THE RECORD
WHY ROBOT ?
Robots are positioned to change our lives — but should they ?
BY IOANA PATRINGENARU
Henrik Christensen Director , Contextual Robotics Institute at UC San Diego
Henrik Christensen is the director of the Contextual Robotics Institute at UC San Diego , a collaboration between the Jacobs School of Engineering and the Division of Social Sciences . He is also a professor of computer science and one of the most influential robotics researchers in the world . He has advised Congress about setting national policy on robotics , is a leading commentator for CNN and is often quoted in The New York Times . He envisions turning San Diego into “ Robot Valley .” Here , he talks about robotics and the field ’ s future .
Why is robotics important ? Why does it matter ? Think of it : We had the industrial revolution and then the IT revolution . But the information systems we ’ ve created have yet to really interact with the physical world . Robotics fills in this gap , tying in machinery with IT to change the physical world . This includes robots for manufacturing , robotic assistants and autonomous driving cars . To me , robotics is the next revolution after the IT revolution . Robotics is going to be an integral part of everybody ' s life in five , 10 , 15 years .
That prospect makes some people cautious . Right now we have a very polarized discussion about how robotics is just going to kill jobs . In the short term , yes , it will take away a certain number of jobs , but those are mainly unhealthy , very repetitive jobs that people really shouldn ’ t be doing . Yet robotics will also create a new economy . Just like when the IT revolution happened , people were worried about being laid off . But it created more jobs . Our manufacturing economy turned into a service economy , and we always have to think about what ' s next .
Do we really need robots , though ? Why do we need these systems to interact with the real world ? Robots will be doing jobs that people should not be doing — everything from jobs that lead to repetitive stress injuries to handling nuclear waste . These are the jobs robots should do . Not to mention things humans can ’ t do — we can send robots to places where it ’ s difficult to send people , like Mars .
And robots can serve us in our daily lives , of course . For one , they can alleviate the coming eldercare crisis by helping a significantly aging population remain independent . A lot of people would prefer to stay home rather than move into an assisted living facility . They would prefer to be able to do things without having to rely on someone else . Robotics is about doing things people shouldn ' t be doing , expanding our frontiers and giving people independence .
Let ’ s go deeper , sector-by-sector , like healthcare — how can robots help ? Surgical robots are incredibly popular . They are being used for cardiac surgery , prostate operations and even certain kinds of brain surgery . Robots can minimize the amount of incisions necessary and the overall trauma involved , for a lower risk of
22 TRITON | SPRING 2017