July 12, 2004 (Computerworld) --
Robots, from mechanical dogs that can learn new tricks to automated vacuum cleaners that avoid furniture, are steadily becoming a part of everyday life. But the real robot boom lies just ahead, experts say. In the future, robots could help determine the outcome of wars and identify problems in data centers. Office buildings may come to life as they use Wi-Fi to dispatch robots to control human access, test heating and cooling systems, and fetch tools for workers. Computerworld recently spoke about the future of robots with three experts: Chuck Thorpe, director of Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute; Jeanne Dietsch, CEO of MobileRobots.com in Nashua, N.H.; and Vijay Kumar, a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics at the University of Pennsylvania. Here's what they said:
Where will robots serve in the future? Kumar: They'll fight our wars. My robots will fight your robots. It's like playing chess. It'll be an expensive game, but I think it will minimize loss of life. I don't know it's something our leaders want to hear about, though.
What's the future of robots in the services sector? Thorpe: That's the real frontier for robots -- getting them out of the manufacturing world and interacting much more with people in our day-to-day chores. That's a little tougher. If you think about an assembly line, it's set up so that everything is predictable. If you think about the job of creating a robot butler to operate in your house, the difference between pile of clothes which should be picked up and a sleeping cat which shouldn't be picked up is a little bit tricky.
Chuck Thorpe, director of Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute in Pittsburgh
The manipulation skills required to make a bed -- flipping up the corner of the mattress and tucking in a sheet so it looks straight -- is complicated. Some of those jobs will take a long time before robots can really do them as well as people do them. To really have a humanoid robot walking around like C-3PO or like Rosie on The Jetsons is still a long ways off.
Decades? Thorpe: Probably.
Can robots help information technology? Dietsch: Hewlett-Packard uses our PatrolBot in their data centers. It's got temperature sensors. It drives around several times a day, and the data from these patrols is used to create 3-D models of the heat in the facility. If there's a problem in the facility, the computer or a human can send the robot out to check on it. Our robots are computers on wheels. When programmers start realizing, "Oh, I can drive my computer around and make it do
Netbooks, ultraportables, mini-notebooks — whatever you call them, they've been grabbing headlines. Are they here for the long term or just a flash in the pan?
Learn-Fast Guide: Software as a Service is Growing Up
Download this Computerworld Executive Briefing, a $195 value, for free! Compliments of Akamai. (Source: Computerworld) SaaS is here to stay as an application delivery channel. You will be using it, but will you do so wisely? This Learn-Fast Guide will prepare you for software delivered over the Web. From security issues to contract negotiations, there's a lot to consider ... and a lot to gain. Download this executive briefing
From Laggard to Leader: Transforming the Data Center
From Laggard to Leader: Transforming the Data Center Register for this complimentary live webcast today! Go to the webcast
Grappling with Application Management
Get this white paper now! (Source: Dell) Managing applications is a big business challenge today. When applications must be updated, installed or migrated, companies must ensure disruptions are minimized to keep users productive throughout the process. Dell provides services that can help every step of the way. Download this white paper
White Papers
Read up on the latest ideas and technologies from companies that sell hardware, software and services.
Computerworld Technology Briefing: Super-charging the Data Center Virtualization is about a lot more than just lowering total cost of ownership. In fact users that have taken an open source path to virtualization have realized the additional, mission-critical benefit of markedly reduced IT complexity, as well as a more flexible infrastructure that is easier to change to meet shifting, often unpredictable business requirements. Download this briefing
Accelerate your pursuit of perfection For almost 80 years, Kodak has been helping banks, insurance companies, healthcare providers, government agencies and other businesses produce billions of document images. So Kodak is uniquely positioned to know and deliver–what customers want: easy-to-use scanners that output the best possible image quality. Download this white paper now!
See your link here
Subscribe to
Computerworld 
or
Other Development Stories
Download this Computerworld Executive Briefing, a $195 value, for free! Compliments of Akamai. 
From Laggard to Leader: Transforming the Data Center
Get this white paper now!
Read up on the latest ideas and technologies from companies that sell hardware, software and services. 
Virtualization is about a lot more than just lowering total cost of ownership. In fact users that have taken an open source path to virtualization have realized the additional, mission-critical benefit of markedly reduced IT complexity, as well as a more flexible infrastructure that is easier to change to meet shifting, often unpredictable business requirements.
For almost 80 years, Kodak has been helping banks, insurance companies, healthcare providers, government agencies and other businesses produce billions of document images. So Kodak is uniquely positioned to know and deliver–what customers want: easy-to-use scanners that output the best possible image quality. 
Computerworld