Google's Self-Driving Car
Since 2009, Google has been working on a driver-less vehicle. The team responsible for the project report that the car has logged more than 700,000 hours since the project began. The car has sensors, allowing it to detect parked cars or bicyclists and maneuver around them effortlessly. Google hopes to have the cars available to the public as early as 2017 to 2020. Cars that drive themselves may be beneficial to society, as it does away with any possibility of human error. Car crashes kill up to 33,000 annually, which could be significantly reduced thanks to the safety of machines. The time spent driving before could be spent being more productive.
K5 Beta
K5 Beta is an experimental "Robocop" developed by Nightscope in California. The idea is that this large R2D2 shaped robot will roam around public areas, using its sensors to detect crime. It comes equipped with the many sensors, hearing, seeing, feeling, and even smelling its environment to figure out what exactly is going on. If the data it collects is different than what it usually sees, it makes the data publicly available through wifi. Then real police officers can review the footage and detect crime. The robots are economically friendly, as they cost about $6.25 an hour, almost a dollar below minimum wage. However, the robots are still in beta testing, and will probably not become commercially available for a while, especially since many people are against robots recording and privately storing video of public areas.
Robot Fish
Researchers at MIT have recently released a new robot that follows the trend of bioengineering. The robot is based of of a small fish, both in size and movement. In fact, the robot mirrors a fish so well that researchers predict it will be able to infiltrate actual schools of fish to gather new data. The fish is made soft, waterproof balloon sections, that inflate and deflate to twist the body in a swimming motion, exactly like a real fish. Amazingly, it allows the fish to perform evasive maneuvers like a fish, turning its body in a matter of 100 milliseconds. This is the latest entry in a series of robots based of living creatures, which seems to be a popular trend among scientists.
Flying Jellyfish
Researches at New York University have developed an extremely lightweight robot that can fit in the palm of your hand. The robot has four wings to fly through the air, mimicking a jellyfish's lofty movements. The robot, only three inches tall, has a single motor to power the wings, and is designed in such a way that it can't tip over. The inventors say it could be useful for maneuvering through small places. The best feature:it's cheap. The components that went into the robot cost only about $15, and are available on most hobby websites. So another social use for the robot is a plaything.
Google Pill
Google has recently released information regarding the development of a new form of identification: a pill. Instead of filling every password and username numerous times a day, this one pill could provide all the identification you need. The pill works like a potato battery. Once swallowed, it relies on the acids in your stomach to generate power through its electrolytes. Then, the entire body becomes like a conductor; anything you touch (like your cellphone or computer) instantly authenticates you. This would give privacy a whole new meaning, as literally no one else would be able to access your phone. However, I believe many people would be hesitant about swallowing a piece of electronics every day, but Google has thought ahead with another solution.
E-Tattoo
Google also introduced the E-tattoo, another form of identification. Similar to the pill, it provides identification for the user instantly. The technology doesn't have to be permanent though, a bandage can be applied in the same way to authenticate you for any device you use. Google says the benefits to this technology are that it is flexible and pliable, unlike the hard square electronics everybody carries. I believe these new advancements show a great future in the privacy of accounts and identities, with each person getting their own metaphorical bar code to identify themselves. If this becomes mainstream enough, it may eventually replace official documents, like passports or licenses.
Carrier
The US Military has started looking into developing a robot that can be used to carry items like weapons, ammo, rations, etc. Designed with four mobile legs, it is manually operated and programmed by one soldier to follow them, holding all the heavy loads. This would be beneficial to the soldiers as well as the task at hand. Future versions hope to have a remotely programmed or voice-command version, so that even less effort is required. Of course, besides military, this technology could be put to use in transportation or an urban environment as a conveyance system.
Rhex
Scientists at Boston Dynamics have developed a six-legged robot named Rhex. The six powerful legs, instead of wheels, allow it to get over, under, and through off-road obstacles. It has a flashlight attached and is even waterproof, letting it run straight through shallow rivers and muddy ground, where most other robots could get stuck. In real life, this robot could be useful for exploring places where it is dangerous or difficult for humans to go, like wilderness, or subterranean caves. In the wilderness aspect, with the use of the attached frontal camera, researchers could find either distressed wildlife or lost hikers to either research or rescue. In caves, Rhex's nimble and small dimensions could easily navigate dark and cramped passages unlike any robot before, all the while sending back useful information to researchers. This robot would be quite inefficient in an urban setting or in the fields of transportation or communication, though: it is too small and slow to be of any use in those aspects.