UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DE COLOMBIA

DIRECCIÓN ACADÉMICA- SEDE BOGOTÁ

DIRECCIÓN NACIONAL de INNOVACIÓN

ACADÉMICA – DNIA

PROGRAMA de SEGUNDA LENGUA- PLE

 PROGRAMA DE SEGUNDA LENGUA- PLE

ENGLISH LEVEL III

SUBJECT CODE: 1000046

CONTENT : SIX UNITS

 UNIT 3
Robots of the Future
WELCOME TO UNIT 3

In this unit you will learn to:

Describe the latest developments of HI-TECH.

Analyse the functions and uses of some robotic devices.
Define Artificial Intelligence.
Study the advantages and disadvantages of robotic devices and Artificial Intelligence.
Write a paragraph contrasting information.
Creating and presenting a project related to robotics and AI.
OBJECTIVES

 Describe the latest developments of HI-TECH.

 Analyse the functions and uses of some robotic devices.
 Define Artificial Intelligence.
 Study the advantages and disadvantages of robotic devices and Artificial Intelligence.
 Write a paragraph contrasting information.
 Creating and presenting a project related to robotics and AI.
Previous knowledge

Before completing the tasks in this unit, it is necessary to remember how to:

Recognize remarkable sites according to their description.

Learn about the history behind well known landmarks.
Gather and share information related to historical facts.
 SPEAKING AND READING
Activity 1 Classwork
Look at these images of famous movies. What do they have in common? What kind of films do you think they are? Give
reasons.

After discussing the movies, do you consider that robots are going to be real in the future?
How far in the future? What are they going to be able to do?
Is it going to be a good or a bad thing? Why?
 SPEAKING AND READING
Activity 1 Classwork
Look at these images of famous movies. What do they have in common? What kind of films do you think they
are? Give reasons.
After discussing the movies,
Do you consider that robots are going to be real in the future? Yes, I do. I think… / I consider…
How far in the future? Probably, ______ years from now. / months from now.
What are they going to be able to do? They’re going to be able to _______________
Is it going to be a good or a bad thing? Why? It’s going to be good/ bad because….
Activity 2 Classwork
All of the pictures below are real robots. What do you think they can do? Work individually first and then compare
your answers in groups of 3 or 4. Reach to an agreement about each robot.
 Activity 3.1 Reading
Read the first part of an article about Robots, and answer the questions below.
10 Incredible Robots That Mimic Animals
In the world of robotics, much can be and has been learned
from the world of nature. Not only is there a wealth of
practical applications for robots based on biological
organisms, but much can also be learned about evolution and
the natural forces that produce such highly advanced designs.
This line of research is leading to a fascinating melding of
science and nature—sometimes in the most literal of ways.
10. Robot Sea Snake
The Eelume underwater robot serves an extremely practical
purpose—performing inspections and maintenance on deep
sea rigs, a costly and dangerous endeavor. The current
generation of underwater autonomous vehicles that perform
these duties are bulky, slow, and difficult to maneuver, but not
the Eelume. It looks and moves just like a sea snake and can
quickly and safely reach places no vehicle can.
While the machine is currently cabled, manufacturer
Kongsberg Maritime is working toward making the machine’s
power source internal, eliminating the need for a cable and
thus any restraint on its range.
9. Roko the Robotic Monkey
Roko is the one entry on our list that exists only in the design stage, with
no prototype having yet been produced. But what a concept it is: a furry,
biometric, fully robotic monkey that could penetrate deep into dense
forests without disturbing wildlife.
The designer foresees a wide range of different functions. For example,
Roko could operate autonomously to deliver small supply packages (like
food or first aid kits) to remote encampments that can’t be reached by
road. It could also act as a companion, being programmed to assist in
navigation or continuously monitor the surrounding area for potential
predators.
Roko will be covered in actual fur and move through the forest just as an
actual monkey does, so it won’t startle native wildlife with its presence as
would a human rescuer or a drone.
8. RoboBees
In the last decade or so, the honeybee population has rather suddenly and
mysteriously fallen victim to Colony Collapse Disorder. The population
has seen drastic yearly reductions, and nobody is sure exactly why. In
June 2014, Harvard researchers came up with a potential means to help
alleviate the effects of CCD while a more permanent one is found: tiny
robot bees, which may soon be capable of carrying out crop pollination.
While the concept has been demonstrated and proven workable, a
swarm of robot bees would have to be able to communicate among
themselves and work as a team, just like a real swarm, and the
Harvard team is not quite there yet. By their estimate, robot
swarms may be out pollinating crops within a decade, helping the
agriculture industry recover from the billions of dollars in yearly
losses caused by colony collapse.
7. MuddyBot
Georgia Tech biophysicist Daniel Goldman was tasked with
designing a new generation of amphibious robots that can deal
with the most challenging surfaces, like flowing sand and slippery
mud. Goldman turned to evolutionary science: He built a robot that
strongly resembles an African mudskipper fish, which spend time
on both land and water in a manner similar to early land
vertebrates. The robot has demonstrated that its tail is not very
useful for locomotion at all. Unless, that is, it is trying to navigate
a slight, slippery incline, in which case it is very useful. The tail
also helped keep MuddyBot from sliding back downhill in such
situations.
6. Bionic Kangaroo
Tendons in the legs of kangaroos act like springs, recovering some
energy and recycling it into the next jump, giving them remarkable
stamina. German engineering firm Festo chose a direct route to
demonstrating how this concept could apply to machinery by
literally building a kangaroo.
The prototype is gesture-controlled, using a commercially available,
sensor-laden armband of the type that can be used to control drones.
No word on whether these will be made available to the public,
simply by virtue of being fun to have around.
5. SpotMini, the Robot giraffe
Robotics firm Boston Dynamics has been involved with the creation
of human- and dog-like robots for military or civilian use. Their latest
creation, SpotMini, is primarily intended as a household companion
and looks like a dog-sized robot giraffe.
The appearance comes from its head-arm combo, which is extremely
versatile and has some odd capabilities (SpotMini can fix its “head” in
one position while the rest of the body moves around it, for example).
The head-arm can grasp objects and right the unit if it falls over.
SpotMini can run for an hour and a half on a single charge and can
easily navigate environments it is likely to encounter in the average
home. While it will make for a fun novelty, there may also be some
very useful applications in helping care for the disabled and elderly.
 Activity 3.1
Do you remember the pictures you saw in Activity 2? Look at the pictures again and drag the name under each
robot. There are 4 robots which have not been described yet. Can you predict their names? What do you think
their function is? Were your predictions in Activity 2 accurate?

