Kozminski Techblog

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Robots are becoming more common in participation in society. But robots in nature? Robert Wood is a Professor of Engineering and Applied Sciences in Cambridge. He and his team at Harvard University’s Microbiotics Lab are working on creating a tiny robotic insect, inspired by the biology of a bee, known as RoboBee. Researchers managed to built a small robot capable of moving, as well in the air as it can underwater, it can also land and take off again. The bot weights less than 200 milligrams, so it is about the same as a raindrop. It has artificial muscles, that enable beating the wings 120 times per second.

What is the goal of creating such a tiny robot?

The decline in global insects number is alarming. Scientists study estimated that about half  a million species of insects face extinction, due to rising temperatures and pesticides. Bees are one of the most important insect for the nature, because they are responsible for pollination. If bees went extinct, it would destruct the ecosystem, because plants wouldn’t be capable to repopulate. The entire food chain would be disrupted, from herbivores to carnivores. Scientists believe that robobees could have many advantages and they could even be better than regular bees. Robobees won’t be limited to certain geographical regions or being affected by diseases. This could make them more reliable for certain tasks. Robobees can be also equipped with sensors and other technologies, such as cameras and sensors, that can be used to gather data and perform tasks that are difficult or impossible for natural bees to accomplish. Moreover, researchers believe, that this robotic insects will be useful in applications where nobody would like to put a human or an animal. They could also get into places that are difficult to reach even by other robots.

Will nature accept it?

People can adjust to new conditions pretty fast, but we can’t say the same about the nature. Nature will quickly recognize the intruder and will want to get rid of him, and if not maybe it’s even worse. For instance what if animals that eat insects will eat a tiny robot, because it will not distinguish between a  real bee and an artificial one? It may harm directly the animal, and the rest of the food chain.

Is it safe for humans?

Another worrying aspect might be a threat for humans. If this robot is so tiny it won’t be a problem to get to any place, including people house. In addiction if it will be equipped with cameras it can significantly violate someone’s privacy. Of course someone would have to program it before, but for me it sounds like possible threat.

Personally, I’m not very sympathetic to this idea. Interfering with nature with artificial intelligence can have detrimental effects on the entire planet. I am more in favor of artificial intelligence and humans trying to prevent the extinction of bees, rather than focusing on replacing them.

Resources :

Flight of the RoboBees | Explorers in the Field – YouTube

RoboBee – Wikipedia

RoboBees: Autonomous Flying Microrobots (harvard.edu)

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The European Union  has recently announced plans to introduce new regulations on the use of AI. The main idea of these regulations is to ensure that AI is used ethically and responsibly. They are designed to support innovation,  and at the same time to  limit usage of technologies harmful for EU‘s citizens, like violation of the right to privacy. These regulations are still in the proposal stage and have not yet been finalized, but how they will impact the society, if they come into force?

The use of AI technologies has been divided into four risk categories. This framework is known as the EU Pyramid of Risks of Artificial Intelligence. At the top of the pyramid we can find technologies that should be totally banned, and at the bottom technologies with minimal risk for society. So let’s explain more precisely, how each category is defined.

Starting from the bottom:

1. Level 1 – Minimal Risk AI systems- at this level we can find about 80-90% of technologies that exist, and they will continue to exist as they do right now without the legislation. Example: E-mail spam filters, smart home devices or personal assistants.

1. Level 2 – Limited Risk AI systems. These are AI systems that have a limited risk to society or individuals, and they require a higher level of oversight. Example: Chatbots, when an individual doesn’t know if the conversation is conducted with real human being or a robot.

1. Level 3 – High Risk AI systems: These are AI systems that pose a high risk to society and individuals and that’s why there is a higher need to  regulate them. Example: Algorithms used to review job applications, so it is the program that decides whether someone will be hired or fired.

1. Level 4 – Unacceptable AI systems-Systems that directly threaten and violate individuals’ right to privacy and the consequences of an error or malfunction of the system could be catastrophic for the society. Example: Biometric technologies, such as facial recognition used in parks, city centers or offices.

Who would be enforcing this regulations?

This question is not exactly answered by EU yet, but there are some plans for enforcing the regulations. There is an idea that each member state should establish an authority that will be responsible for defining regulations , but that could make a chaos, because different countries could have different regulations then. Another, probably better option, is to establish European AI Center in which not only representants of member countries will be involved, but also stakeholders.

