Prof. Elizabeth Croft, a mechanical engineer at the University of British Columbia, predicts that one day soon there will be a robot in every home.
Prof. Croft is working on programming robots that can interact with people. A huge part of that is being able to respond to our physical cues, because so much of human communication comes from our movements and gestures, even when we’re not consciously aware of them. This video by Rewild Films introduces you to her smart and responsive robots, who will never leave you hanging if you reach out for a hug or a high five.
Learn how robots are being designed to respond to human physical cues
Video courtesy of Rewild Films
The robotics field also raises many important ethical considerations. Robots are more than just inanimate objects: they can learn and respond, and often are programmed to have human-like behaviour. When a robot makes a mistake and someone gets hurt, the question of blame is complex and unanswered.
Notably, Prof. Croft is also the NSERC Chair for Women in Science and Engineering, a fitting role for a leading female scientist in a male-dominated field. By recruiting the best minds to solve some of our toughest research challenges, we are arriving at innovative solutions to some of our most difficult problems.
Artwork by Josh Ellingson; available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 License
