If the tilt below is any meter reading , the future of robotics looks bright . These women have moved the field forward in some major ways , let in developing robots that can traverse treacherous terrain , hold conversation , and roleplay like part of the kin . Look to these nine brilliant ladies for an idea of what to expect from the robots of tomorrow .
1. CYNTHIA BREAZEAL
Cynthia Breazeal think that the robot of the future will have excellent social skills . In 2014 she launch acrowdfunding campaignfor Jibo , a home golem design to interact naturally with homo . The project was fully funded and in April Jibo invite aPopular Science2016 Invention Award . When Breazeal is n’t designing robots that give Pixar character a rill for their money , she ’s teach medium arts and sciences atMIT . In 2010 she gave aTED talkabout her automaton - link up ambitions , citingStar Warsas a major inspiration .
2. LYDIA E. KAVRAKI
Before a golem can accomplish such of import project asanalyzing Martian dirtandtaking pizza orders , it needs to be able to move by rights . That ’s whereDr . Lydia E. Kavrakicomes in — the Noah Harding Professor of Computer Science and Bioengineering atRice Universityis known for her body of work provision path for golem . She ’s the developer of the Probabilistic Roadmap Method ( PRM ) , a system that use randomizing and sampling - based movement planner to keep robots from crashing . praise for its simpleness , the PRM was a game changer in the field of study of robotics . Her bookPrinciples of Robot Motionexplains the subject in depth . She ’s also the receiver of legion laurels , including an ACM Grace Murray Hopper Award , an NSF CAREER Award , and a Sloan Fellowship .
3. FEI-FEI LI
It ’s intemperate to talk about the future of robotics without mentioning unreal intelligence . One of the women currently shaping the field is Fei - Fei Li , an associate professor atStanford ’s computer science departmentand music director of the university ’s Artificial Intelligence and Vision testing ground . concord to Li , the key to design a utile , good AI organization is to enable it withsmart visual sensation . That means building a automaton capable of recognizing and reacting to images instead of just record them like a photographic camera . Vision is one of our most complicated cognitive processes , and Li has already made strides towards applying it to machines . In 2014 , she and her scholarly person make a computer visual sensation model adequate to of describing the picture it was shown with human - similar sentences . Li conceive this applied science could one day be apply to everything from healthcare to self - driving car .
4. ANDREA THOMAZ
Fifty long time ago , The Jetsonspromised viewers a future where dull home task would be guide care of by robot maids . That reality has yet to fully arrive , but Andrea Thomaz is working on it . TheGeorgia Institute of Technologyprofessor is develop robots that ended tasks in response to verbal instructions rather than programme . This would allow users of all technical attainment levels to program personal golem to doalmost anything . Her work with wizard societal robots “ Simon ” and “ Curi ” has been feature inPopular Science , The New York Times , and NOVAScience Now .
5. RUTH SCHULZ
What does a conversation between two robots sound like ? If your answer involve a lot of “ beep - boop - BoP , ” you ’re on the right track . A few year ago , cognitive scientistRuth Schulzled her colleagues at the University of Queensland to develop a pair of “ lingodroids . ” Rather than communicating with hoi polloi , the robots are designed to “ talk ” with one another . The discussions never get too complex — the bots formulate words on the tent flap to share spacial concept like where they currently are and where they want to go . “ The important part is that they are forming these concepts , they are part to really understand what words mean and this is actually all up to the robots themselves , ” Schulz toldABC Sciencein 2011 . She ’s currently doing research intohuman clew for robot navigationat the University of Queensland .
6. AYANNA HOWARD
Ayanna Howard boasts quite the resume : She ’s served as ascientific consultantonRobocop(2014 ) , was named one of MIT Technology Review’stop young innovatorsof 2003 , and she ’s co - authored enough newspaper publisher to make anErdősnumber(that number being four ) . Some of her most prolific employment was done atNASA , where she worked with Penn State scientists to engineer a fleet of miniature - sized snowmobile . The “ SnoMotes ” were build to cover Arctic and Antarctic terrain too dangerous for scientist studying climate change to venture onto on invertebrate foot . She distinguish NASA in 2008 , “ fundamentally , the golem could play as ‘ mobile weather stations , ' able to travel to beguile real - time data at the topographic point where alteration is occurring . " Today Howard is an award - winning professor atGeorgia Tech’sSchool of Electrical and Computer Engineering .
7. AYORKOR KORSAH
Ayorkor Korsah want to partake her warmth for robotics with an entire continent . In 2012 she co - found theAfrican Robotics internet , an international biotic community of institutions , individuals , and organizations thatshare robotics resourcesand support each other ’s work . The chemical group regularly hosts projects , coming together , and events in Africa and afield . Another way Korsah is making an impingement on Africa ’s next contemporaries of roboticists is through her work as a instructor . She ’s a professor atAshesi Universityin Ghana and head of the electronic computer science and robotics department there .
8. STÉPHANIE LACOUR
Many robots come with arm , legs , and a face , but something they normally lack is skin . Smart skin for robots is Professor Stéphanie Lacour ’s area of expertise . She ’s dedicated much of her career to developing anelectronic skinthat can not only sense subtle pressures but can stretch without lose its effectiveness . One of the most exciting app of such technology is prosthetics : The Leslie Townes Hope is that amputees will one day be able to utilise artificial skin to find the sensation of touch in lost arm . Lacour is currently continuing her research into soft bioelectronics at the School of Engineering at theEcole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausannein Switzerland .
9. MARITA CHENG
Marita Cheng kicked off her robotics career as an undergraduate at Melbourne University in Australia , where she wasone of five womenin a socio-economic class of more than 50 men . There , she conscientious objector - foundedRobogals . The intent of the organization is to get young girls regard in engineering and robotics by host scholarly person - running workshops around the world . After helping launch the successful nonprofit , Cheng did n’t slow down . Five old age after she founded 2MAR robotics , a party focused on helping people with disabilities . One of their early innovation was a voice - activated bionic arm called “ Jeva ” designed to aid quadriplegic . Their latest tool , Teleport , is a rolling video screenland meant to facilitate the great unwashed with mobility restriction communicate .
