Important Innovations

I am Not a Robot! Yesterday, I blogged about robot attorneys.  It's forecasted that by 2030, robotics and artificial intelligence will dominate the legal profession and totally restructure it. The robotic revolution goes across industries. Oxford University researchers forecast 47% of all US jobs will be held by robots within 20 years.  As a journalist, I wondered if similar disruptions could possibly happen in the world of news and sports reporting.  Much to my chagrin, the answer is yes. Robo News on a TV and NewsStand Near You Robotics have had a significant photographic role in the news business.  Robotic cameras have been in television studios for news and entertainment programs in the US for about 15 years.  And drone cameras are used by the print and broadcast press to shoot stills and video particularly in breaking news situations. Drone cameras are common even in small news markets, like Cape Cod, Massachusetts.  But traditionally the l...

My Attorney The Robot The robotic workforce is on the rise.  Oxford University estimates that 47% of all US jobs will be held by robots within the next twenty years.  The most vulnerable jobs are repetitive tasks such as assembly line work and restaurant wait and kitchen staff.  But more intellectual, creative positions are also being claimed by robots.  Case in point: robot attorneys. Scales of Justice Tilt Robotic Instead of an army of lawyers and paralegals reviewing reams of documents and billing on an hourly basis, robots can do it efficiently and at a fraction of the cost.  A Palo Alto, California company has developed software that can analyze 1.5 million documents for under $100,000.  That means law firm staffs billed out to do document reviews are becoming passe, thanks to artificial intelligence and robotics.  As one law firm managing partner put it, robots don't get bored, don't get headaches and don't make mistakes.  They also...

MIT's Groundbreaking Robot Fish for Marine Exploration It's called SoFi, the robo fish.  SoFi is a soft robot developed by a research team at MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab (CSAIL). True to MIT's robotic legacy, SoFi is highly advanced and has achieved underwater firsts.  In fact, it's considered the most advanced robot of its kind. Swim with the Fish - SoFi the Explorer The little robot recently swam untethered alongside of unsuspecting fish off Fiji's Rainbow Reef.  It reached depths of 50 feet for as long as 40 minutes at a time.  That's a first.  What makes this important innovation is that it's a groundbreaking new way to study marine life, up close and personal.  Equipped with cameras, Sofi can shoot footage safely in places, at close range, that humans can't get to. The swimming robot explorer opens up underwater worlds not seen.   Fish Tale SoFi is a biomimetic bot that closely resembles a f...