| The Thin Line of Technology and Reality | | | | makes it an ideal worker that will not tire no |
| As any science fiction reader would know, there | | | | matter how difficult or mind numbing a task may |
| are a lot of discrepancies between what reality is | | | | be. |
| and what is only in fiction. As science fiction is the | | | | Robots that are present today are most often |
| branch of literature that delves most into what | | | | seen in factories. These robots tend to specialize |
| the future holds for us, science fiction stories | | | | in one particular part of production. From welding |
| serve as an intellectual forecast into the direction | | | | to painting, to lifting and to crushing, robots are |
| our technology is headed. Still, much remains to be | | | | able to perform their tasks with accuracy and |
| accomplished. Many works of fiction predict that | | | | speed that far surpasses that of human workers. |
| we would now be using flying cars and have | | | | There are also robots that handle other |
| commercial access to space travel. In fact, | | | | non-industrial applications. There are land surveying |
| research and development into these fields are | | | | robots, and the lunar and Martian probes that are |
| far from becoming close to reality. | | | | able to access rough terrain and analyze dirt and |
| Of the many facets of science fiction, robotics is | | | | soil samples. |
| fast catching up to its fictional hype. From | | | | Pushing the Edge of Technology with Military |
| automated war machines deployed in combat to | | | | Application |
| nano-machines made to explore and diagnose | | | | Still, in today’s times, nothing pushes an |
| human patients, there are a lot of robots in our | | | | economy forward faster then a military objective. |
| time. While very few robots today match the | | | | Even the field of robotics has been advanced |
| humanlike appearance or sophisticated behavior | | | | greatly due to the great benefit that robots |
| we see in fiction, the robots of reality are nothing | | | | would give to the military. Many unmanned drones |
| to be scoffed at, for it is truly they who help | | | | and surveillance devices were developed from |
| make the impossible things happen. | | | | research into robotics. |
| Application of Robot Technology in | | | | Even the Hybrid Assistive Limb system developed |
| Today’s Culture | | | | to aid handicapped people use inactive limbs has |
| The best advantage of a robot is more than the | | | | been adapted into military technology, allowing |
| fact that it is a robot, but because it is not a | | | | soldiers to fully utilize their body strength by |
| human. With that, the consideration of health, | | | | augmenting the suit to their bodies. Of course, |
| safety, well being and other important factors are | | | | these are just mere adaptations of existing robot |
| thrown out the window. While damage to a robot | | | | technology into products that are not robots. |
| would incur losses financially, it would not mean | | | | Robots in themselves are far more valuable to |
| the loss of life. This is why robots can be made | | | | the army. Fully automated machines that can find, |
| to do many difficult and dangerous tasks that | | | | identify and eliminate a specified target are the |
| others would not be able to do. Also a robots | | | | holy grail of military robot technology. |
| accuracy and lack of need for food or rest | | | | |