4 The Record looks at work with robots at CMU

‘The center of the robotic universe’: 4 The Record looks at work with robots at CMU

The director of Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute sits down with host Michelle Wright

Updated: 11:30 AM EST Nov 17, 2024

THE FUTURE GOING TO LOOK LIKE REGARDING ROBOTS? PITTSBURGH BECOMING HOME BASE FOR A TECHNOLOGICAL REVOLUTION? I THINK THAT THERE’S GOING TO BE A LOT OF OPPORTUNITY FOR PITTSBURGH TO CONTINUE TO GROW ECONOMICALLY, AND THIS CONTINUE TO BE THE CENTER OF THE ROBOTIC UNIVERSE. ROBOTICS TAKING CENTER STAGE WITH NEW INNOVATIONS SIMILAR TO HOW YOU WOULD TRAIN A DOG. SO WE GIVE IT A REWARD AND HOW THEY COULD SOON CREATE SOLUTIONS IN OUR OWN LIVES. YOU THINK EVERYONE’S GOING TO HAVE A ROBOT IN THEIR HOME? FOR THE RECORD, STARTS NOW. WELCOME TO. FOR THE RECORD, I’M MICHELLE WRIGHT. TODAY, PITTSBURGH IS LEADING THE WAY IN THE FUTURE OF ROBOTICS. FOR THE RECORD, SPEAKING WITH THE BRIGHT MINDS AT CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY AND GETTING AN INSIDE LOOK AT THE ROBOTIC TECHNOLOGY THEY’RE DEVELOPING, LET’S KICK THINGS OFF WITH MY INTERVIEW WITH MATTHEW JOHNSON. ROBERTSON, THE HEAD OF CMU’S ROBOTICS INSTITUTE. I’M SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS, FOR THE RECORD, BECAUSE I’VE BEEN BEHIND THE SCENES AT YOUR LAB AND SEEING THE AMAZING ROBOTS THAT YOU GUYS ARE DOING, CARNEGIE MELLON RANKS NUMBER ONE AROUND THE WORLD FOR THIS. THAT’S RIGHT. YEAH. SO CARNEGIE MELLON HAS BEEN DOING ROBOTICS FOR ALMOST 40 YEARS. AND WE’RE INCREDIBLY PROUD OF ALL THE WORK THAT’S BEING DONE THERE. IT’S A BIG DEPARTMENT. AND SO WE HAVE ALMOST A THOUSAND PEOPLE THAT WORK ON ROBOTICS. AND IT’S ALL RIGHT HERE IN PITTSBURGH, WHICH IS AND EVERYONE AROUND THE WORLD IS WATCHING WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE IN PITTSBURGH. AND SO WE WANT TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT, BECAUSE YOU WERE BRINGING THE FUTURE TO THE WORLD BASED RIGHT HERE IN PITTSBURGH. WHAT IS THE FUTURE GOING TO LOOK LIKE REGARDING ROBOTS? IT’S A SUPER EXCITING TIME FOR ROBOTICS. SO BECAUSE OF ALL THE INFLUENCE OF AI AND SORT OF THE ADVANCES IN THAT TECHNOLOGY, WE HAVE ROBOTS THAT ARE WAY MORE CAPABLE THAN EVER BEFORE. AND SO WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT WE CAN SOLVE LOTS OF PROBLEMS THAT HUMANITY FACES WITH THESE ROBOTS. AND WE’RE TRYING TO BUILD ALL OF THAT HERE AT CARNEGIE MELLON. WHAT KIND OF PROBLEMS THAT HUMANITY IS FACING, DO YOU THINK WILL COME FIRST? YEAH. SO SOME BIG ONES ARE AGRICULTURE. SO BEING ABLE TO FEED THE WHOLE WORLD. AND SO WORKING ON ROBOTS THAT CAN GROW FOOD OR HELP US TO GROW FOOD MORE EFFICIENTLY, WE THINK ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE AND ALL THE IMPACTS OF THAT. SO HOW DO WE MONITOR THAT AND MITIGATE SOME OF THOSE IMPACTS USING ROBOTICS MEDICAL ROBOTS. SO HOW DO WE LIVE HEALTHIER, LONGER LIVES? ROBOTS FOR SAFETY THINGS LIKE CONSTRUCTION, MANUFACTURING AND THEN ALSO SEARCH AND RESCUE. SO IN DISASTER SCENARIOS HOW DO WE FIND PEOPLE AND GET HELP TO THEM? REALLY LIFE SAVING THINGS? I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK OF THE JETSONS