I have a seminar I have presented at the Osher Life Long Learning Institute (OLLI) and for technical hobby clubs. This seminar provides an introduction to how some essential technologies work (VLSI chip design and production, design and production of printed circuit boards, software engineering, servo systems, CNC machining, industrial automation and robotics and artificial intelligence). The seminar is focused on the convergence of these technologies is impacting society, especially with respect to employment and the increasing wealth gap.
If you are interested in having me give this presentation to your group, please contact me. I can adjust the length of the presentation, but it usually takes between two and four hours.
This page contains links, references and information related to my presentation “Robots, Automation, And Our Changing Society” .
I have a seminar I offer, discussing how automation and robotics work and their impact on society. If you are interested in having this topic presented to your organization or group, please contact me at dennis@flexwest.com. Depending on the nature of the group, location, etc., I may present this at no charge; otherwise, there may be a nominal speaker’s fee.
If you attended this seminar/lecture, thank you. Whether you have attended or not, I hope this information will help you explore this topic more fully; – Dennis Mangrobang
BOOKS, ARTICLES AND VIDEOS ABOUT THE IMPACT OF AUTOMATION AND ROBOTICS ON SOCIETY:
Manna, by Marshall Brain
This is a short fiction story, which you can read for free. It presents two possible societal outcomes that may arise as a result of automation. I think this book is thought provoking and I highly recommend it. Video: Humans Need Not Apply
Well made video that explains why modern automation (e.g. using software programs, AI, etc.) is fundamentally different than past technological advances, and will result in most jobs (of all types) being automated, and few new jobs that won’t also be automated. Rise of the Robots, by Martin Ford
Rise of the Robots, by Martin Ford
This book discusses how automation is impacting educated workers, and the possible impact on society when white-collar workers can no longer find jobs. The above link is an interview with the author, about his book. (Click the “play” button on the web page to listen to the interview; you can also use a provided link to read the transcript). The Citizen’s Share
“The Citizen’s Share” is a book about broad based-based employee ownership and profit sharing, exemplified by the economic vision of America’s founders. It was written by Joseph R. Blasi, Richard B. Freeman and Douglass L. Kruse. The above link is a video of Google Talk given by Joseph R. Blasi about this book. Job loss caused by automation further shifts the distribution of income and wealth to the owners of capital, and is likely to make a bad situation much worse. Using employee ownership to spread the capital ownership of automation across our society may be the best available tool to address this problem.
USEFUL WEBSITES FOR ROBOTICS NEWS AND INFORMATION:
Robohub – Robotics News, Views and Podcasts
Robohub – Robotics News, Views and Podcasts
Excellent podcasts about robotics. Robots in Depth
Excellent video interviews with robotics experts. QUT Robot Academy
Excellent and free online college level course on robotics.
PRIMARY VIDEOS TYPICALLY SHOWN DURING MY SEMINAR:
Note: these are full videos; in the seminar I often show segments from these videos. Video: Robots that fly … and cooperate | Vijay Kumar
Video: Robots that fly … and cooperate | Vijay Kumar
Excellent and entertaining 2012 video about cooperative flying robots. Video: Robotic Liquid Handling facility
Video: Robotic Liquid Handling facility
Dr Stuart Warriner explains the benefits of the Robotic Liquid Handling facility at University of Leeds in the UK. Video: Surface Mount Printed Circuit Board Pick and Place, slow motion
Video: Surface Mount Printed Circuit Board Pick and Place, slow motion
Slow motion of component pick and place, so you can actually see the components being taken from reels and placed onto the solder paste on the board. Video: Surface Mount Printed Circuit Board Pick and Place
Video: Surface Mount Printed Circuit Board Pick and Place
This is a very good product video showing automation features that are available on a sophisticated pick and place machine. Video: DMG MORI LASERTEC 65
This shows a machine that combines Additive Manufacturing (3D metal deposition) with Computer Numeric Control (CNC) machining. Video: Cognex Vision Guided Robotics
Video: Cognex Vision Guided Robotics
This shows machine vision used to enable an ABB Yumi collaborative robot to detect randomly oriented building blocks, so that it can grasp them and assembled them in the desired configuration. Video: Cognex high-speed inspection
Video: Cognex high-speed inspection
Cognex In-Sight 2000 vision sensor: demonstration of high-speed inspection. Video: Cognex Mr Potato Head checker
Video: Cognex Mr Potato Head checker
Cognex Checker Vision Sensor Checks Mr Potato Head for Eyes. An example of how machine vision can be integrated into a simple system. Video: Amazon Kiva Robots
Video from 2014 shows how Kiva robots (now owned by Amazon Robotics) help make Amazon warehouses more efficient. Video: Wet Wipes packaging line
Video: Wet Wipes packaging line
Video of a machine made by ilapack, a company that makes a variety of machines for packaging. These machines often use Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC) which are a specialized form of industrial computer used for machine control in many factory applications. This particular machine also incorporates a Delta style robot to perform a pick and place operation to provide a product sample on the outside of the package. Video: KUKA LWR Collaborative Robot
Video: KUKA LWR Collaborative Robot
Video showing two Kuka LWR robot arms used in a manufacturing cell used for assembly of joint components for another model of Kuka robot. Force/torque sensing and compliance, a distinguishing feature of collaborative robots are demonstrated. Video: Boeing Fuselage Automated Upright Build
Video: Boeing Fuselage Automated Upright Build
Video showing how two Kuka industrial robot arms work in unison (one inside the aircraft fuselage, the other outside) to install rivets. Also shows a large Kuka Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV), which is a large wheeled robotic vehicle that can be used to move parts and tools (sometimes robot arms are mounted to an AGV to make it mobile). Video: Zenbo Robotic Personal Assistant
Video: Zenbo Robotic Personal Assistant
Video showing the ASUS Zenbo Robotic Personal Assistant (not yet released in the USA). This is an example of a “social robot”, designed to interact with humans. Video: Rubik’s Cube Solving Robot
Video: Rubik’s Cube Solving Robot
Entertaining video showing a home built, world record holding, Rubik’s Cube Solving Robot that solves in less than 1 second. It shows what can be done using easily available components (stepper motors, Arduino (AVR) microcontroller, stepper drivers, USB web cameras, PC running Linux, 3D printed parts).
ADDITIONAL VIDEOS:
Video: Introducing SpotMini
Entertaining video showing the Boston Dynamics SpotMini robot. This is an interesting “robot arm on a robot” type of design, in this case using a four legged robot. I think there will likely be many applications for various forms of robotic arms mounted onto mobile robotic platforms. Video: Introducing Handle
Entertaining video showing the Boston Dynamics Handle robot. This is a two wheeled balancing robot with arms. Video: Team KAIST, winner of the 2015 DARPA Robotics Challenge
Video: Team KAIST, winner of the 2015 DARPA Robotics Challenge
Video showing the winning robot in the 2015 DARPA Robotics Challenge. Skip to 6:22 to see the final winning performance. Video: Komatsu Autonomous Mining Truck
Video: Komatsu Autonomous Mining Truck
Video from Komatsu about their Autonomous Haulage System. This is one example of an autonomous truck; there are several other competitors including Caterpillar, Volvo and Hitachi. Trucks like this have been in operation since at least 2015.