Amazon, Robots, and the Holidays!

For the increased shopping season Amazon has rolled out more than 15,000 robots across their warehouses in order to improve efficiency and cut costs. The robots are being deployed across Amazon’s warehouses in time for Cyber Monday which is one of the busiest shopping days of the year. According the article, the robots are expected to decrease operating costs by one fifth and help get packages out the door. This is particularly important around this time of the year because more people are buying online for their Christmas list and Amazon needs to keep up with the increased items being purchased. Last year the surge in Christmas shopping overwhelmed UPS shipping which resulted in late packages across the globe. Hopefully the robots being introduced this year will help prevent any mishaps during this season. This is continuing the trend of increased automation in blue collar jobs, which poses a problem for many people who don’t have technical skills and can’t get them.

While overall, I feel that the trend towards increased automation in manual labor type jobs is a good thing, I definitely feel that there are a lot of problems associated with it. A large part of the population does not have a college degree, or any sort of specialized skill, and rely on the availability of jobs to get by. When these jobs are replaced by robots then we, as a society, will have to find a way to solve this problem. I personally think that the best solution to this would approach the problem from two angles. Firstly, as automation increases the average work week would be decreased, but pay would stay the same. For instance, if these robots help decrease the number of hours to move goods by 20% then the employees will also see a reduction in how much they have to work, but Amazon would pay them close to the same wage. This would allow for workers to have more free time, and Amazon to increase efficiency and productivity at the same time. The main issue with this is that Amazon wants to maximize profit so they would not want to do this, but if they could be convinced to it would work out in favor of everyone. The next step would be to offer specialized training to people who have no specialized skills. While this would end up costing money the benefits would far outweigh the costs because these workers would then help advance the country and the economy, and would ultimately give back more in terms of tax money and benefit to society. While I feel this would be one of the best ways to solve the issue of increased automation in jobs I do not think it is likely to occur for a long time.

http://www.nbcnews.com/tech/innovation/amazon-rolls-out-kiva-robots-holiday-onslaught-n258976

Google Glass

Although Google Glass has been available to the limited public for a long time for now, the technology is still in its beta phase, and it is having problems finding its way into common use, but for now Google is finding more uses for it in the business world. In a new application of Glass, highlighted by this article, it is being used in hospitals to provide life feedback of surgeries. The particular example in this article is when a new doctor performing a procedure uses Google Glass to provide a video feed of the surgery back to an experienced surgeon who can provide live feedback. The major benefit of Glass seems to be that it can allow people to pull up information without using their hands which has the potential to help the millions of workers who use their hands everyday. With the benefit of Google Glass a mechanic could figure out how to remove a part while still having free hands, a nurse could ask for advice while still working, and so on. This is why Google has begun working directly with companies to work with Google Glass and see if productivity can increase.

I personally think that it will still be a long time until Google Glass catches on. While it is a great idea that has many applications, I just feel that people will expect too much out of it, and the technology that exists now won’t be able to provide what people want. Looking at it now, I barely hear anything about Google Glass even though there are people who can wear it, and there is even one on NC State’s campus. While there will definitely be people who will use Google Glass I just don’t think that it will become a major part of our lives until the technology gets better, and it becomes cheaper. Right now a phone does nearly all the functions of Google Glass, and is cheaper, and more convenient for people. What I can see happening with Google Glass is for it to become more specialized and become the next big thing in a certain field. Maybe for surgeons it will become the crucial piece of information that can provide the surgeon with the power of a computer while operating, for people in the military it could provide crucial information on the fly, and so on. I do still believe that something similar to Google Glass will become a thing soon because we are rapidly progressing to a point where technology is wireless, convenient, and there is no need for screens.

http://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/british-doctor-livestreams-cancer-surgery-using-google-glass-n113596

It's an App World

One of the current trends in the app world is apps that help a person track their health by looking at foods eaten, exercises done in a day, food eaten, etc., but a new app, currently in development by Pathway Panorama, is actually using your DNA to give you health advice. The way this app works is by sequencing the user’s DNA then using IBM’s Watson’s ability to interpret human language, and then provide recommendations based on DNA and medical history. The core idea behind this is that by using someone’s DNA, the app would be able to provide very detailed recommendations for a person’s health. The example used in the article, and provided by a worker at Pathway, is if someone has just flown from their house on the coast to a city that's at higher elevation how long they would be able run for safely after getting off the plane. While this would do much more than any current app, but it also faces some problems that will have to be solved in order for the app to take off.

