Emerging Technologies

TOPICS
•ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
•TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES IN MEDICINE
•TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES IN THE MILITARY
•SOCIETAL IMPLICATIONS OF EMERGING TECHNOLOGY
Intended Learning Outcomes and Topics
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:
1.Explain what is meant by the term artificial intelligence (AI) and list
some AI applications.
2.List some new and upcoming technological advances in medicine.
3.Name some new and upcoming technological advances in the
military.
4.Discuss the potential societal implications of emerging
technologies.
What Is Artificial Intelligence (AI)?
• Artificial intelligence (AI) - When a computer performs actions that
are characteristic of human intelligence.
• John McCarthy coined the term artificial intelligence (AI) in 1956
and is considered by many to be one of its fathers, AI is “the science
and engineering of making intelligent machines.”
• In other words, AI researchers are working to create intelligent
devices controlled by intelligent software programs; in essence,
machines that think and act like people and that perform in ways
that would be considered intelligent if observed in human beings.
 Turing Test
• In 1950, Alan Turing—one of the first AI researchers—argued that if
a machine could successfully appear to be human to a
knowledgeable observer, then it should be considered intelligent.

https://youtu.be/3wLqsRLvV-c
AI Applications
• Intelligent Agents
• Expert Systems
• Neural Networks
• Robotics
Intelligent Agents
• also called smart assistants) are programs that perform specific
tasks to help make a user’s work environment more efficient or
entertaining.
• Typically, the agent program runs in the background until it is time
for the agent to perform a task, and it usually modifies its behavior
based on the user’s actions or instructions.
Intelligent agents are found on Web sites, as well as incorporated into software
programs and mobile operating systems. Some specific types of intelligent agents
include the following:

• Application assistants—provide help or assistance for a particular

application program. Some can detect when the user might be having
trouble with the program and automatically offer appropriate advice.
Others add speech capabilities to common programs, such as instant
messaging programs.
• Shopping bots—search online stores to find the best prices for specified products.
• Entertainment bots—provide entertainment, such as a virtual pet to take care of or
an animated character to play games with.
• Chatterbots—carry on written “conversations” with people in a natural language
(such as English, Spanish, French, or Japanese). Chatterbots typically respond both
verbally and with appropriate facial expressions to create the illusion that the
exchange is taking place between two thinking, living entities.
 • Intelligent agents are expected to be an important part
of the Semantic Web—a predicted evolution of the
current Web in which all Web content is stored in
formats that are more easily read by software
applications and intelligent agents so those tools can
perform an increasing number of tasks.
• To accomplish this, the semantics (structure) of the data
is defined in a standard manner (using tags and other
identifying data).
• Whether or not the Semantic Web—viewed as part of
the next generation Web 3.0 by some—actually arrives,
and arrives in the format in which it is now envisioned,
remains to be seen.
A Web page chatterbot.
Expert System
• These are software programs that can make decisions and draw
conclusions, similar to a human expert.

Expert systems have two main components:

1.a knowledge base - a database that contains facts provided by a
human expert and rules that the expert system should use to make
decisions based on those facts
2.an inference engine - a software program that applies the rules to
the data stored in the knowledge base in order to reach decisions.
Expert System Example
Expert System Uses
Expert systems are widely used for tasks such as
1.diagnosing illnesses
2.making financial forecasts
3.scheduling routes for delivery vehicles
4.diagnosing mechanical problems
5.performing credit authorizations
Neural Networks
• An expert system in which the human brain’s pattern-recognition
process is emulated by the computer system.

Neural networks are used in areas such as

handwriting, speech, and image recognition;
medical imaging; crime analysis; biometric
identification; and vision systems that use
cameras to inspect objects and make
determinations—for example, the systems that
check products for defects at manufacturing
plants or that recognize stamps during postal
processing.
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND
 Neural Network Example

Neural network systems. Often used in biometric identification systems, such as to

analyze fingerprints.
Robotics
• It is the field devoted to the study of robots—devices, controlled by a person or
a computer, that can move and react to sensory input.
Uses of Robots
• 1. Widely used by the military and businesses to perform high-
precision but monotonous jobs, as well as to perform tasks that are
dangerous or impossible for people to perform.
• looking for intruders, gas leaks, and other hazards, as well as working on
factory assembly lines and other monotonous tasks
• used for mining coal, repairing oil rigs, locating survivors in collapsed mines
and buildings, and other dangerous tasks.
• used to facilitate videoconferencing and other remote presence
applications by sitting in for a remote participant and relaying video and
audio images to and from that participant.
• used for service tasks such as search and rescue missions and fighting fires.
Uses of Robots
• 2. Designed to perform personal tasks for individuals.
• entertainment robots and are designed to interact with people (such as by reciting
phrases, delivering messages, taking photos or video, or singing and dancing).
• toy robot are designed to be toys or companions for children.
• some personal robots are designed for household tasks, such as to mow the lawn or clean
the pool.
• Household robots that can assist individuals with more complex tasks, such as
putting away the dishes or picking up toys before vacuuming the living room, are a little
further in the future—after robot technology improves to allow for better navigation and
improved physical manipulation and after prices come down.
• Expected to have a more humanoid form than the household robots currently
on the market, these future robots could be used to assist the elderly and
wheelchair-bound individuals, in addition to helping with household tasks.
 Technological Advances in Medicine
• Brain-to-Computer Interfacing (BCI)
• It is the process of connecting the brain with a computer, such as implanting
electrodes directly into the brain or using a headset that wirelessly reads and
interprets brainwaves.

