Why you shouldn’t be afraid of Google’s new robots
Google buys tech companies the way teenagers buy t-shirts, so it’s not usually news when they do. But every now and then, a purchase grabs attention. That’s the case with its recent acquisition of Boston Dynamics, which makes robots that can run and climb, equal parts creepy and cool. It’s the latest of several robotics companies Google has swallowed up, which is making people wonder what Google has planned.
Google isn’t saying exactly what it wants to do with all these robot makers, so folks on the Internet have freaked out (most in jest, some seriously) about a dark future of Google-driven humanoid murder machines with Austrian accents. Those who actually work with robots for a living say there’s no need to fear.
“Some of these depictions from science fiction are just so far off in the future because I just see how hard it is to get a robot to do anything today,” says MIT robotics professor John Leonard.
One thing Boston Dynamics has been able to get a robot to do is run, fast. Some 15 million people have seen this YouTube video of a four-legged robot galloping like a big cat, while sounding like a Weedwacker. Mobile bots like it could help Google expand its mapping to areas its weird cars can’t reach.
“It makes perfect sense because you can drop these robots, let’s say on top of the mountains and they are collecting information,” explains Virginia Tech mechanical engineering professor Shashank Priya.
There are a couple common threads in many of the robot makers Google is swallowing up. Their creations go places and see stuff. That means bots gather lots of data, the food that nourishes Google’s profits. But other possibilities may be more intriguing.
“Robotics has been around for a couple of decades and has been making a lot of promises. And often people say, ‘Ok, so where are the robots?’” says Cornell University roboticist Hod Lipson.
Google may bring more robots into the lives of consumers. Down the road, it could use robots to deliver packages, help people find items around the house, even deliver in-home medical care. And if Google makes these robots, you can count on it scarfing down all the delicious data they find along the way.
There’s a lot happening in the world. Through it all, Marketplace is here for you.
You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible.
Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.
