Hello Emerging Tech Careers In the past In the present Groundbreaking inventions made life easier in many ways New technologies are changing the world in mind-boggling ways The future is yours to imagine WHAT COMES NEXT 4
Who would have thought Alexander Graham Bell invented the first telephone in 1876 In 1879 Thomas Edison invented the first electric lightbulb The Wright brothers successfully flew the first airplane in 1903 And don’t forget Henry Ford He invented a way to make cars quicker and cheaper These brilliant inventors did things that people once thought were impossible To go from candles to electricity From horse-drawn carriages to automobiles and airplanes Wow The sky’s the limit Now technology is being used to do even more amazing things Take robots for instance Robots are machines that are programmed to do two kinds of things Some robots do things that people can’t do like lift really heavy objects Other robots are designed to do things that humans don’t want to do like vacuum floors Who knows Someday there may be robots that can help you clean your room This book explores the people and professions behind robots Some of these careers like robot technician are so cutting-edge that they didn’t exist just a decade or so ago Others like programming offer exciting new twists using robots Read on to explore exciting possibilities for your future 5
Artificial Intelligence Scientist Hi says the robot turning its head to look you in the eye It’s nice to meet you it continues as it reaches out to shake your hand As you return the handshake you are amazed at how much the robot acts just like a real person 6
Today’s robots are getting smarter and smarter They aren’t humans but they can do many of the things people can Some are able to carry on basic conversations with people They can even detect human emotions and respond with appropriate facial expressions Robots like this have been employed as tour guides and receptionists in some parts of the world These kinds of robots and countless others rely on something called artificial intelligence or AI for short AI is powered by computer programs These programs allow robots to think and make complex decisions For example AI-driven cars are able to safely navigate busy streets without causing traffic accidents Scientists and engineers have been thinking about AI and studying its possibilities since the first computers were invented in the mid-20th century The term artificial intelligence was first used by researcher John McCarthy in 7 Imagine It D A big part of a scientist’s job is to identify problems and look for solutions D Think about times you’ve used AI programs before Some examples include Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa D Make a list of the ways you think these AI programs could be improved Dig Deeper J Watch two AI-powered robots learn to move around and speak to each other http bit ly TalkRobots
