On Nov. 13, Karon MacLean, professor in the University of British Columbia’s Department of Computer Science, gave a talk covering her lab’s research on emotionally-interactive robots. MacLean’s work, which began with constructing robots at MIT in the 1980s, has always gone against the grain of traditional robotic engineering. “The hierarchy[Read More…]
Tag: robots
Image generation is rendering advertisements artificial
Decadent delicacies in food advertisements are not always what they seem to be. In these commercials, motor oil poses as pancake syrup, mashed potatoes become scoops of ice cream, and craft glue replaces milk in a bowl of cereal. Today, a rendering technique called physically based rendering (PBR) allows advertisers[Read More…]
Living in a high-tech sci-tech world
The McGill Office for Science and Society hosted the 2018 Trottier Public Science Symposium on Oct. 29 and 30, where academics discussed information technology and its implications for humanity. Human history is punctuated with moments which completely redefined technology, the latest being the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Beginning during World War[Read More…]
‘Westworld’ and the ethical dilemma of sentient machines
While deep in conversation with your childhood best friend, you catch glimpse of a frayed wire and grey hinge protruding from the side of their neck. “I thought you knew,” they calmly remark at your gaze. Suddenly they swing the hinge open to reveal an intricate set of wires and[Read More…]
