Artificial Intelligence Robots & Robotics Military

Robots4Us – DARPA Consults with Youth About What Role Robots Should Play

April 9, 2015

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April 9, 2015 – The U.S. Defense Department wants to know what young people think the role robots should play in society. So they have asked American high school students in Grades 9 through 12 to submit videos to YouTube between 2 and 3 minutes in length.

DARPA asks these young people to describe how they think robots could make a difference and change our lives. The submitted videos were asked to show how “current and anticipated advances” in the field will have an impact on individuals, work, society in general, and national security. At the same the students were asked how the United States and the world could benefit from the robotics revolution while minimizing its potential harm.

The submission deadline was April 1st so all the videos are in. Five submissions will know by May 7, 2015 if they are winners. The prize, a fully paid trip to attend this year’s DARPA Robotics Challenge Finals taking place in Pomona, California on June 5th and 6th.

In addition DARPA has asked the public to get involved through a People’s Choice Award. Selected videos from submissions will be posted for public viewing on YouTube starting April 20, 2015. The public is asked to “like” the best of what they watch. The winner will be determined by the most “likes.” as of 11:59 p.m. on May 4th.

From the the DARPA site come these words:

“The Contest is about a vision for a future society that is robot-assisted rather than specific robotics technology that you have developed. The judging will focus on your vision of how robots could make a difference for society in the future. You can, of course, describe robotics technologies that might not exist today.”

Consulting today’s youth who will be most impacted by the evolution of robotics in this century makes perfect sense. It will be fun to view the vision young people bring to the subject.