My Friend the Violinist

Long has Humanity worried about the overcrowding of our world, but only recently have we been met with the challenge of managing an increasingly aging population. The above video, is Japan's response to senior-assistance.

Toyota, the creator of the violinist robot above, is one of the most involved in researching robotics. Honda, with their prized creation "Asimo", have actively been refining a humanoid robot designed to provide a variety of services to human beings including but not limited to cleaning, waitering, and, interestingly, conducting an orchestra.



Asimo currently weighs about 114 lbs, stands at 4 feet and 3 inches, and can run at speeds as high as 4.3 mph. His battery allows him almost an hour of continuous operation (walking), and he is equipped with facial and object recognition technology. He can also be linked to the Internet or a local network to provide such services as guest greetings and recognition, daily news, and weather information.

In an age where Robots can perform more and more complex tasks usually delegated to human beings, what will be our role in society? The target demographic for such a product is currently seniors, but how long until the rest of the Human population is rendered a mere spectator to the daily dynamics of our society?

The two above robots are no doubt only the first of a whole orchestra of mechanized artists who will grace our symphony halls. They will no doubt deliver even the most complex symphonies flawlessly, a feat not even the most seasoned human musicians can lay claim to. Human genius allied to mechanical perfection will allow us for the first time to witness music the way the composer meant for it to be heard. Unless, that is, that Art is meant to be imperfect, and that the composer meant on some level for the musicians to inject their own style into the melody.

Such are the questions that will need to be discussed, debated, and answered within the next few decades.

Augmented Reality

Over the centuries, Man has seen fit to extend his natural body and breach its limitations by adopting various tools and integrating them into his daily life. Until recently, these tools did not add anything to Man's perception, but simply provided a more effective means of altering and shaping nature.

That is, until the advent of the Internet. This powerful and interactive medium allows for humanity to be interconnected in a way never before seen, and to expand Man's very perception to touch that of millions of others. Unfortunately, the Internet's reliance on bulky machines to be accessed has proven to be a serious limitation until the appearance of smart phones. These have added a new social dimension to the Internet, allowing for delocalized access to the wealth of information available in the cloud.

Today, we are on the brink of a new revolution: that of Augmented Reality. This relatively recent term describes the overlaying of virtual information, onto our perception of the "real world." This can be done through a variety of mediums, most notably: smart phones. Already applications have been developed such that when one points the smart phone's camera at an object, that object is immediately identified and information about it displayed onto the phone's screen. While this may not seem particularly alarming, at the speed at which computers are shrinking and becoming increasingly powerful and entwined with the Internet, we may easily imagine a future where such information is no longer displayed on bulky smart phones, but rather projected directly into our minds.

Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute in Dresden are already hard at work developing glasses which will not only serve their regular purpose, but also double as transparent computer monitors which will display information and track eye movement to identify the objects of interest to the wearer. Coupled with Augmented Reality, one can imagine a world where no longer are we busily rapping our blackberries or iphones for information, but obtain it quickly and efficiently by simply looking at an object, be it inanimate or alive.

Finally, if this technology were to be coupled with the vast databases owned by Facebook, Microsoft, Google, Myspace, and the US government (to name but a few), the notion of privacy would vanish. People would suddenly be able to obtain a wealth of information about virtually any individual with a mere glance.

This begs the question: are we headed towards a future of greater connection and understanding, or one filled with conflict, vulnerability, and fear?