AND ROSIE THE ROBOT. I THINK THE MAGE WAS CLEANING YOUR HOUSE, BUT IT’S REALLY SOME LIFE SAVING EFFORTS THAT YOU GUYS ARE FOCUSING ON, WHICH COULD MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD. YEAH. SO, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE GOING TO BE ROBOTS FOR THE HOME EVENTUALLY. AND WE REALLY HOPE THAT THERE ARE THINGS THAT CLEAN UP AND FOLD LAUNDRY AND DO DISHES. BUT RIGHT NOW, SOME OF THE MORE PRESSING PROBLEMS ARE ONES THAT REALLY ARE AT THE SORT OF LIFE SAVING END. AND SO AS WE KIND OF CONTINUE TO DEVELOP THOSE, WE THINK THAT THAT TECHNOLOGY IS GOING TO FILTER INTO MORE AND MORE COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS AND THAT YOU WILL GET SOME ROBOTS IN YOUR HOME, HOPEFULLY OVER THE NEXT DECADE. AMAZING. OVER THE NEXT DECADE. THAT’S NOT TOO FAR AWAY TO HAVE A ROAD. YOU THINK EVERYONE’S GOING TO HAVE A ROBOT IN THEIR HOME? I THINK IN TEN YEARS THERE WILL BE ROBOTS, PROBABLY MULTIPLE ROBOTS IN YOUR HOME. YOU KNOW, YOU CAN THINK ABOUT RIGHT NOW, ROBOT VACUUM CLEANERS AND VOICE ASSISTANTS AND HOW SORT OF UBIQUITOUS THOSE ARE. I THINK WE’RE GOING TO SEE THAT SAME KIND OF TECHNOLOGY IN PEOPLE’S HOMES. BUT FOR LOTS OF MORE, MORE COMPLICATED THINGS THAT ARE PERHAPS WE CAN’T DO RIGHT NOW. LIKE WHAT? WELL, SO EVERYTHING FROM CLEANING UP TO TAKING CARE OF YOU AS YOU AGE TO HELPING YOU STAY IN YOUR HOME LONGER, TO DOING OTHER THINGS LIKE MAYBE EVEN WALKING YOUR DOG OR DOING OTHER DAILY TASKS THAT YOU KNOW RIGHT NOW, OBVIOUSLY WE HAVE PEOPLE DO TO MAKE OUR LIVES MUCH EASIER AND SAFER, BUT HERE’S THE QUESTION A LOT OF PEOPLE, WHEN WE BRING UP ROBOTS, ARE WORRIED ABOUT THEIR OWN JOBS AND THE FACT THAT SOME ROBOT TECHNOLOGY COULD PUT THEM OUT OF WORK. AND WHAT IS YOUR RESPONSE TO THAT? OF COURSE, THAT’S REALLY SCARY. AND THAT’S ONE OF THE THINGS WE THINK ABOUT. SO IN FACT, IN OUR CLASSES, WE HAVE BOTH ETHICS MODULES THAT HELP US THINK ABOUT HOW THIS TECHNOLOGY IS BEING BUILT, BUT ALSO WHAT IT’S GOING TO BE USED FOR. AND WHAT’S THE IMPACT ON PEOPLE. AND AT THE END OF THE DAY, WHAT WE REALLY CARE ABOUT IS MAKING HUMAN LIVES BETTER. AND SO WE WANT TO BUILD SYSTEMS AND ROBOTS THAT ARE GOING TO DO THAT. AND WE DON’T WANT TO REPLACE PEOPLE’S JOBS. WE WANT TO HAVE ROBOTS THAT WORK ALONGSIDE THEM TO MAKE IT EASIER, MORE CONVENIENT, SAFER FOR THEM TO LIVE THEIR LIVES. SOME PEOPLE, WHEN WE BRING UP ROBOTS, ESPECIALLY THOSE HUMANOID ROBOTS, EVEN THE DOG ROBOTS THAT WE’VE BEEN FEATURING THIS PAST WEEK, A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE SCARED OF IT. IT CAN BE FRIGHTENING. YOU THINK OF THE MOVIES AND HOW ROBOTS CAN TURN ON HUMANS. IS THAT A REALITY? COULD THAT HAPPEN? COULD THE TECHNOLOGY ONE DAY OVERTAKE THE HUMAN POPULATION? SO I DON’T THINK SO. YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY MOVIES AND SCI FI HAVE GIVEN US A LOT OF REALLY SCARY NARRATIVES, NOT JUST ABOUT ROBOTS, BUT ALSO ABOUT AI. I DO THINK IT’S REALLY CRITICAL THAT WE ARE REALLY CAREFUL ABOUT THE WAY WE BUILD THESE SYSTEMS, SO THAT THEY ARE SAFE, BUT I THINK THE RISKS ARE MUCH MORE MUNDANE IN TERMS OF SYSTEMS. MAYBE FAILING AND CAUSING HARM THAT WAY, BUT I DON’T THINK WE’RE