In 2019, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos predicted that within a decade, robotic systems will be advanced enough to grasp items with the dexterity of a human hand. Three years later, Amazon looks to be making progress toward that goal. A recent video published on the company's science blog features a new "pinch-grasping" robot system that could one day do a lot of the work that humans in Amazon warehouses do today. Or, potentially, help workers do their jobs more easily. The topic of warehouse automation is more relevant than ever in the retail and e-commerce industries, especially for Amazon, which is the largest online retailer and the second-largest private sector employer in the US.

One of the consequences of people being told to stay home to slow the spread of coronavirus is loneliness. And a collection of 13 robotics experts from around the world have a suggestion for how to solve that: a robot pal. The innovation is just one of many mentioned in an open letter by the global contingent of robotics experts who suggest that the coronavirus pandemic should serve as a catalyst for the increased use and development of robots. "Now the impact of COVID-19 may drive further research in robotics to address risks of infectious diseases," says the statement, published March 25 in Science Robotics magazine. The statement aims to inspire more funding to develop these varieties of robots, many of which it became clear were needed during the 2015 Ebola crisis.

Couch potatoes trying to get in shape could one day be helped along their fitness journey by an ankle exoskeleton that makes it easier and less tiring to run. The robotic device attaches to the ankle of joggers and was found in lab tests to slash energy expenditure by 14 per cent when compared to standard running shoes. It was created by robotics experts at Stanford University and funded in part by sporting behemoth Nike. The engineers behind the project say the equipment currently only works on a treadmill and when the device is hooked up to a machine via cables. However, they are working to make the exoskeleton portable and lightweight and easy to integrate into future running equipment.

Paulhamus, a branch supervisor at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory said, told Hill.TV that AI is "very, very far away" from approximating human intelligence, adding that the public should not fear a robot takeover in the near future. "It's not overnight -- it's slowly having this technology creep in to your life," he told Hill.TV's "Rising" in an interview that aired Friday. Paulhamus said he expects the rise of such technology to continue to evolve with in-home products such as Amazon's virtual assistant, Alexa, and to develop as society moves toward "more internet of things." "[People will] start to need a mobile robot to follow you around and it'll slowly start to integrate," he added. But, Paulhamus said, the robotics industry faces a number of limitations when it comes to AI.

The UK's Ministry of Defense envisions the future as a world where artificial intelligence (AI) is critical to national defense. A new Joint Concept Note entitled Human and Machine Teaming suggests that the government should build a registry of security-cleared artificial intelligence and robotics experts, who can be called-up should Queen and country ever require their services. The proposed register is much the same as the cybersecurity experts that GCHQ can call upon. The document focuses on the challenges and opportunities of robotic and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies and how to achieve military advantage through human-machine teams. It also laments the UK's technical skills shortages.

Tesla and SpaceX CEO, Elon Musk recently emphasized the threat Artificial Intelligence (AI) poses on the human race. In an open letter to the United Nations, Musk and other robotic experts, said artificial super intelligence would lead to "lethal autonomous weapons" that would bring the "third revolution in warfare". The letter was signed by 115 robotic experts who feel the need to raise the alarm on artificially intelligent robots – which they state, are a present danger and not necessarily a threat coming in the distant future. If you're not concerned about AI safety, you should be. The letter states that this Pandora's box will be hard to close, once it is opened.

The next great robotic breakthrough is upon us -- according to recent Wall Street Journal reports, it's a machine that can pick up a toy and place it in a box correctly. Admittedly it's a bit more exciting than it sounds, since it may sound like science has designed robots to have the net skill level of a five-year-old human child. But, as it turns out, that simple skill and figuring it out has been a major hurdle to automating warehouse work. But it seems the toy-picking robots may be upon us, as Hudson's Bay Co. and China's JD.com are now testing their own robotic "pickers" distribution centers. According to some robotics experts, robots can move inventory almost 50 percent faster than their human counterparts.

On a crisp october day last year, Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute kicked off its 25th-anniversary celebration, as the world's robotics experts came to Pittsburgh to see C-3PO, Shakey the robot, Honda's Asimo, and Astro Boy inducted into the Robot Hall of Fame. The next day saw demonstrations of running, snaking, and bagpipe-playing bots. On the third day, it was Mitsuo Kawato's turn to speak. The lights went down, and the director of the ATR Computational Neuroscience Laboratories in Kyoto, Japan, made his way to the stage to the beat of rock music. Despite such a welcome, Kawato is an outsider here, dismissive of the self-congratulation that creeps into conversations about modern robotics.

Artificial intelligence could be a reality within years, rather than decades, scientists have said. Elon Musk recently warned AI has the potential to be as dangerous to mankind as nuclear weapons. But is there hope for artificial intelligence in the form of religion? And could faith allow AI to do more good than harm? Elon Musk recently warned AI has the potential to be as dangerous to mankind as nuclear weapons.

Sex with robots might seem like a strange idea, but there are many people who believe it may be the future. Now, experts in the field at planning to gather in London this year to discuss the technology and see it on display. With a focus on'teledildonics' and electronic hardware, the second annual'International Congress on Love and Sex with Robots' will arrive in December. Sex with robots might seem like a strange idea to you, but there are many people who see the benefits of machine loving. Many people can see a variety of benefits that sexbots have to offer.