Ava (A Social Robot): Design and Performance of a Robotic Hearing Apparatus

“Does cinema form the future of robotics?”: a survey on fictional robots in sci-fi movies

Abstract

Robotics and Artificial Intelligence (AI) have always been among the most popular topics in science fiction (sci-fi) movies. This paper endeavors to review popular movies containing Fictional Robots (FR) to extract the most common characteristics and interesting design ideas of robots portrayed in science fiction. To this end, 134 sci-fi films, including 108 unique FRs, were investigated regarding the robots’ different design aspects (e.g., appearance design, interactive design and artificial intelligence, and ethical and social design). Also, in each section of this paper, some characteristics of FRs are compared with real social robots. Since some researches point to the significant role of the cinema in forming the community’s expectations, it is very important to consider these characteristics and differences in choosing the future pathway of robotics. As some examples of findings, we have found that unlike the non-metallic skins/covers of real social robots, most FRs are still covered by highly detailed metal components. Moreover, the FR ability of interactions are generally (more than 90%) shown to be similar or even more advanced than normal Human–Human interactions, and this milestone was achieved by ignoring the AI challenges of real HRI. On the other hand, the ethical aspects of movies do inspire us to consider the potential ethical aspects of real robot design. All in all, according to popularity of movies, studying FR could be a step toward more appropriate development of robotics and AI entities to be accepted by general users in the real world.

Highlights:

Can technological advancements help to alleviate COVID-19 pandemic? a review

The COVID-19 pandemic is continuing, and the innovative and efficient contributions of the emerging modern technologies to the pandemic responses are too early and cannot be completely quantified at this moment. Digital technologies are not a final solution but are the tools that facilitate a quick and effective pandemic response. In accordance, mobile applications, robots and drones, social media platforms (such as search engines, Twitter, and Facebook), television, and associated technologies deployed in tackling the COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak are discussed adequately, emphasizing the current-state-of-art. A collective discussion on reported literature, press releases, and organizational claims are reviewed. This review addresses and highlights how these effective modern technological solutions can aid in healthcare (involving contact tracing, real-time isolation monitoring/screening, disinfection, quarantine enforcement, syndromic surveillance, and mental health), communication (involving remote assistance, information sharing, and communication support), logistics, tourism, and hospitality. The study discusses the benefits of these digital technologies in curtailing the pandemic and 'how' the different sectors adapted to these in a shorter period. Social media and television's role in ensuring global connectivity and serving as a common platform to share authentic information among the general public were summarized. The World Health Organization and Governments' role globally in-line with the prevention of propagation of false news, spreading awareness, and diminishing the severity of the COVID-19 was discussed. Furthermore, this collective review is helpful to investigators, health departments, Government organizations, and policymakers alike to facilitate a quick and effective pandemic response.