As pointed out in the article, some of these issues will be any legal issues about giving out health advice based on such personal information, and convincing people to hand over that much information. I personally do not think that these two issues will pose too much of a problem, as we already have apps and web pages that serve similar functions without too many problems. All this app does is take it one step further. For instance, websites such as webmd already provide a basic form of diagnosis, apps such as myfitnesspal provide recommendations on diet, all without legal ramification. Even though the app takes this a step farther with using DNA, it will still only provide a basic form of advice, and will most likely have the disclaimer “seek actual medical advice for concerns.” The other problem I also don’t think will be a serious issue because people already put out incredibly personal information on the internet (in particular social media) and I believe it will only be a matter of time before people catch on and are willing to give up their personal information to the app. This will only be easier if the app goes with HIPPA laws in regards to sharing of medical information.

All in all, I believe that apps like these are a way to the future because they further the trend of technology providing recommendations for us and simplifying life overall. Even though there are some clear issues that will have to be dealt with, there are issues with every new technology, and the ones faced by this app are no more than other technologies.

http://www.nbcnews.com/tech/innovation/ibms-watson-medical-expert-new-health-app-uses-your-dna-n247946

Most Motorists Think Self-Driving Cars Are 'Dangerous': Poll

In a recent poll conducted on behalf of Autotrader.com it was discovered that most car owners are not big fans of self driving cars. In the study 65% of respondents said that they felt autonomous vehicles are “a dangerous idea.” The same respondents also felt that safety was more important, and even though most of the respondents disliked the idea of a car driving themselves full time, they still indicated that they would buy a car with features that helped a driver avoid accidents. Many of these feature such as automatic collision avoidance, parking assistance, and active cruise control are very helpful to drivers, and despite them being similar to autonomous cars, still seem very popular. This is important because it implies that drivers want some of the helpful features provided by intelligent cars, but are still unwilling to give up control of their car.

My best guess for the response in this survey is that many people are unaware of how autonomous cars would work, and have imagined fears of them being unsafe. Despite the current safety statistics of the autonomous cars by Google right now, there still seems to be a majority of people that do not trust a car to drive itself. I think the issue is that many people think they are better drivers than they actually are, and think “I can drive better than a computer.” This is a problem because we aren't actually better than a computer in many aspects, and sometimes it is very important to admit that something is better than oneself. I personally feel that this idea will become the biggest thing that self-driving car manufacturers will have to overcome when bringing their cars to the market. If a majority of people think that self driving cars are dangerous it will be very hard for them to catch on and get laws developed allowing the use of them.

To me, the most interesting part of the article is that 65% of people actually think that self-driving cars are more dangerous. I personally think that this speaks to the unfamiliarity that most people have with developments in the tech world, which will be a serious problem for every future tech development that comes forward and has controversy. Without people being familiar with tech developments they will not be properly informed on what is happening, and thus would not be able to make informed decisions, which always leads to problems. I personally would love the idea of self driving cars as they would make life simpler when driving long distances, but would be against all sorts of cars being outlawed. This isn't because I feel that they are “more dangerous”, but rather because I feel that driving is a fundamental part of the American way of life, and I would not like to see that happen.

Overall, I feel that this poll brings up problems with the development of self-driving cars because the fact a majority of car owners believe them to be dangerous is definitely a significant issue that will have to be overcome.

http://www.nbcnews.com/tech/innovation/most-motorists-think-self-driving-cars-are-dangerous-poll-n250491

Tired of Doing Your Laundry? PR2 Robot Comes to the Rescue.

