.<\/span><\/p>\n Despite their differences, though, one thing is certain: In healthcare, hospitality, agriculture, manufacturing, construction, and even our homes, robots have the potential to transform the way we live and work. In fact, a few of them already are.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Here are some of the cutting-edge robotics start-ups and labs that I\u2019m excited about:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Agility Robotics<\/span><\/p>\n If we want robots to operate in our environments as seamlessly as possible, perhaps those robots should be modeled after people. That\u2019s what Oregon-based Agility Robotics decided when creating Digit, what they call the \u201cfirst human-centric, multi-purpose robot made for logistics work.\u201d It\u2019s roughly the same size as a person\u2014it\u2019s designed to work with people, go where we go, and operate in our workflows\u2014but it\u2019s able to carry much heavier loads and extend its \u201carms\u201d to reach shelves we\u2019d need ladders for.<\/span><\/p>\n Tevel<\/span><\/p>\n For farmers in some rich countries, around 40 percent of costs can come from labor\u2014with workers spending entire days out in the hot sun and then stopping at night. However given the labor shortage in agriculture, farms often have to throw away fruit that\u2019s not harvested in time. That\u2019s why Tevel, founded in Tel Aviv, has created flying autonomous robots that can scan tree canopies and pick ripe apples and stone fruits around the clock, while simultaneously collecting comprehensive harvesting data in real-time.<\/span><\/p>\n Apptronik<\/span><\/p>\n What\u2019s more useful: multiple robots that can each do one task over and over, or one robot that can do multiple tasks and learn to do even more? To Apptronik, an Austin-based start-up that spun out of the human-centered robotics lab at the University of Texas, the answer is obvious. So they\u2019re building \u201cgeneral-purpose\u201d humanoid bi-pedal robots like Apollo, which can be programmed to do a wide array of tasks\u2014from carrying boxes in a factory to helping out with household chores. And because it can run software from third parties, Apollo will be just a software update away from new functionalities.<\/span><\/p>\n RoMeLa<\/span><\/p>\n Building a robot that can navigate rocky and unstable terrain, and retain its balance without falling over, is no small task. But the Robotics and Mechanisms Lab, or RoMeLa, at UCLA, is working on improving mobility for robots. They may have cracked the code with ARTEMIS, possibly the fastest \u201crunning\u201d robot in the world that\u2019s also difficult to destabilize. ARTEMIS competed at the RoboCup 2023, an international soccer competition held in France in July.<\/span><\/p>\n Field AI<\/span><\/p>\n Some robots don\u2019t just need great \u201cbodies\u201d; they need great brains, too. That\u2019s what Field AI\u2014a robotics company based in Southern California that doesn\u2019t build robots\u2014is trying to create. Instead of focusing on the hardware of these machines, Field AI is developing AI software for other companies\u2019 robots that enables them to perceive their environments, navigate without GPS (on land, by water, or in the air), and even communicate with each other.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The start-ups making robots a reality The start-ups making robots a reality By Bill Gates| January 23, 2024\u00a0 4 minute read Is it harder for machines to mimic the way humans move or the way humans think? If you had asked me this question a decade ago, my answer would have been \u201cthink.\u201d So …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1959,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1958","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ai"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/aqqute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1958","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/aqqute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/aqqute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aqqute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aqqute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1958"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/aqqute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1958\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aqqute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/aqqute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1958"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aqqute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1958"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aqqute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1958"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/aqqute.wordpress.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/42179-20240111-robotics-tgn_assets-002-article-hero_1200x564-idorenyin.jpg?w=300&h=141\")
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