GOING TO FACE A ROBOT REVOLUTION THAT TAKES OVER AND KILLS US. THAT IS REASSURING TO HEAR. NO ROBOT REVOLUTION. THAT’S IMPORTANT HERE. WE SHOULD HAVE BROUGHT THAT UP AT THE VERY BEGINNING, I THINK. TELL ME SOME OF THE COOLEST THINGS THAT YOU GUYS ARE WORKING ON RIGHT NOW. SO SOME OF MY FAVORITE PROJECTS, WE HAVE A LOT OF FLYING ROBOTS. AND SO PROBABLY ONE OF THE BIG APPLICATIONS THERE IS SEARCH AND RESCUE. SO THINK ABOUT AN EARTHQUAKE OR SOME OTHER KIND OF NATURAL DISASTER. THESE ROBOTS CAN GO IN AND SEARCH AND FIND PEOPLE REALLY, REALLY QUICKLY. AND THEN FIGURE OUT WHO NEEDS THE MOST HELP FIRST. AND SO I THINK THAT THAT’S A REALLY COOL PROJECT. ON THE AGRICULTURAL FRONT. WE HAVE ROBOTS THAT ARE DOING EVERYTHING FROM HELPING US TO PICK GRAPES TO KILL INVASIVE SPECIES THAT ARE LIMITING CROP GROWTH. WE HAVE OTHER KINDS OF ROBOTS THAT ARE MEDICAL THAT ARE THINKING ABOUT HOW DO WE MAKE SURGERIES SAFER, FASTER, IMPROVE RECOVERY SPEED. WE HAVE OTHER ROBOT SYSTEMS THAT ARE LIKE I BUILD, THAT ARE UNDERWATER, THAT ARE HELPING US TO EXPLORE THE OCEANS, TO FIND CORAL REEFS OR SHIPWRECKS OR SUBMERGED CITIES. WHEN YOU BROUGHT UP KILLING INVASIVE SPECIES, ARE YOU SAYING THAT THERE COULD BE A ROBOT DEPLOYED TO ATTACK THE SPOTTED LANTERNFLY? WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT EXACTLY? IN FACT, THERE IS A PROJECT THAT WAS DESIGNED TO ATTACK THE SPOTTED LANTERNFLY WITH A ROBOT WITH A ROBOT ARM. TELL ME ABOUT THAT. I THINK IT USED A LASER TO IDENTIFY THE THE SPOTTED LANTERNFLY AND TO KILL THEM. AND WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT PROJECT? I THINK IT’S STILL ONGOING. YOU KNOW, MOTHER NATURE HAS HELPED US OUT QUITE A BIT WITH THE SPOTTED LANTERNFLY AND I THINK SOME OF THE WEATHER FLUCTUATIONS. BUT I THINK THEY’RE STILL WORKING ON IT. AND TRYING TO PLAY IT. WOW. THAT WOULD BE INCREDIBLE BECAUSE THEY ARE DISGUSTING. BUT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT A ROBOT BEING ABLE TO ATTACK SPOTTED LANTERNFLY. BUT THEN OTHER INVASIVE SPECIES TOO. TELL ME ABOUT WHAT ELSE COULD BE INVOLVED WITH THAT. YEAH. SO WE WORK ON SEA URCHINS, WHICH ARE ACTUALLY PRETTY PROBLEMATIC. THEY LIVE ON THE BOTTOM OF SHIPPING VESSELS AND THEY DROP OFF. THEY EAT UP ALL THE KELP. AND SO WE’RE WORKING ON FIGURING OUT WAYS TO TRY TO STOP THEM FROM REPRODUCING AND TAKING OVER SORT OF NATIVE HABITATS. RIGHT. BUT YOU’RE STILL ASSURING US THAT ROBOTS COULDN’T TURN AROUND AND DO THAT TO US? NO. SO ALL OF THESE ROBOTS ARE REALLY LACK THE SORT OF INDEPENDENCE THAT WOULD BE NECESSARY TO DO ALL OF THAT. THEY’RE PREPROGRAMED TO TO DO THE RIGHT THING. STILL AHEAD ON FOR THE RECORD. CAN YOU DESCRIBE FOR PEOPLE HOW SIGNIFICANT WORLDWIDE WHAT YOU’RE DOING? HERE IS MORE OF MY INTERVIEW WITH THE HEAD OF CMU’S ROBOTICS INSTITUTE AND HOW PITTSBURGH CONTINUES TO BE THE CENTER OF THE ROBOTIC UNIVERSE. WELCOME BACK TO FOR THE RECORD, IN OUR LAST SEGMENT, WE TOLD YOU HOW ROBOTS ARE EXPECTED TO BE A PART OF ALL OF OUR LIVES IN THE NEAR FUTURE. AND THAT IS IN LARGE PART THANKS TO THE INCREDIBLE MINDS AT CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY. I WANT TO CONTINUE NOW WITH MY INTERVIEW WITH MATTHEW JOHNSON