Say hello to your new robot coworkers

In this talk

1. 1:06

   From collaborative robots to personal helpers

   Reger says industrial robots already work alongside people, but future robots may take instructions about what to do instead of how to do it. He expects people who want help to have access to robots, including personal helpers for everyday tasks.

2. 2:31

   Where robots could help first

   Reger points to labor shortages, including a lack of skilled workers and care staff, as places where robots could help. He expects robots to take on household chores such as doing the dishes. He says cognitive robots need to perceive their surroundings, understand them, and learn.

3. 5:19

   Safety and simpler interaction

   Reger says conventional industrial robots may not recognize people, and describes NEURA's focus on identifying humans and interacting safely without unwanted contact. He also argues robots should work without code or with little code. Voice instructions, he says, could reduce a task such as moving parts from weeks of setup to about five minutes.

4. 12:27

   Building robots for human environments

   Reger says robots need to be more general-purpose, and that humanoid designs may suit environments built for people. He also emphasizes faster movement around humans, enabled in part by suitable gearboxes. He describes splitting AI tasks between fast reactions at the edge and higher-level direction.

5. 14:30

   Sharing the gains from automation

   Reger argues robots should support people and be good enough to justify their use. Asked about economic fairness, he says robot taxes could help return benefits to the wider public and support the transition. He expects people will still have tasks that only humans do.