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From the classic films Metropolis, to Bladerunner and The Terminator, robots have starred in films almost as long as we’ve been making them. Recent technical developments could finally turn sci-fi fantasy into reality. Exponentially growing computer power, miniaturized components, and cheap sonar, infrared, and laser sensors, are all booting up a revolution in robotics. In labs around the world, engineers and scientists are building robots to take over what have always been uniquely human jobs: robot maids to do our laundry, robot workers to handle those tedious jobs on factory assembly lines, rescue robots to lead us out of harm’s way, even robots to teach our kids and care for aging parents. In Rise of the Robots, NOVA explores the astonishing advances in AI and robotics and the role these new technologies may play in our lives. How will communicating with a nanny-bot or a robot teacher change a child’s perception of reality?  Will it be easier to hang out with a robot than it is to negotiate the complexity of a human relationship?  Rise of the Robots examines both the state of the art and the social implications of a world filled with robots. Is this a brave new world, or a future to fear?

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