Student Weekly
Student Weekly: April 6, 2009 issue

Exercises

Robot revolution

Photos courtesy of AP

A scientist in Japan recently unveiled a lifelike robot that could be used in the future to assist teachers in the classroom. Read the story from the Bangkok Post about this amazing machine.

Japanese robot Saya can express six basic emotions � surprise, fear, disgust, anger, happiness and sadness. It expresses emotions with rubber skin that is manipulated with motors and wiring around the eyes and mouth.

�Robots that look human are usually a big hit with young children and the elderly,� Tokyo University of Science professor and Saya�s developer Hiroshi Kobayashi said. �Some children even start crying when the robot scolds them.�

TEACHING TEST

Saya was first developed as a receptionist robot in 2004 and then tested in a Tokyo classroom earlier this year with a group of fifth and sixth graders. The robot can�t do much more than call out names and give simple orders, like telling the kids to be quiet.

Kobayashi said that the children enjoyed the experience. He also said, however, that Saya still has to be remote-controlled by a person watching the interactions through cameras.

NO REPLACEMENT

Japan and other nations are hopeful that robotics will eventually provide a solution to their growing labour shortage problem as populations age. But some scientists have expressed concern about using machines to take care of children and the elderly.

Georgia Institute of Technology professor Ronald C. Arkin said that more research in human-robot interaction is needed before people can rely on robots.

Noel Sharkey, a robotics expert at the University of Sheffield, believes that robots like Saya will never be able to fully replace human teachers.

ROBOT HELP

Kobayashi said that Saya can be used to help people, but that the robot has definite shortcomings.

�The robot has no intelligence. It has no ability to learn, and it has no identity,� he said. �It is just a helpful tool.�

Kobayashi said that he would be willing to create a humanoid robot for somebody�s private use if they were prepared to pay. He said that a made-to-order robot would cost around 5 million yen (1.8 million baht) to produce.

Exercises

Read the story. Then, answer the following multiple-choice questions.

1. According to Kobayashi, what does the robot not have?

a. Intelligence.
b. Learning skills.
c. Identity.
d. All of the above.

2. How does Saya express her emotions?

a. Using her voice.
b. Using her rubber skin, motors and wiring.
c. Using her reflexes.
d. All of the above.

3. What are Japan and other nations hopeful for?

a. That robots will take over the world.
b. That robots will become smarter than humans.
c. That robots will provide a solution for their growing labour shortage.
d. None of the above.

lifelike (adj): exactly like a real person or thing

manipulate (v): to control or use something in a skillful way

scold (v): to speak angrily to somebody, especially a child, because they have done something wrong

receptionist (n): a person whose job is to deal with people arriving or telephoning at an office, a hotel, etc.

interaction (n): the activity of being with and talking with other people and the way people react to each other

rely (v): to need or be dependent on somebody or something

shortcoming (n): a fault in somebody�s character, a plan, a system, etc.

humanoid (adj): a machine or creature that looks and behaves like a human being

 

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