As a college student, a dream of mine has always been to not have to do laundry. It takes time out of my (fairly) busy day, and then I have to wait around the laundry room for close to two hours, preventing me from being my most productive. For decades having laundry done by robots has been a part of popular fiction, but now it appears that there might be a robot that could do my laundry for me, saving me time, and, most importantly, effort. In the article “Tired of Doing Your Laundry? PR2 Robot Comes to the Rescue” by Devin Coldewey, the author talks about how a new robot has been demonstrated that could potentially do most parts of laundry, even folding it! As the article points out it is currently unknown whether or not the robot could do things such as add fabric softener or pick up clothes of the floor, and it is very slow, it certainly seems that these feature could fairly easily be improved.. Hopefully the creators of this project, a group of roboticists from UC Berkeley and the University of Massachusetts, will be able to improve their design, and produce it in the mass market so I can finally accomplish my dream of not having to do laundry anymore.

While the laundry doing robot may seem fairly trivial at first glance, to me this article is very important because it shows that many mundane tasks such as doing laundry, folding clothes, cleaning, or doing the dishes will eventually be taken over by robots. This will mark a strong change in society as no longer will menial tasks be fulfilled by humans, which will greatly alter how certain jobs are perceived, how many jobs are available, and so on. One of the first things that comes to mind with this is that there will no longer be jobs such as maid, burger flipper, cashier, or shelf stocker. Instead, as robots become more and more advanced, these jobs will be taken over by robots which don’t have to be paid. It seems possible that there could be a possible future where there are close to zero “basic” jobs such as these as robots will be able to do them for a lower cost. This would definitely pose many problems, particularly for the lower class, and anyone who doesn’t have some sort of technical knowledge (trade school apprenticeship, college education, etc.). I personally know that many of my friends got their money through mowing lawns, working at grocery stores, or fast food restaurants, and without these jobs they would have had a very hard time finding any source of income as they only had a high school education. While I do think that robots that take over menial tasks is the way of the future, I feel that there will be a tremendous amount of problems associated with it, but I am very unsure of what the answer will be.

http://www.nbcnews.com/tech/innovation/tired-doing-your-laundry-pr2-robot-comes-rescue-n253086

Feds Probe Medical Devices for Possible Cyber Flaws

According to this article the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is investigating around two dozen cases of suspected cybersecurity flaws in certain medical devices that they fear could be exploited by hackers. The product under suspicion is an infusion pump and implantable heart device. The specific worry that Homeland Security has is that these devices could be accessed by hackers who could then control them remotely and use them to purposefully overdose a patient by using the infusion pump, or use the heart implant to deliver a jolt of electricity.

While there have not been any instances of hackers ever attacking patients though these devices this article is a very interesting one because it raises some questions and problems that will only become more and more pressing as time goes on. As time goes on more and more people will have devices such as these implanted inside of them, and it is most likely that the devices themselves will be more connected to the outside world. This is a good thing because it could provide valuable data for doctors, make caring for patients easier, and provide the patients themselves with important information. But this increasing functionality and connectedness is also a problem because then the devices could be exploited by hackers looking to gain information on their target or even harm them. One of the many things that people think will become a technology of the future is wearable technology that will do things such as monitor location, heartbeat, pulse, and provide relevant information to the wearer when needed. What people don’t think about is that if you wear this it means someone could potentially know exactly where you are, whether or not you’re sleeping, and other information such as that.

Already we are seeing that an overreliance on technology can lead to problems (leaked celebrity photos, hacked bank accounts, etc.) and as technology develops and is used for more and more things the potential for these things to be hacked increases. Very soon we will have to address these issues because technology and the internet are becoming more and more a part of our daily lives, meaning more and more of our lives is out there for anyone to see.

http://www.nbcnews.com/tech/gadgets/feds-probe-medical-devices-possible-cyber-flaws-n231601

Can Apple Pay Kill Cash?

