March of the Machines

摘要

If you had to have a hole drilled in your head, would you rather it be done by a human or a robot? Before you consider this question unworthy of your time, think about how the design and application of robots has advanced over the past few decades. Figure 1 shows a simplified progression of technology from simple hand tools to robots. As technology moves along this path, the objective shifts from assisting workers to replacing them.