Important Innovations

  Xavier on Patrol to Fight Small Crimes in Singapore                                                  Source:  Singapore & HTX Also Known as "Snitch" Bot For the next month on the streets of Singapore, a bold robotic experiment is getting underway.  A pair of robots, both named Xavier, will help Singapore police spot small, petty crimes.  Their duties include patrolling a popular shopping center to spot "undesirable social behavior" like hawking and illegal product selling, smoking in unauthorized areas, motorbiking on sidewalks, gatherings of more than 5 people in violation of COVID restrictions and illegally parked vehicles.  The 2 Xaviers are being jokingly nicknamed "snitch-bots" because of their surveillance duties. When Xavier spots questionable activity, he sends an alert and video to police command and control and a human police officer comes to the scene to investigate, if need be.  New Robotic Technology The pair of Xavier's were built b

Pandemic Escalating Use of Robots Source:  CDC.Gov. Robots Don't Get Sick The coronavirus pandemic is accelerating the global use of robots.  The virus is so highly contagious that it is changing consumer preferences for human interaction, for instance with a retail clerk.  Dealing with a robot worker, that doesn't  cough or sneeze, is a lot safer.  Experts say the pandemic is rapidly expanding work opportunities for robots. McKinsey Forecast A forecast by the global consultants McKinsey predicts that 1/3 of US workers will be replaced by robots by 2030.  The  pandemic is now accelerating that trend. Global Trends Many companies are now expanding their use of robots to foster social distancing and to cut the number of staff who have to physically come to work. For instance, Walmart is using robots to clean and sanitize their floors. In Wuhan, China a smart field hospital for COVID-19