ROBERTSON, THE HEAD OF CMU’S ROBOTICS INSTITUTE. HE TELLS ME MORE ABOUT HOW THESE ROBOTS LEARN AND WHAT THIS TECHNOLOGY MEANS FOR THE YEARS AHEAD. YOU KNOW, WE LOVE BRAGGING ABOUT PITTSBURGH AND SPOTLIGHTING WHAT’S HAPPENING IN OUR CITY. CAN YOU DESCRIBE FOR PEOPLE HOW SIGNIFICANT WORLDWIDE WHAT YOU’RE DOING HERE IS? YEAH, CARNEGIE MELLON IS REALLY WELL KNOWN FOR ROBOTICS ACROSS THE ENTIRE WORLD. AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I’M REALLY PROUD OF IS WHEN I GO PLACES PEOPLE ALWAYS WANT TO TALK TO ME ABOUT ROBOTICS BECAUSE THEY KNOW NOT JUST ABOUT CARNEGIE MELLON, BUT THAT PITTSBURGH IS REALLY THE HOME OF OF, YOU KNOW, WHERE THE ROBOTIC FRONTIER IS. AND SO NOT ONLY DO WE HAVE A BUNCH OF WORLD CLASS UNIVERSITIES HERE, BUT WE ALSO HAVE A NUMBER OF COMPANIES, STARTUP COMPANIES, AND MORE MATURE COMPANIES THAT WORK ON ROBOTICS AND ARE BUILDING PRODUCTS THAT ARE TRYING TO GO INTO PEOPLE’S HOMES. HOW IMPORTANT DO YOU THINK THE FUTURE IS REGARDING ROBOTICS? I THINK THIS REPRESENTS A HUGE ECONOMIC SECTOR, RIGHT. SO YOU THINK ABOUT ALL THE THINGS WE DO THAT ARE IN THE PHYSICAL WORLD. THAT’S EVERYTHING FROM MOVING THINGS AROUND. SO TRANSPORTATION, LOGISTICS, AGRICULTURE, MANUFACTURING, ALL OF THOSE SECTORS REPRESENT A HUGE SEGMENT OF THE ECONOMY, MUCH LARGER THAN, YOU KNOW, ALL OF FINANCE AND EVERYTHING ELSE THAT’S DIGITAL. THOSE PHYSICAL PARTS OF THE WORLD ARE SOMETHING THAT I THINK IS GOING TO BE INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT TO BRING AUTOMATION AND AI TO. AND THAT’S REALLY WHERE ROBOTICS COMES INTO PLAY. AND SO MOVING FORWARD, AS WE SEE, YOU KNOW, BETTER INTELLIGENCE, MORE AUTOMATION, I THINK THAT THERE’S GOING TO BE A LOT OF OPPORTUNITY FOR PITTSBURGH TO CONTINUE TO GROW ECONOMICALLY. AND THIS CONTINUES TO BE THE CENTER OF THE ROBOTIC UNIVERSE. AND WE LOVE THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE WHEN IT COMES TO PITTSBURGH. YOU ARE ATTRACTING STUDENTS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD. THE BRIGHTEST AND THE BEST OF THE WORLD IS COMING RIGHT HERE. AND THAT’S REALLY SIGNIFICANT FOR US, TOO. YEAH, WE HAVE STUDENTS FROM OVER 100 COUNTRIES, BUT WE’RE ALSO REALLY PROUD THAT WE’RE ABLE TO SERVE A LOT OF PENNSYLVANIANS. AND SO WE HAVE A TON OF STUDENTS FROM THE STATE THAT COME AND LEARN ABOUT ROBOTICS HERE. AND THEN DECIDE THAT THAT’S WHAT THEY WANT TO DO WITH THEIR LIVES. AND SO I THINK THAT’S REALLY SPECIAL AS WELL. SO YOU THINK IN TEN YEARS OR SO WE COULD HAVE A ROBOT IN OUR HOME? I DO. I THINK THAT THERE’S GOING TO BE A TON OF OPPORTUNITIES AND HOPEFULLY HELP YOU DO ALL KINDS OF THINGS AROUND THE HOUSE THAT ARE PRETTY BORING AND UNFUN RIGHT NOW. I HAVE A LONG CHECKLIST, SO I’M WAITING FOR MY ROBOT TO GET AND DO THAT. THE ROBOT DOG WE FEATURED TO THIS WEEK ADORABLE AND SMALLER. I THINK IN A LITTLE BIT MORE ACCEPTABLE TO PEOPLE. YOU THINK PEOPLE ARE GOING TO HAVE THAT ROBOT DOG TOO? YEAH, I THINK DOGS LIKE THAT, AND THEY SORT OF QUADRUPED. SO THESE MULTI LEGGED ROBOTS THAT ARE REALLY SMALL ARE EXCELLENT EXAMPLES OF SAFER ROBOTS THAT ARE EASY TO HAVE AROUND. AND WE’RE THINKING ABOUT WAYS THAT THEY CAN BE IN PEOPLE’S LIVES DAY TO DAY. ONE