Pope Francis, Elon Musk and Hollywood science fiction writers regularly envision smart robots taking over jobs and invading our privacy. Presentations at a symposium at Arizona State University this week, however, established that the next generation of robots will be assisting humanity rather than contributing to its doom.

“We are not all going to die because of robots,” said Aaron D. Ames, from the California Institute of Technology and plenary speaker at the Southwest Robotics Symposium. “Let’s keep these comments in context. They need to learn more about AI and robotics.” 

According to Ames, the humanoid robots we see going viral in social media, like Google-owned Boston Dynamics’ Atlas walking through snow and doing backflips, are all control driven. “There’s zero AI on those robots,” Ames said.

“But, there’s tremendous potential to bring AI and control together on robotic systems in ways that will make our lives better, such as improve mobility for the impaired, aid in disaster response and enable space exploration,” he said.

The symposium, in addition to serving as a platform for researchers to learn about developing technologies and establish collaborative relationships, is also providing a framework to present robotics in terms that aren’t threatening. 

“We are developing ways to talk about our research in the context of helping humans,” said Panagiotis Artemiadis, symposium committee chair and an associate professor in ASU’s Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering. “The majority of the work we do is about enriching lives.”

About ASU
Arizona State University has developed a new model for the American Research University, creating an institution that is committed to access, excellence and impact. ASU measures itself by those it includes, not by those it excludes. As the prototype for a New American University, ASU pursues research that contributes to the public good, and ASU assumes major responsibility for the economic, social and cultural vitality of the communities that surround it.