HOW TO THINK ABOUT IT

Happy cobot, happy life. The narrative around automation is that it will replace the need for humans. But in China, scientists are pioneering “cobots,” or collaborative robot technologies, that are meant to help employee-strapped small businesses add intellectual (and, perhaps, physical) muscle to their team. The Chinese cobot market is expected to reach $190 million by 2020, and demand for WALL-E–type workers is predicted to increase tenfold from 2015 to 2020. You don’t have to be a rich, bustling country like China to benefit either. In remote, mountainous Nepal, one innovative restaurateur has taught her robots to “converse” with customers, telling jokes in English and avoiding the clumsy, intimidating stares of earlier attempts at food industry bots.

Machines make life less of a chore — and could even get you a job. The latest revolution in automated vehicles will allow you to make longer commutes to bigger cities with more opportunities. Eventually, self-driving cars could even bring a mobile office to your doorstep. Worried about Fido getting lonely while you’re at the office? Robots are invading the pet industry, with devices that can babysit your pets, feed them and even pick up their poop for you. Worried about missing Fido too much? You can always video call … again, with the help of your pet-sitting robot.

Still, robots shouldn’t make you lazy. In fact, they can make you fitter, cheaper. Imagine a personal trainer that not only tells you where to stretch and when, but can also tell you how many calories you burned, whether you're on the treadmill, or doing push-ups, pull-ups, deadlifts or arm curls. Munich-based Freeletics, American fitness giant Nautilus, Boltt Sports in India and FitWell in London are all offering AI-inspired regimens. Need some extra motivation not to veg out on your couch? Silicon Valley startup Tonal has a wall-attached fitness system that will call you out, telling you exactly what weight to lift and how to change your routine to get stronger.

But look out for death from the skies. If you thought that robot dogs opening doors was scary, imagine fly-sized drones. That is the Black Mirror–esque vision of Adrian Thomas, a British paragliding champion turned Oxford professor, who is using biomechanics (the study of how animals fly and move) to create some truly terrifying military insects. While his company charter says they will only be used for reconnaissance (and won’t be weaponized), it’s not hard to imagine others having fewer qualms with a more militant approach.

WHAT TO READ

The Wired Guide to Robots by Matt Simon Wired
“Modern Robots are not unlike toddlers: It’s hilarious to watch them fall over, but deep down we know that if we laugh too hard, they might develop a complex and grow up to start World War III.”

White-Collar Robots Are Coming for Jobs by Richard Baldwin in The Wall Street Journal
“Amelia and her kind are not enhancers of labor productivity — like faster laptops or better database systems. They are designed to replace workers. They are not as good as human workers, but they are significantly cheaper.”

WHAT TO WATCH