THING INTERESTING THAT I LEARNED WHEN I WAS OVER VISITING YOUR LAB IS THAT INTUITIVE LEARNING. I STILL DON’T QUITE UNDERSTAND HOW IN THE WORLD IT’S POSSIBLE, BUT YOU’RE TEACHING YOUR ROBOTS TO TEACH THEMSELVES BY TRIAL AND ERROR, AND WATCHING YOUTUBE VIDEOS. TELL ME MORE ABOUT THAT. YEAH. SO ONE OF THE HARDEST THINGS FOR ROBOTS IS TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO EVEN BASIC TASKS FOR US LIKE TO MAKE A SALAD OR TO CLEAN A DISH. AND SO WE USED TO HAVE TO REALLY PREPROGRAM ROBOTS TO DO A LOT OF THAT. AND THAT MADE IT REALLY DIFFICULT BECAUSE THERE’S, YOU KNOW, THOUSANDS OF TASKS IN YOUR HOME THAT YOU’D WANT TO DO. AND SO NOW WE’RE USING THE ABILITY TO DEMONSTRATE TASKS TO ROBOTS FROM THINGS LIKE YOUTUBE VIDEOS. AND THERE’S OBVIOUSLY BILLIONS OF YOUTUBE VIDEOS OUT THERE, PEOPLE DOING ALL KINDS OF THINGS. AND THE IDEA IS IF WE CAN LEARN FROM THOSE, THEN THAT MAKES THE ROBOT MUCH MORE VERSATILE. AND THAT’S REALLY WHERE ROBOTICS IS HEADING, A MUCH GREATER INTELLIGENCE THAT’S ABLE TO THINK ABOUT A WIDE VARIETY OF TASKS AND NOT DO ONE SPECIFIC PREPROGRAMED THING, BUT DO ALL THE THINGS THAT YOU MIGHT NEED IN A KITCHEN OR IN CLEANING A BATHROOM. SO YOUR ROBOTS CAN BINGE WATCH YOUTUBE VIDEOS. IS THERE SOMETHING THAT I’VE UPLOADED THAT THEY COULD BE OBSERVING? YEAH. SO, I MEAN, REALLY THEY LOOK AT ALL KINDS OF THE WAYS THAT HUMANS DO THINGS. SO THAT’S EVERYTHING FROM WALK TO, AGAIN, OPEN A FRIDGE AND THERE COULD BE USING ANY OF THAT TO KIND OF LEARN HOW TO DO THOSE TASKS BETTER. HOW ABOUT RYAN RECKER GOLF SWING? MY CO-ANCHOR? ARE THEY GOING TO BE WATCHING RYAN SWING A CLUB? YOU KNOW, WHEN WE GET A ROBOT THAT’S PLAYING GOLF, I’M SURE THEY’RE GOING TO NEED THAT. ALL RIGHT. ANYTHING ELSE THAT YOU’D LIKE TO ADD BEFORE I LET YOU GO? NO. JUST THAT I THINK WE’RE REALLY EXCITED. AND YOU KNOW, WE’RE REALLY PROUD THAT ALL OF US CAN BE IN PITTSBURGH. AND SO WE’RE JUST HAPPY THAT WE CAN BE A PART OF IT. STILL AHEAD, THE WHOLE PREMISE OF LEARNING THAT IT MAKES ROBOTS MORE SAFE THAN DANGEROUS, MORE OF THE INNOVATION HAPPENING RIGHT HERE IN PITTSBURGH. AN INSIDE LOOK AT HOW THESE ROBOTS ARE LEARNING AND WHAT THINGS COULD LOOK LIKE IN THE NEXT DECADE OR TWO. WELCOME BACK TO FOR THE RECORD, WE CONTINUE FOLLOWING THE GROUNDBREAKING WORK WITH ROBOTICS HAPPENING HERE IN PITTSBURGH AT CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY. I NOW SPEAK WITH DEEPAK PATHAK, RECENTLY NAMED BY MIT ON THEIR LIST OF 35 INNOVATORS UNDER 35. TAKE A LOOK ABOUT THAT, BECAUSE IT’S MORE THAN JUST ROBOTICS. YOU ARE ACTUALLY TEACHING THESE ROBOTS HOW TO LEARN. A LOT OF PEOPLE MIGHT BE A LITTLE SCARED ABOUT THAT WITH THE ROBOTS BEING ABLE TO LEARN. LET ME JUST ASK YOU HOW THEY CAN HELP US IN SOCIETY. I THINK. SO THERE ARE TWO QUESTIONS INTO THIS. LIKE HOW ABOUT LEARNING AND ABOUT SOCIETY, RIGHT. AND THE SOCIETAL ASPECTS ARE VERY EVIDENTLY CLEAR. LIKE FOR INSTANCE, I HAVE BEEN IN PITTSBURGH FOR FOUR YEARS. I BOUGHT A HOUSE HERE AND TODAY, IF I WANT TO GET ANY REPAIR DONE IN THE HOUSE OR ANY PART OF IT, IT’S LIKE A SIX MONTHS WAITING. IF MY ROOF LEAKS, I HAVE TO WAIT SIX MONTHS TO GET SOME CONTRACTOR TO REALLY FIX IT PROPERLY AND