I finally got around to watching I, Robot yesterday. I enjoy me a good robot movie. I am always drawn more to the imagined design and use of technology than the wild plots of these sci-fi flicks. Hollywood realizes that story intrigue is important for mass audience appeal.
The scene that stood out to me was the scene where the woman on the street had dispatched her personal robot to fetch her inhaler and purse from home. While this was used as a plot point to establish Wil Smith's distrust of robots it was an interesting scene indicating the future use of robots as errand runners. When we ordered a pizza after the movie I couldn't help but wonder how the pizza delivery business would be transformed by the use of robots. Not just as a replacement for delivery people but systematically. We're already seeing experiments in Wisconsin with a company that has equipped their delivery vehicles with ovens to prepare pizzas en route. I imagine a roving fleet of pizza robots that would fabricate and cook a pizza en route.
The key will be the modular development of robotic technologies. Once a "navigation/delivery" module is developed and perfected any number of goods companies can adapt it to deliver their products to customers anywhere any time. Need a prescription? A pizza? A gallon of milk? A martini? A meal? A roll of toilet paper? All these things and more will come right to you and/or your home/office/street corner.
Some people are busy observing how air conditioning has changed urban life and community. Wait until delivery robots accelerate "cocooning" for scores of telecommuters. Think it's a long way off? Think about two things and how they might one day connect:
The military is already using unmanned flying drones successfully in many parts of the world. Military contractors are busy building unmanned(i.e. robot) fighter planes.
You can join Amazon and use it like Costco to bring a crate of 192 diapers right to you door in two days.
It's gonna be a great future!
Lots of idea crumbs today. GIY, people. (Google It Yourself)
Technorati Tags: Isaac Asimov, airlines, pizza, robots, Google, Amazon, flying, DVD, I, Robot, delivery, Wil Smith, design
From what I can remeber, I thought it was interesting where they touched on issues on a robot and its self actualization (spelling?) - that would also lead onto the background of "The Matrix" concept. - Have you seen the "Animatrix" - They address some of those issues there too.
Posted by: joelage | Monday, August 08, 2005 at 05:58 PM