The Future of Robotics: China, Africa and the Rest of US

The Future of Robotics: China, Africa and the Rest of US

China has just given the world another glimpse of the future, not through a science-fiction film or a demonstration in a technology laboratory, but on the streets of one of its major cities. In the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou, 15 robot traffic officers have been deployed to assist with traffic management. Since May, the robots have issued more than 170,000 warnings, according to their developer, and are said to have contributed to a more than 40 per cent reduction in some violations, including helmetless riding and vehicles crossing stop lines. Reuters, however, noted that the company’s figures could not be independently verified.The robots do not carry guns, cannot make arrests and are not designed to replace human police officers. Their role is to assist by monitoring traffic, detecting certain violations, issuing warnings, providing directions, answering questions and operating for long periods without the physical exhaustion that affects human workers. Yet, beyond the novelty of seeing a machine perform duties traditionally associated with a police officer, the development represents something much bigger: the gradual movement of robotics from laboratories, exhibitions and science-fiction imagination into the ordinary routines of everyday life.The future of robotics is therefore no longer a distant conversation about what may happen several decades from now. It is already beginning to take shape at traffic junctions, in factories, hospitals, warehouses and public spaces, as governments and companies increasingly find practical uses for machines that can see, process information and respond to their environments. China appears to understand the importance of this transition and is investing heavily in ensuring that it is not merely a consumer of…