WRITING ASSIGNMENT "Will robots take our jobs?" & Robots and Medical Possibilities

I. Read the wikipedia text and watch the videos about robots with the CAPTIONS ON - watch several times if necessary.

II. Answer the questions based on what you see and read in the video.ANSWER WITH COMPLETE SENTENCES, NOT JUST WORDS OR PHRASES.

III. YOU MUST ANSWER WITH COMPLETE SENTENCES TO RECEIVE FULL CREDIT FOR THE ASSIGNMENT.

Robots

ARobotis a machine capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically or via a remote control. Robots are often used to do daunting tasks too difficult for humans, like performing sensitive surgeries or handling hazardous materials. They are also used to do time consuming, repetitive work like machining metal or assembling a car.Robots have many uses. Many factories use robots to do hard work quickly and without many mistakes. They do not look like people, because they are made to do things. These are 'industrial' robots.

Some robots find and get rid of bombs. If someone makes a mistake, the robot is damaged or destroyed, which is better than a person being killed. There are also robots that help at home, to vacuum or run alawn mower(Links to an external site.), for example. Such robots must learn about the area of work.A few robots dosurgery(Links to an external site.)in places inside the body where a human hand is too big.[5](Links to an external site.)
Planet rovers(Links to an external site.)are robots for exploring distant planets. Because it takes a long time to send a radio signal from Earth to another planet, the robots do much of their work alone, without commands from Earth.

Eastern thoughts on robots

Roughly half of all the robots in the world are inAsia(Links to an external site.), 32% inEurope(Links to an external site.), and 16% inNorth America(Links to an external site.), 1% inAustralasia(Links to an external site.)and 1% inAfrica(Links to an external site.).[6](Links to an external site.)30% of all the robots in the world are inJapan(Links to an external site.).[7](Links to an external site.)Japan has the most robots of any country in the world, and is the leader in the world robotics industry.[8](Links to an external site.)Japan is actually said to be the robotic capital of the world.[9](Links to an external site.)In Japan andSouth Korea(Links to an external site.), ideas of future robots have been mainly positive. The South Korean Ministry of Information and Communication has predicted that every South Korean household will have a robot by between 2015 and 2020. The positive reception of robots there may be partly because of the famous cartoon robot, 'Astroboy'.

China expressed views on robotics that are similar to those of Japan and South Korea, but China is behind both America and Europe in robotic development. The East Asian view is that robots should be roughly equal to humans. They feel robots could care for old people, teach children, or serve as assistants. The popular opinion of East Asia is that it would be good for robots to become more popular and more advanced. This view is opposite to the popular Western view.

Western thoughts on robots

Western societies are more likely to be against, or even fear the development of robots.Science fiction movies(Links to an external site.)and other stories often show them as dangerous rebels against humanity.The West regards robots as a 'threat' to the future of humans, which is often due to religious influence. That religious view believes that creating machines which can think for themselves would almost be playingGod(Links to an external site.).[9](Links to an external site.)
[11](Links to an external site.)Obviously, there is a significant difference between the twoideologies of East and West.

YOU MUST ANSWER WITH COMPLETE SENTENCES TO RECEIVE FULL CREDIT FOR THE ASSIGNMENT.

Will robots take our jobs?

28 points

1. What is a "humanoid robot?"

2. How many American jobs were lost to robots between 1990 - 2007?

3. Which types of American jobs are in danger of being automated in the next two decades?

4. What types of jobs disappeared in the United States as the auto industry was developed between 1900 -1930?

23 points

5. In the video Elon Musk says, "Robots will be able to do everything better than us." Do you agree with that opinion - will robots be able to do everything better than humans?

Elon Musk (although a citizen of Canada and South Africa) has a positive, "Eastern" view of robots. He believes robots will be a very beneficial part of the future. Do you agree? - or do you have a "Western" view of robots? - robots will be a 'threat' to the future of humans.

Write a paragraph explaining your opinion of robots - positive or negative.Write a paragraph of 9-12 complete, grammatical sentences that support and detail your opinion.

da Vinci Surgical System

Theda Vinci Surgical Systemis arobotic surgical(Links to an external site.)system made by the American companyIntuitive Surgical(Links to an external site.). Approved by theFood and Drug Administration(Links to an external site.)(FDA) in 2000, it is designed to facilitatesurgery(Links to an external site.)using aminimally invasive(Links to an external site.)approach. It is controlled by a surgeon from a console. The system is used forprostatectomies(Links to an external site.), and increasingly forcardiac valve(Links to an external site.)repair andgynecologic(Links to an external site.)surgical procedures.[1](Links to an external site.)
[2](Links to an external site.)According to the manufacturer, the da Vinci System is called "da Vinci" in part becauseLeonardo da Vinci(Links to an external site.)'s "study of human anatomy eventually led to the design of the first knownrobot(Links to an external site.)in history."[3](Links to an external site.)

Device

The da Vinci System consists of a surgeon's console that is typically in the same room as the patient, and a patient-side cart with three to four interactive robotic arms controlled from the console. The arms are for tools that hold objects, and can also act asscalpels(Links to an external site.), scissors,bovies(Links to an external site.), or graspers; the final arm controls the 3-D cameras.[8](Links to an external site.)The surgeon uses the console's controls to maneuver the three or four robotic arms. The da Vinci System always requires a human operator.

Criticism

There have been claims of patient injuries caused by stray electrical currents released from inappropriate parts of the surgical tips used by the system. A study published in the
Journal of the American Medical Association(Links to an external site.)
found that side effects and blood loss in robotically-performed hysterectomies are no better than those performed by traditional surgery, despite the significantly greater cost of the da Vinci system.[11](Links to an external site.)
[12](Links to an external site.)As of 2013, the FDA is investigating problems with the da Vinci robot, including deaths during surgeries that used the device; a number of related lawsuits are also underway.[13](Links to an external site.)

YOU MUST ANSWER WITH COMPLETE SENTENCES TO RECEIVE FULL CREDIT FOR THE ASSIGNMENT.

Robots and Medical Possibilities

49 points

6. What is the third leading cause of death in the United states today?

7. What are surgical robots primarily used for today?

8. According to the video, how many "da Vinci" robots now assist surgeons around the world?

9. What health problem will Auris robots focus on?

10. How will social robots assist old people or people who have disabilities or that live alone?

11. When was the da Vinci robot approved for use in the USA?

12. What are two negatives that critics of the da Vinci robot point out?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) cannot replace doctors" style="float: left;">Previous
WRITING ASSIGNMENT "SAD & Introverts vs Extroverts" due 11/17" style="float: right;">Next