https://youtu.be/p1XQ4uxqxZI
 Technological Advances in Medicine
• Medical applications of BCI
• Using it to restore lost functionality to or facilitate the communications of severely
disabled individuals
• After training, a severely paralyzed individual can use BCI to move a mouse, click it
to type text, and perform other computer-related tasks using only his or her
thoughts—raising the possibility that paralyzed individuals will someday be able to
control robot assistants with their thoughts.
• human brain-to-brain interfacing - In this experiment, two University of
Washington researchers were located in separate labs across campus and
each wore a special cap (one to read electrical brain activity and one to
stimulate the motor cortex). As the first researcher played a simple video
game, using only his mind to visualize his right hand hitting the “fire”
button, the second researcher involuntarily moved his right hand to push
the spacebar on the keyboard in front of him, as if to hit the “fire”
button.
https://youtu.be/p1XQ4uxqxZI
Telemedicine and Telesurgery
• Telemedicine is the use of networking technology to provide medical
information and services.
• At its simplest level, it includes Web sites that patients can access to contact
their physicians, make appointments, view lab results, and more.
Telemedicine and Telesurgery
• However, more complex telemedicine systems are
often used to provide care to individuals who may
not otherwise have access to that care, such as
allowing individuals living in remote areas to
consult with a specialist.
• For instance, physicians can use videoconferencing
robots to communicate remotely with other physicians
or hospitalized patients.
• Physicians can also use telemedicine to perform remote
diagnosis of patients (for example, healthcare workers
at rural locations, childcare facilities, and other locations
can use video cameras, electronic stethoscopes, and
other devices to send images and vital statistics of a
patient to a physician located at a medical facility).
Telemedicine and Telesurgery

Another example of telemedicine

is telesurgery—a form of robot-
assisted surgery (where a robot
controlled by a physician operates
on the patient) in which at least one
of the surgeons performs the
operation by controlling the robot
remotely over the Internet or
another network.
 Technological Advances in Military
• battlefield robots are used in areas of conflict
to investigate caves, buildings, trails, and
other locations before soldiers enter them to
make sure the locations are safe, and to help
soldiers locate and dispose of bombs,
landmines, and other explosive devices.
• In addition to land-based robots, there are
also military robots designed for underwater
use, such as to detect mines or perform
underwater surveillance and reconnaissance,
as well as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) or
drones (unmanned planes) used to take
surveillance photos.

https://youtu.be/-Dvqj2JzRVA
 Technological Advances in Military
• Exoskeleton suit - A wearable robotic system
designed to give an individual additional
physical capabilities and protection.
• Exoskeleton suits are wearable battery-
operated robotic systems designed to give
an individual additional physical capabilities
and protection.
• An exoskeleton suit can give a soldier the ability
to run faster and carry heavier items than he or
she could without the suit—up to 200 pounds at
a top speed of 10 mph for the Human Universal
Load Carrier (HULC) exoskeleton suit.
 Technological Advances in Military
Exoskeleton suits in the future may include additional
capabilities:
• being made of bulletproof material that is able to
solidify on demand to form a shield or turn into a
medical cast if a soldier is injured.
• changing its color automatically for camouflage
purposes;
• relaying information via sensors about a soldier’s
health, injuries, and location to field headquarters;
• administering painkillers or applying pressure to a
wound when directed by a physician.
DARPA is also involved with the development of robotic
prosthetic arms that feel, look, and perform like natural
arms—these robotic arms will be used by military
personnel who are injured in the line of duty.
Societal Implications of Emerging Technology
• Security and privacy issues are areas of continual concern with emerging
technologies
• Potential dangers include trusting “intelligent” computers and robots so
much that they become a personal safety hazard
• Allowing medical technology to enable people to be controlled by others
• Spending resources on some areas of research and development that
might be better spent elsewhere
• Some people also worry that technology is advancing at such a rapid
pace that we cannot possibly envision all the potential consequences
until it is too late.