NOT PATCHING IT. AND THIS IS THE ISSUE THAT WE ARE SEEING ALL AROUND US. FOR INSTANCE, LIKE LIKE THE WORKERS WHO ARE DOING VERY DANGEROUS JOBS AT THE LOWEST LEVEL, LIKE THEY DON’T WANT THEIR GENERATION, THE FUTURE GENERATION TO DO THE SAME JOB. SIMILARLY, IF YOU LOOK AT THE CURRENT HEALTH CARE SYSTEM, ALL THE WORKERS ARE HEAVILY STRESSED IN TERMS OF THE LIKE, THE AMOUNT OF HOURS THEY HAVE TO PUT IN FOR THE SAME AMOUNT OF JOB THAT THEY HAD TO DO, LIKE TEN YEARS AGO. IF YOU LOOK AT THE RATIOS OF THE POPULATION, THE AVERAGE AGE OF POPULATION IS GOING UP, IS GOING UP, AND UP, WHICH MEANS YOU NEED A LOT OF WORKERS TO TAKE CARE OF OUR ELDERLY PEOPLE IN THE LONGER RUN. AND THE WHOLE PREMISE OF AI IN THIS, THE WHOLE PREMISE OF LEARNING THAT IT MAKES ROBOTS MORE SAFE THAN DANGEROUS, LIKE THESE ROBOTS CAN ACTUALLY EXIST AROUND PEOPLE. YOU CAN INTERACT WITH THEM, AND THE WHOLE MOTOR CONTROL IN THE ROBOTS IS LEARNED ALL THE WAY TO THE END, WHICH MAKES THEM VERY AGILE, FLEXIBLE, LIKE HOW HUMANS ARE WITH EACH OTHER. AND THIS IS THE PARADOX. LIKE THE LEARNING ACTUALLY MAKES THEM SAFER AND EASIER TO WORK WITH COMPARED TO THE EARLIER ASPECT. HOW DO YOU FORESEE THE FUTURE WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT WHAT LIFE IS GOING TO BE LIKE IN 10 OR 20 YEARS, OR EVEN IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS? HOW DO YOU SEE THINGS CHANGING? LIKE IT WOULD BE VERY WEIRD IF, FOR INSTANCE, LIKE IN TEN, 20 YEARS FROM TODAY, IF PEOPLE HAVE TO DO SUCH DANGEROUS JOB THAT THEY HAVE TO DO WHERE THEY RISK THEIR LIFE FOR ANY WORK LIKE THAT SHOULDN’T BE THE CASE. LIKE, AND I WOULD BE DISAPPOINTED IF THOSE THINGS ARE NOT AUTOMATED OR IT’S NOT MADE. IT EASIER FOR PEOPLE TO DO LIKE REPEATABLE, MUNDANE JOBS LIKE LIKE YOU ARE DOING JOBS WHERE YOU ARE CONSTANTLY BENT OVER TIME TO DO SOMETHING AND IT’S BAD FOR YOUR BACK POSTURE. WORKING NEAR MINING AREAS WHERE IT’S BAD FOR YOUR HEALTH, LIKE I BELIEVE ALL THOSE AREAS CAN BE AUTOMATED. THE POTENTIAL IS LIMITLESS. LIKE THE SAME THING THAT MAY BE HELPING YOUR LIKE A HOUSEHOLD ROBOT DOING THING IN YOUR HOUSE. THE SAME TECHNOLOGY IS HELPING YOU FIND NEW MEDICINE, NEW DRUGS, MAYBE CURE FOR LIKE DISEASES WHICH ARE VERY HARD TO CURE. TODAY WE HAVE CANCER AND MANY OTHER CANDIDATES IN THAT CATEGORY, AND I BELIEVE THIS WILL BE A FUTURE WHERE MANY OF THESE THINGS WILL BE THERE. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, WE HAVE TO ALSO MAKE SURE THAT THE DUAL USE PART IS TAKEN CARE OF, AS IN, IT IS. THERE IS NO FOUL PLAY IN THE USE OF THIS TECHNOLOGY. IT’S TOO POWERFUL. HOW DO YOU KNOW WHETHER OR NOT THERE’S GOING TO BE FOUL PLAY? AND HOW DO YOU CONTROL THAT? I DON’T KNOW IF WHETHER OR NOT I THINK IT’S HARD TO SAY. RIGHT. BUT THE POTENTIAL FOR GOOD IS WAY BIGGER HERE. LIKE A CURE FOR LIKE CHRONIC DISEASES OR A LIFE THREATENING DISEASES IS MUCH BIGGER THAN ANYTHING ELSE FOR THOSE OF US WHO AREN’T IN THIS INDUSTRY, IT’S MIND BLOWING TO THINK THAT A ROBOT CAN LEARN AND ADAPT. HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE? THE KEY INSIGHT WE HAVE GOTTEN TO IS THIS IDEA OF ADAPTATION, WHICH YOU DESCRIBE FOR INSTANCE, LET US SAY, LET US SAY FOR ARGUMENT’S LET’S