With the release of a new phone, and a new series of iPads and iPods coming up Apple is also releasing a new feature that some think might finally be the death of cash. This service is called Apple Pay and allows people to pay for things directly through their phone. All the consumer has to do is wave their phone near a compatible payment terminal and they can buy something. While this idea is not necessarily completely new (Google Wallet was released three years ago) there are some people who think that Apple might be able to bring it into the mainstream, and do it in such a way that it is actually more convenient to use Apple Pay than a credit card. Looking at some statistics, it is predicted that in 2019 Americans will spend 53.1 billion with their phones which is a huge jump from the 0.4 billion spent in 2012. One of the main reasons that systems like this are being pushed by companies is that people tend to spend more when they don’t have to think about it as much. For instance it is much easier to simply take a bottle of water from a Starbucks, and then have that money automatically charged to your account than it is to pay for it with cash when you walk in.

Despite the supposed convenience of Apple Pay, many people are skeptical that it will do what supporters say it will do. One of the main reasons for this is that small businesses will dislike this model as it means they have to have an internet connection to be able to charge stuff, and will have to have something that can charge the phone. This of course means more expense for the small business which may already have low profit margins. Another reason small businesses dislike stuff such as this is because with credit cards they are often charged a percentage of each transaction which further cuts into profit margins. Additionally, it seems that this idea might not take off simply because people like to pay with cash. There is simply something nice about holding physical money that I think will be the main reason people will dislike switching over to a system such as Apple Pay.

                

While there are people on both sides of the issue here I personally do think that a system similar to Apple Pay will eventually become the primary method with which people purchase things. I think this is because as it is people love to use credit and debit cards because of the convenience and all this system is doing is making everything even more convenient. Ultimately, people want the simplest thing and I think a technology will come about that is so simple people will forget about their attachments to cash. I am still skeptical about Apple Pay however because for now I think it more a gimmick than anything serious, however this could easily change in the near future. 

http://www.nbcnews.com/tech/innovation/can-apple-pay-kill-cash-dont-bet-it-n222261

Can L.A. Kill Traffic With Self-Driving Cars?

As many people might know, Las Angeles has one of the worst traffic problems in the United States that is a result of millions of cars driving on overcrowded roads. The result of traffic in the U.S. is millions of man hours wasted sitting on the road, increased travel times, increased cost of traveling, and more pollutants in the environment just to change a few. As it stands now around 76% of people drive to work alone which means there are more cars on the road and more gas used per person than if we could decrease this number by using public transportation. Additionally human drivers have faults such as carelessness, drunkenness, or tiredness. All of these problems are not present in a self-driving car.

One of the solutions to the traffic problem that is currently being looked into is a fleet of self-driving cars that would operate on a ride-sharing service similar to Uber. Essentially there would be numerous self-driving cars going through a city that could be summoned by a smart phone. The promise of this solution is that the cars could be operated by a smart algorithm that automatically sent the car closest to minimize driving distance and time, they would not cause accidents, Another benefit of this would be that there would be no need to waste time parking which has been estimated to account for 40% of gasoline consumption when driving in urban areas. According to this article Emilio Frazzoli looked at this scenario and concluded that only 300,000 self-driving cars would be necessary to serve the 6 million people in Singapore.

While this idea is still only being discusses and is in its very early stages there would be several road blocks such as developing the proper technology, convincing people to use them, and making it cheap.

While I personally think that using a large system of self-driving cars would be incredibly beneficial to nearly every aspect touched on this article I personally do not think I will see it happen in my lifetime, and I am personally unsure of whether or not I would even support the idea. For me, and most likely many Americans, I absolutely love the ability to go and get in my car and simply drive wherever I want. There is something wonderful about the freedom that owning your (or your parent's) own car and being able to drive down a highway. This is one of the reason I think people would be reluctant to adopt something such as this because it would mean giving up this freedom. A car that drives for you would not truly allow you to go anywhere, and would restrict the freedom that comes from owning a car.

Additionally, there is something about being in control of a car that I think would turn many people against the self-driving car. As it is I'm uneasy riding in a car with some people, and I don't know if I have reached the stage where I would trust a computer with my life to drive me through the roads of L.A. I think that many people would reject this idea simply because self-reliance is a huge part of being American, and they would dislike the idea of relying on a computer.

Overall, I simply like the control and freedom that driving provides me too much to support a program of self-driving cars, even if they actually are much better than humans. It would take a radical shift in my beliefs about cars to become one of the people who would use this program.