Bionic Kangaroo
(1 ) ( 2) ( 3) (4 ) Robot Sea Snake
Roko the Robotic Monkey
RoboBees
MuddyBot
SpotMini, the Robot giraffe
( 5) ( 6) CockroachBot
(7)
SpiderBot
Robirds
Cyborg Stingray

(8 ) (9 ) (10)
 ANSWERS

(5) Bionic Kangaroo

( 1 ) (2) (3) (4 ) (9) Robot Sea Snake
(3) Roko the Robotic Monkey
(7) RoboBees
(4) MuddyBot
(6) SpotMini, the Robot giraffe
(5) (6) (8) CockroachBot
(7 )
(10) SpiderBot
(2) Robirds
(1) Cyborg Stingray

(8) (9) (10)

 Activity 3.2 Reading
Read the second part of the article about Robots, and answer the questions below.
4. SpiderBot
At the Institute for Computational Design in Stuttgart,
Germany, researchers recently created what they call a
“Mobile Robotic Fabrication System for Filament Structures.”
The system deploys teams of tiny robots with spools of carbon
fiber, which work together to weave nifty things like
hammocks. In designing their system, engineers mimicked the
design of nature’s own weavers for their tiny robots: spiders.
The team plans to scale the system up, using more robots to
complete even more complex designs and are working on
giving them the ability to cling to curved or slippery surfaces.
3. CockroachBot
UC Berkeley biomechanist Robert Full has spent years
studying the movements of animals and their potential
applications toward robotics. Intrigued by the ability of
cockroaches to squeeze into practically any space despite
having a hard shell, Full investigated and found that roaches
use a unique movement. Then, they took what they learned and
built a robotic roach.
The RoboRoach is part of an emerging field of soft robotics, which
uses pliable materials like polymers in place of metal and hard circuit
boards. The robotic insects, cheap and easy to manufacture,
performed just like real roaches do in tight spaces, and could be used
in disaster areas, war zones or other dangerous areas to help locate
those in need of help or evaluate the stability of such areas before
human rescue workers enter.
2. Robirds
The problem of nuisance birds has long been one with no real
solution. Birds often like to stick around once they’ve found an area
they like, and excess foraging and crop damage are not even the most
serious issues. Birds can also disrupt flight paths and spread disease.
Enter Clear Flight Solutions, a company that has put forth a product
they are calling the “RoBird.” It’s a lifelike model of a raptor, and in
tests, they’ve been shown to reduce nuisance bird activity in targeted
areas by up to 50 percent. This is because the robot features realistic
wing movement, and birds are naturally inclined to register the shape
of another bird’s silhouette and the movement of their wings to
determine whether they are predators.
The RoBird can also be used to single out and chase away Not only could research of this type lead to significant advancement
particularly stubborn birds. While they are currently controlled in newer generations of automated robots, but it could also help us
wirelessly by an operator on the ground, an autonomous gain a better understanding of the human heart and other fluid-moving
version is currently in development. muscular functions. It could even pave the way for future iterations of
lifelike, cyborg animals—or even humans.
1. Cyborg Stingray
An international team of scientists headed by Harvard
researcher Kit Parker produced an artificial stingray that Taken from:
mimics the swimming motions of the real thing. While this http://listverse.com/2016/08/10/10-incredible-robots-that-mimic-anim
may seem par for the course compared to the other entries on als/
this list, their stingray is not technically a robot. It was
constructed with both artificial and biological components, and
in the truest sense of the word is actually a cyborg.
The team used a neutrally charged gold skeleton, overlaid by a
thin polymer skin. Woven throughout are over 200,000 cells
derived from rat hearts, called cardiomyocytes. Photosensitive
versions of these cells are lined up on top of the stingray, and
its navigation is controlled by changing the frequency and
pulses of light directed toward it. Light also causes its muscles
to contract, supplying the downward motion of the fins. The
gold skeleton has energy storing properties, helping supply the
downward motion.
Activity 3.2 Moodle
After reading carefully, complete the chart below with the information from the article. In the columns
Advantages and Disadvantages write one or more advantages or disadvantages you may think of that Robot.

