3Autonomous Machines—Robots, Cobots, Drones, and Self-Driving Vehicles
AI-powered machines will work alongside humans in almost every industrial sector. They will reshape the world of work and will fundamentally transform our transportation system.
What Are They and Why Are They Important?
Strictly speaking, autonomous machines are just another application of AI, but their impact on society will be so profound that they are worthy of their own short chapter.
Autonomous machines—robots, drones, and “self-driving” transportation—use sophisticated sensors and digital intelligence to make informed decisions about how they move through and interact with the world. AI gives machines agency, the ability to make their own decisions.
Autonomous machines come in many shapes, sizes, and formats. Some will fit in the palm of your hand; some are the size of a building. Some stay put, some have wheels, some have arms and legs, some can fly, and some carry cargo or passengers inside them.
Modern robots use AI to sense their environment and adapt to it intelligently, for example, sidestepping obstacles, catching a ball, or driving safely through a crowded street. Collaborative robots, dubbed “cobots,” are specifically designed to work safely alongside humans. Autonomous vehicles, or colloquially self-driving cars and trucks, are just robots with wheels and a space to put people or cargo.
Flying robots, better known as drones, are mostly piloted by remote control today. AI will fill our ...
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