About Robots

21 Oct About Robots

National Academy of Technologies of France (NATF)
2009

Man has always sought to free himself from inevitable, fastidious and boring work. Technological progress has partially satisfied his desires through two generic tools: the computer for mental tasks and the robot for physical labour.
This report addresses questions about robots frequently raised by the public at large. People regularly hear about them but never actually see them. The main questions concern reasons for their absence, their intelligence and a comparison with human capacities. Since the future cannot be written in advance, where there are no guidelines, the author expresses his own assumptions.