robots

A new generation of robot drones is revolutionizing the way we farm in America, with Kinze Manufacturing and Jaybridge Robotics recently announcing the first-ever robot drone tractor capable of farming without the need for a human operator. Video clips are already circulating online of the Kinze tractor, gracefully coordinating its harvest dance with other autonomous machines.

Here’s more evidence that inanimate objects can spark human emotions… In Japan, testing of a robot baby called “Babyloid” has been completed and commercial production is set to begin. The purpose of the baby-bots is to engage the emotions of senior citizens, and in particular those with depression who would most benefit from “human” interaction:

Last month, I was on a panel at a FutureM "Flying Cars Are Here" event. I talked about robots, which in retrospect turned out to be surprisingly timely: that same week, AdWeek ran "Machine-Built Brands" and AdAge wrote about "Glitch in the Coming Advertising Singularity". The accompanying slides are on Slideshare and are also embedded at the end. Below is what I talked about.