What will be the consequences for non-compliance with EU regulations?

Fines for non-compliance with EU regulations can be quite substantial, and may be imposed on both companies and individuals. Everything will depend on how serious the offense is, but the fines can reach up to 4% of a company’s annual global turnover or 20 million €.

Is there a need to regulate the AI sector?

We have regulation in pretty every sector, but none in AI, even though is large and growing of human use. As AI is developing so fast, maybe it is a good idea to regulate it somehow, to spot any potential danger or biases before they occur in life, and harm the society. On the other hand is hard to regulate AI without getting in the way of innovation.

Write down in a comment, your opinion about regulating AI!

Recources:

A European approach to artificial intelligence | Shaping Europe’s digital future (europa.eu)

UE chce uregulować sztuczną inteligencję | UE-Polska-Niemcy – Wiadomości po polsku | DW | 21.04.2021

The European Approach to Regulating Artificial Intelligence – YouTube

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Nowadays many people are scared that artificial intelligence is the undoing of humanity.  Fear that fictional reality from the movies in which robots take over the world discourages some from new technologies. Do we really have anything to be afraid of? Scientists claims that fortunately there are low chances that future will look like this from the movies.

So why should people think that robots do not threaten us? Humanoid robots work well in repetitive and functional tasks as controlling the traffic, but they perform not so good when there is a need to understand a context or nuance. Even though they have a lot of power, they are limited, because they are lack of real human emotions and empathy which is very often crucial when dealing with customers.  It is hard to imagine a situation in which a robot is dealing with a customer trying to convince them, that it understands what the customer is felling. For me it sounds like a nonsense.

Moreover robots are unable to build a relationship and  that excludes them from all services which are based on making a connection with a customer. In many companies for example in real estate agencies, clients need to feel that they can trust the company to which they entrust they future, so it is easy to guess that nobody would like to trust a robot. Building a rapport is the domain of people and apart from that people just prefer people. Even though technology is developing very fast and humanoids will be able to do more and more tasks, the crucial question is how far people will accept this.

Another important thing is that robots make only logic decisions. In most cases that will be an advantage, but sometimes people don’t like to think logically, they just want to let emotions get involved. Then the robots becomes powerless and a real human must step in.

In conclusion maybe more of humanity should treat robots as a help not as enemy which is trying to fill ours shoes. They are our rescue when there is a need to analyze an ocean of data and they could support as in much  more fields making humans stronger and more effective. However they will never be the same for us as real people.

Are you afraid that future from movies will become true and robots will replace humans?

Resources:

Forget the humanoids — it’s industrial robots that will transform the world | Financial Times (ft.com)

5 Reasons Why Robots Won’t Replace Humans…(Yet) – Vizolution

Why AI will never replace humans | Alexandr Wang | TEDxBerkeley – YouTube

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Microlino it’s a 100% electric, two-seater car, which as the name suggests is very small in size. It is undeniable that it is micro, because its lenght is only 243 cm, and the weight is about 500kg. We can say that it resembles more of a toy than a real car.

So where did the idea for such a small car came from? Swiss inventor Wim Outober, who created in the past a three-wheeled mini-scooter, does not remain passive in action, launching Microlino. The creation of this car is aimed at convincing people from huge and crowded cities, that it is high time to give up traditional cars. Because there is no reason to overpay for gasoline, stress about parking and moreover pollute the environment, and this is exactly what people do when they commute by regular cars.

Microlino was created on the model of the Italian Isetta from 1956. Compared to other cars it stands out not only with its size, but also with its original construction. The Microlino’s door are opening pretty same as door to a fridge, that means that you enter the car from the front and you get off straight on the pavement.

Another nice attraction of the Microlino is the opening roof and the fact that it can be fully charged in 4 hours using houseplag. However, not everything about this car sounds so perfect. You need to remebmer that such a small car will end very badly during any collision. In addition its range is about 90 km , so it will not be able to go for a longer trip.

In my opinion this car will be perfect for an awfully conjested cities with tight streets, however to such city as Warsaw, Microlino may be too tiny.

Would you like to have such a car as Microlino? Write the answear in comment and tell us why.

Resources:

https://www.ft.com/content/e9ca11a8-566d-4020-9937-1554afc9b799