SAY YOU GREW UP IN SAN DIEGO. YOU HAVE NEVER SEEN SNOW IN YOUR LIFE. THEN YOU COME TO PITTSBURGH AND YOU SEE SNOW FOR THE FIRST TIME, AND THEN YOU TRY TO WALK OVER IT. DO YOU LEARN WALKING ALL OVER AGAIN? LIKE HOW YOU WERE FIVE MONTHS OR SIX MONTHS OLD? NOT REALLY. YOU WALK AND THEN YOU SAY, OH, WHAT? THIS IS DIFFERENT. THEN YOU WILL ADJUST IN LIKE COUPLE OF SECONDS AND THEN YOU START WALKING ALL OVER AGAIN. SO THAT IS ADAPTATION, RIGHT THERE HAPPENING IN YOUR BODY. YOUR FEET FEEL THAT THE GROUND IS NOT YET SOLID, NOT AS SOLID AS MY GROUND IN SAN DIEGO. IT IS DEPRESSING AND THEN THE WHOLE BODY CAN ACCOUNT FOR IT. SO THIS IS THE THIS YOU DO ADAPTATION ALL THE TIME. LIKE WHEN YOU GO AND REACH TOWARDS A DOOR, YOUR HAND SLIPS YOUR MIND IMMEDIATELY LEARNS TO ACCOUNT FOR IT. SO WHICH IS THIS NOTION OF MUSCLE MEMORY THAT YOUR BODY HAS? YOU DO NOT EVEN HAVE TO. HOW CAN A ROBOT DO THAT? WE FIRST TELL THE ROBOT AS IF IT KNEW EVERYTHING ABOUT THE WORLD, AND LET IT LEARN A BEHAVIOR AND THEN WE ASK IT, CAN YOU ACTUALLY LEARN TO REPLICATE THIS IDEA BY JUST USING THE HISTORY OF HISTORY OF WHAT YOU ARE SEEING IN THE ENVIRONMENT? SO FROM THE PAST ONE ONE SECOND, FIVE SECOND, WHATEVER HISTORY THE ROBOT HAS TO SEE AND HAS TO REACT IN THIS ENVIRONMENT AND WE RANDOMIZE THIS SCENARIO, A LOT. SO THE IDEA IS THIS ROBOT TODAY, I BELIEVE YOU CAN PUT IT ON MARS AND IT WILL STILL WORK BECAUSE IT IS NOT TRAINED FOR EARTH. IT IS NOT TRAINED FOR THESE GROUND. IT IS TRAINED TO ADAPT. DO YOU THINK HERE IN PITTSBURGH THAT THE TEAM HERE IS REALLY SHAPING THE FUTURE? YES, YES, I ABSOLUTELY THINK THE FUTURE WILL BE DIFFERENT BECAUSE OF WHAT YOU’RE DOING HERE, BECAUSE WHAT THE GROUP IS DOING HERE, NOT JUST ME, BUT YES, I THINK I THINK SO. I THINK YOU’RE WATCHING FOR THE RECORD, WE’RE BACK WITH A LOOK AT WHAT’S AHEAD ON NEXT WEEK’S SHOW. RIGHT AFTER THIS. WELCOME BACK TO FOR THE RECORD, THANKSGIVING IS LESS THAN TWO WEEKS AWAY. AND THAT MEANS THE SEASON OF GIVING IS UPON US. SO MANY FOLKS ARE LOOKING TO HELP OUR NEIGHBORS IN NEED DURING THE HOLIDAY SEASON. AND NEXT WEEK WE SPEAK WITH SOME OF THE FOLKS LEADING THAT CHARGE, INCLUDING THE NEW CEO OF 412 FOOD RESCUE. TAKE A LISTEN TO PART OF MY INTERVIEW. IT IS THE HOLIDAY SEASON NOW, AND I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE THINKING ABOUT DIFFERENT WAYS THAT THEY CAN HELP THEIR NEIGHBORS IN NEED. HOW GREAT IS THE NEED IN THIS PART OF OUR STATE? WELL, UNFORTUNATELY, WE ARE SEEING A GROWING NEED. WE ALL KNOW THAT GROCERIES COST MORE THESE DAYS THAN THEY HAD IN THE PAST, AND FOR PEOPLE WHO MAY NOT HAVE A LOT OF RESOURCES, THEY HAVE TOUGH DECISIONS TO MAKE. SO ARE THEY GOING TO BUY MEDICINE OR ARE THEY GOING TO PAY THEIR RENT? AND SO OFTENTIMES IT’S THAT FOOD BUDGET THAT THEY CAN CAN BE FLEXIBLE WITH A LITTLE BIT. SO WE SEE A GROWING NEED FOR PEOPLE TO HAVE FOOD AND WE KNOW THAT COME THE HOLIDAYS PEOPLE ARE HAVING FAMILY OVER. THEY’RE HAVING PARTIES. THEY WANT TO HAVE A NICE MEAL FOR THEIR FAMILIES, CATCH THAT INTERVIEW AND SO MUCH MORE. ON. FOR THE RECORD, NEXT SUNDAY MORNING AT 1130 RIGHT HERE ON WTAE, CHANNEL FOUR. THAT’S ALL FOR NOW. I’M MICHELLE WRIGHT, HAVE A GREAT WEEK.

