Ayanna Howard Answers, Robots: Friends Or Foes?

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Dr. Howard with Darwin, a robotic assistant that helps children with disabilities accomplish physical therapy at home.

Robots are coming and sooner than you think. That’s according our guest this week on Two Way Street: Georgia Tech robotics expert, Ayanna Howard. Two Way Street for Thursday August 10, 2017. Our guest is robotics expert Ayanna Howard.

Ayanna discusses what the future might look like with robots in the picture. They explore the best and worst case scenarios when it comes to artificial intelligence. Ayanna explains what’s just science fiction and what we really should be concerned about. Like the economy—will robots take our jobs? Probably, she says, but it’s not something we should be afraid of. Ayanna is optimistic about the future of robotics.

Most recently, Dr. Howard led an initiative to create a robot designed for children with physical therapy needs. That robot, called Darwin, helps bring therapy to the home setting for children with disabilities. Though not intended to replace a physical therapist, Darwin helps children accomplish their physical therapy needs at home by providing direction and encouragement. 

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Dr. Howard programmed Darwin to provide direction and encouragement to children with disabilities.