Mouser Electronics Inc., a leading global distributor of electronic components, along with celebrity engineer Grant Imahara, released the second video in the Generation Robot series, part of Mouser’s award-winning Empowering Innovation Together program.
In the newest video, Imahara travels to Augsburg, Germany, to visit the innovative KUKA Development and Technology Center, where engineers design robots that work in environments from docks to doctors’ offices. Imahara will investigate what it really means for humans and robots to collaborate and how humanity will benefit from this interaction. The new series is once again supported by Mouser’s valued suppliers Analog Devices, Intel, Microchip Technology and Molex.
As robots become more mainstream and begin to work alongside people in all types of industries, concerns and misconceptions around these machines are likely to increase. The new video explores philosophical topics, such as the many benefits of robots’ collaborating with humans (rather than replacing them in many roles) and whether replacement would eliminate jobs. Imahara will also tackle technical concepts like the functional difference between a collaborative robot and traditional industrial robots, as well as the roles of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning in the collaborative robots of the future.
“Robots are undoubtedly a major part of our future, but exactly how we work with them — and alongside them — is still relatively uncertain,” said Glenn Smith, President and CEO of Mouser Electronics. “With the Generation Robot series, Mouser and Grant Imahara look to highlight the top engineering minds that are working to answer these questions.”
“This series looks beyond the basic question of ‘can we build a better robot?’ to the real question: whether we should. And if we do, how does that change our role in the world?” added Imahara.