Robots are us?
Robots are already a part of our lives. They do jobs that are too dirty, boring, risky,
difficult or impossible for us: they are vacuuming the floors in your home and exploring the surface
of Mars. Industrial robots are widely used in manufacturing. Military and police organizations use
robots to assist in dangerous situations.
“Within the next 10 years,” says Joanne Pransky, a scientist who calls herself the
world’s first robotic psychiatrist, “ we’re going to see a transformation between the industrial kind of
robots to personal robots. I will be the proud owner of a domestic robot that will do household
cleaning, and prepare and serve my meals, and will also carry me to the bathtub if I can’t walk,
monitor my vital signs, and if I need a medical specialist from a distant town, will remotely become
his or her eyes, hands, and ears.”
Within a few more years we will build machines that not only equal but surpass
human intelligence- we’ll see cyborgs ( machine- enhanced humans), androids ( human- robot
hybrids like Data in Star Trek), a future we can’t even imagine. Many scientists think the robots of
science fiction will soon become a reality. We will use the abilities of our machine creations to
enhance and redesign ourselves. But… what role will those machines play in human society?
Cultural and ethical values will be as important as the available technology in developing future
robots. Will robots become man’s new best friends or our rivals? Or, worst scenario,
our enemies?
( Adapted from “Robots: The future is now”, by Michael Bay and Matt Ford)
1- The text contains 3 paragraphs. Write the number of each paragraph next to
the headings that contains the main idea.
( ) Robots in the future: Our friends, rivals or enemies?
( ) Robots in our lives tomorrow.
( ) Robots in our lives today.