The goal was to help challenge the human audience to see Bob as something more than a mere robot; rather something of which can be loved and understood at a human level. Subsequently, the talk helped provide a glimpse of the future where humans begin uploading themselves into artificial avatar bodies, wherever and whenever.
“We are not that far away from being able to feel like we are present somewhere that we are not and feel connected to people, though distant, on a level that is not possible with current technology.”– Bob the Robot
What this will entail for future speakers at a TED Talk event is unclear, but it’s really fun to think about. It would appear that Bob the Robot took one step further than Edward Snowden who delivered a talk last year using a telepresence robot.
FUTURE IMPLICATIONS
While the performance was hardly complicated, given the range of technologies available to us today to remotely control a robot’s bodily movements, it certainly paints a vivid picture as to what the future might hold for all of us. Imagine having the capability of accessing your own personal artificial avatar body, wherever and whenever you want. The implications this will have on the international airline industry is unknown, but it’ll surely take a huge hit as a result. After all, why risk your life flying to another country (or even to another planet!) when instead you can upload yourself into an artificial avatar body that is located in the area you wish to visit?
Photo Credit: RT UK