Blog10 - Final Post

This. class. kicks. @ss!

Blog 9 - Chatbots

The use of chatbots has changed significantly over the past couples years.
Chatbots are being used across multiple industries for a variety of purposes. The space where chatbots and AI are being used to really push the limits of ethics and human/machine relationships is where chatbots are becoming a replacement for emotional relationships. Chatbots using AI are being created to help people that are lonely, dealing with depression or stress. This truly raises the question about the growth of intimate relationships between humans and machines. There are already some AI chatbots being developed to mimic and respond to human emotion. These bots will be available 24/7 for anyone that needs someone to chat with about issues they are having.

Blog 8 - IoT

Blog 7 - Nav and GPS

GPS technologies are helping innovate and change many things for the better. Apps such as Waze, Google Maps, Trip Advisor and Yelp are helping people save time and discover new things every day. Sadly and also terrifying, GPS technologies are also being used detrimental ways. GPS and related technology has brought with it many positives, but also some downsides.I’d like to draw your attention to a much less glamorous side of GPS: location tracking. Location tracking is being used by the government, private corporations and hackers to track our locations and in some cases aiming to steal our identities or rob our homes.

Blog 6 - Social Robotics

A social robot is defined as “an autonomous robot that interacts and communicates with humans or other autonomous physical agents by following social behaviors and rules attached to its role. Like other robots, a social robot is physically embodied.”

Blog 5 - Big Data

Big data ties into so much of our lives on a daily basis. A majority of companies, especially tech companies, are collecting large amounts of data on its users. For example, every morning when I get in my car, google maps and Waze tell me exactly how long it will take to get from my current location to the parking garage at Tufts in Medford or my apple watch will send me a message around 4 pm telling me I’m usually further along with my exercise for the day on days I skip the gym. These companies track our movements every minute of the day. They know where we are, what we are doing, how much we are moving and if we are asleep or awake. This amount of data collection is terrifying, especially if this information is being misused.

Blog 4 - Future Humans

The concept of exoskeletons is both fascinating and terrifying. Exoskeletons are being developed to solve a wide range of problems from worker fatigue in manufacturing, helping rehabilitate people who have been injured and even creating better soldiers on the battle field. These exoskeletons come in a wide array of shapes, sizes, weights and functionalities. As with most technologies, the are pro’s and con’s to the development and use of exoskeletons. Two risks that concern me the most are the use of exoskeletons by military or terrorist groups and if there are long term health effects from using exoskeletons such as muscular or bone atrophy.

Blog 3 - Signal Detection Theory

Recently in my Human Machine System Design course, we were learning about signal detection theory. In class we ran experiments with 60 short samples to gauge how good we were at detecting motion in a specific direction. Each clip was only shown for a second or less. Needless to say I was not very efficient at detecting the direction correctly.

Blog 2 - Automation - What does it mean for jobs?

Why are there still so many jobs? The fraction of US adults, employed in the labor market, is higher now than it was 125 years. But how can this be, you might ask? As our machines increasingly do our work for us, why does this not make our work redundant? According to a TedxCambridge talk by David Autor in 2016, there are logical reasons why there are still so many jobs. He begins explaining this by using two fundamental economic principle. One has to do with human genius and creativity. The other has to do with human insatiability or greed. The first principal or human genius he refers to has the O-Ring principal and it determines the type of work that we do. The second principal he refers to as “the never get enough” principal and it determines how many jobs there actually are.

Blog 1 - Welcome, Systems, and Automation

Hey there! My name is Tyler and I am a Chemical and Biological Engineering graduate student at Tufts University. I have nine (9) years of industry experience in the biotech industry where I have held roles in technology transfer, process engineering, consulting and most recently project management.