‘The center of the robotic universe’: 4 The Record looks at work with robots at CMU

The director of Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute sits down with host Michelle Wright

Updated: 11:30 AM EST Nov 17, 2024

On Sunday, 4 The Record host Michelle Wright sat down with Matthew Johnson-Roberson, director of the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University, to discuss the groundbreaking work happening with robotics at the school.The interview followed Wright’s visit to the lab at CMU.”Carnegie Mellon has been doing robotics for almost 40 years, and we’re incredibly proud of all the work that’s being done there,” Johnson-Roberson said. “It’s a super exciting time for robotics. Because of all the influence of AI and the advances in that technology, have robots that are way more capable than ever before.”Johnson-Roberson said robotics could be a key component to Pittsburgh’s future.”I think that there’s going to be a lot of opportunity for Pittsburgh to continue to grow economically,” he said. “And this continues to be the center of the robotic universe.”WATCH THIS WEEK’S EPISODE OF 4 THE RECORD IN THE VIDEO PLAYER ABOVE

PITTSBURGH —

On Sunday, 4 The Record host Michelle Wright sat down with Matthew Johnson-Roberson, director of the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University, to discuss the groundbreaking work happening with robotics at the school.

The interview followed Wright’s visit to the lab at CMU.

“Carnegie Mellon has been doing robotics for almost 40 years, and we’re incredibly proud of all the work that’s being done there,” Johnson-Roberson said. “It’s a super exciting time for robotics. Because of all the influence of AI and the advances in that technology, have robots that are way more capable than ever before.”

Johnson-Roberson said robotics could be a key component to Pittsburgh’s future.

“I think that there’s going to be a lot of opportunity for Pittsburgh to continue to grow economically,” he said. “And this continues to be the center of the robotic universe.”

WATCH THIS WEEK’S EPISODE OF 4 THE RECORD IN THE VIDEO PLAYER ABOVE