ROBOTICS

WHAT IS IT?
        First introduced by the famous science fiction writer, Isaac Asimov, in 1941, the term robotics refers to the the branch of technology that deals with design, construction, operation, and application of robots, being one of many branches of artificial intelligence. As mentioned in his book I, Robot, Asimov explains the three laws of robotics. First, a robot may not injure a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being come to harm. Second, a robot must obey the orders given to it except where orders will violate the First Law. Third, a robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
        Robots, in particular, are programmable mechanical devices which can perform tasks, as well as interact with its environment, without the aid of humans. The word derives from the Czech, robota, which can be loosely translated to "compulsive servitude". The term was first coined in 1921 by Czech playwright Karel Capek, who later composed "Rossum's Universal Robots" regarding manufactured human-like servant slaves and their struggle for freedom. It is the science and technology behind all of this, which provides the most accurate and complete definition of robotics.

                                                        

PARTS OF A ROBOT
The main parts composing such robots are the body/frame, control system, manipulators, and drivetrain.

• BODY/FRAME- Ideally, the body/frame provides structure for the robot. Although most people are familiar/comfortable with human-sized and shaped robots often depicted in movies, robot bodies can be of any shape or size. The tend to actually look nothing like humans; being designed for function and not appearance. 

• CONTROL SYSTEM- Equivalent to the central nervous system of a human, the control system's main function is to coordinate/control all aspects of the robot. Sensors provide feedback based on a robot's surroundings , which are then transmitted to the Central Processing Unit (CPU). The CPU filters this received information through the programming and then makes decisions based on logic. The same can be done with other varieties of inputs or even human commands. 

• MANIPULATORS- In order to fulfill their main purpose, it is essential for the majority of robots to be able to interact with their environment and world around them. For instance, they may be required to move/rearrange objects from their initial environments without the help of human operators. However, manipualtors are not integral to a robot and one can exist without such manipulators.

• DRIVE TRAIN- Although some robots are able to perform given tasks in one location, most are required to move from place to place. To be able to get from Point A to Point B, robots need a drivetrain, which consist of a powered method of mobility. For humanoid-styled, this is legs, and for others, the drivetrain is typically a wheeled solution. 

ROBOTS GO TO WAR

        As their peripheral equipment become more sophisticated, reliable, and miniaturized, robots have become increasingly utilized for military and law enforcement purposes. Mobile robots have already begun to play an important role in the military, from patrol to dealing with potential explosives. With suitable sensors and cameras to perform different missions, these mobile robots are operated remotely for surveillance patrol and relay back video images to an operator. The mobile robotic platform is attached to a rectangular box with electronic equipment. The platform moves on wheels/tacks and is extracts most of its energy off batteries. Through reading sensors, Communication equipment and sensors detect images, sounds, gases, and other hazards, which are then relayed back to the operator.

       In addition, mobile robots are able to neutralize/detonate suspicious objects that may explode. The platform has a robotic arm which can pick up explosives or suspected hazards in military or civilian settings. Instead of having people get close to hazards or explosive objects, robots are used. If the operator concludes that the object might explode, the robot could neutralize it by shooting to detonate it. Furthermore, mobile robotics can assist military personnel in transporting equipment in the field. The robot acts like a pack mule, carrying large amounts of supplies, especially heavy, burdening loads. In this case, mobile robots are extremely useful due to their ability to navigate across a variety of uneven terrains. Whether it be regular-shaped obstacles, such as stairs, or unspecified shapes, such as rocks, downed trees and other miscellaneous objects, most are able to successfully maneuver due to their design of wheels/tracks.

TECHNOLOGICAL SINGULARITY

WHAT IS IT?

           The technological singularity hypothesis is a prediction in which accelerating advances in technology will cause a runaway effect through which artificial intelligence will exceed the human capacity, thus changing or even ending civilization, in an event called the singularity. This term, "technological singularity" was originally composed by Vernor Vinge and portrays a time after which our technological creations exceed the power of human brains. The main idea behind this singularity is Kruzweil's Law.  When the time comes where intelligent can create more intelligent at such rapid speeds, we will enter an era where technological advances move at such rate unimaginable to the human mind.

WHEN WILL IT HAPPEN?

          Many writers link the development of a singularity to exponential growth in several technologies. Moore's Law being the most prominent example, stating the number of transistors that can be placed on an integrated circuit doubles every two years. With technological advances moving at the fastest pace we've ever seen, most writers hypothesize a singularity sometime during the 21st century. According to Ray Kurzweil, computers as powerful as the human brain will begin to make their appearance around the year 2020. Moreover, the emergence of artificial intelligence, as Kurzweil believes, will come about sometime around 2029. And with that, humans will have reversed-engineered the brain. With this significant discovery of artificial intelligence, humans would be able to further explore many others ideas such as mind uploading.

CODING 

WHAT IS IT?
              
              In its most basic and simplest definition, coding is telling a computer what you want it to do, through the typing of step-by-step commands for the computer to follow. For many people, mastering code is considered similar, if not the same, as learning a foreign language. There are multiple languages of code each created with its distinct purpose. For instance, C, a "low level" but fast programming language is best for anything that is graphically intensive, such as games. Others include Javascript, which was specifically designed for dealing with the Internet, and Perl, a multi-function language, often referred to as the "swiss army knife" of programming.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

               Code dominants our digital world. Every website, computer program, calculator, and even microwave relies on code to operate. This makes coding the foundation of the uprising digital age, and the coders are the builders. Even jobs not directly linked to the field of computer science, such as banking, medicine and journalism, will begin to require a need for basic understandings of coding and programming. As Linda Liukas, co-founder of the coding workshop Rail Girls, states "Our kids should learn how to bend, join, break, and combine code in a way it wasn't designed to. It's a whole generation of kids that will use code like our generation used words." Overall, coding will become the language of a very soon future. 

MUSE (MINING AND UNDERSTANDING SOFTWARE ENCLAVES)

              Although writing code is one way for humans to instruct computers, it may not be the ideal path. With computers still only accepting commands in their own language and programming languages growing progressively sophisticated, only a small percent of the population is able to communicate with computers. Fortunately, new technology will begin to turn coding into a completely useless form of instructions. One illustration of such idea has been developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), our nation's military science lab. DARPA has begun to launch a program called MUSE (Mining and Understanding Software Enclaves. The first step of MUSE is to collect all of the world's open-source software, containing billions of lines of codes, and arrange them into a giant database. This collection of codes will be able to perform almost any task and MUSE will tag all code, making it easy to find and assemble the necessary lines of code. The result, ideally, would be that one is able to program a computer without any knowledge or background in programming languages. However, this new population of programmers will require good higher-level design thinking in order to clearly explain the computer's task. MUSE still needs a few years before springing to life, but it sets forth the development of non-coding programming.