ROBOT ORIGIN FUNCTIONS ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGE

S
Robot Sea Kongsberg Performing inspections and maintenance on It looks and moves just It is still cabled.
Snake Maritime deep sea rigs. like a sea snake and can
quickly and safely reach
places no vehicle can.
Roko the No information ____________________________________ It can penetrate deep into
Robotic available __________________ dense forests …________
Monkey ____________________
____________________

RoboBees Harvard

MuddyBot The robot has

demonstrated that its tail
is not very useful for
locomotion at all.
ROBOT ORIGIN FUNCTIONS ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGE
S
Bionic It is fun to have around.
Kangaroo

SpotMini

SpiderBot Institute for

Computational
Design in
Stuttgart,
Germany
RoboRoach

RoBird Enter Clear Flight They are controlled

Solutions wirelessly by an
operator on the ground.
Cyborg International team It mimics the swimming
Stingray of Scientists, motions of a real stingray.
Harvard This one is not technically a
robot.
 SPEAKING AND LISTENING

Activity 4
Discussion
Read the definition of Artificial Intelligence and answer individually the questions below:

Artificial intelligence (AI), the ability of a digital computer or computer-controlled robot to perform tasks

commonly associated with intelligent beings. The term is frequently applied to the project of developing systems
endowed with the intellectual processes characteristic of humans, such as the ability to reason, discover meaning,
generalize, or learn from past experience. Since the development of the digital computer in the 1940s, it has been
demonstrated that computers can be programmed to carry out very complex tasks—as, for example, discovering
proofs for mathematical theorems or playing chess—with great proficiency. Still, despite continuing advances in
computer processing speed and memory capacity, there are as yet no programs that can match human flexibility
over wider domains or in tasks requiring much everyday knowledge. On the other hand, some programs have
attained the performance levels of human experts and professionals in performing certain specific tasks, so that
artificial intelligence in this limited sense is found in applications as diverse as medical diagnosis,
computer search engines, and voice or handwriting recognition.
Taken from: https://www.britannica.com/technology/artificial-intelligence
 Do you think we should create robots that can look and act like humans do? Why?
 What do you think of the Artificial Intelligence (AI)? Are we ready to build machines that can think by
themselves? Why?
Now, share your answers in groups (3-4) and reach an agreement.

Activity 5 Classwork HAVE IN MIND….

Watch the following video and answer the questions below. CONTRASTING AND GIVING EXAMPLES
There are a number of advantages, for example…, and….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRlwvLubFxg Don’t forget that…
What do you think is the purpose of Erika? On the other hand, … Also… Besides… Finally

What do you think of Erika? To sum up / To summarize, …

What do you think of professor Ishiguro?

After watching this video, would you like to change your answer for Activity 4? Why? Why not? Discuss in
pairs.
Activity 6 Moodle
Writing /
Read the following paragraph about Smartboards in the classroom. Then choose one of the topics below (or a
similar one) and write a paragraph. Take a look at the chart that contains information on how to write
contrasting and giving examples paragraph.
Smartboards in the classroom.
Advances in technology are always controversial and they produce fear in some areas of society. For example,
with classes given with smartboards, some educators believe the end of education is near, predicting they are
going to be so powerful and dynamic that they are going to take their jobs away.
There a number of advantages of the use of smartboards in class, for instance the dynamics of using
technology instantly in the classroom (like videos pictures), and the possibility of allowing students to interact
with technology. Don’t forget that they also increase students’ attention.
On the other hand, they are very expensive and not a lot of schools can afford them. Also, teachers need hours
of training in order to maximize the use of smartboards in class. Finally, smartboards need internet which is not
available in a lot of schools and so they become obsolete.
To summarize, smartboards are a good tool for educational purposes but they need a number of conditions to be
met in order to achieve their top potential in benefit for the students in the classroom.
Possible writing topics:
 AI (Artificial Intelligence) applied to everyday devices like phones, TVs, laptops, etc.
 Smart robots in construction of roads and buildings.
 Robots in medicine.
 AI applied in Human Sciences HAVE IN MIND….
 Robots and AI together. CONTRASTING AND GIVING EXAMPLES
There are a number of advantages, for instance…, and…. Don’t
forget that…
On the other hand, … Also… Besides… Finally
To sum up / To summarize, …
Activity 7.1
Discussion
 What do you think are the risks of the development of Artificial Intelligence?
 What is the worst effect, if any, of the application of AI in our lives?
 Are you scared of AI?
Activty 7.2
Watch the following video and answer the questions below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaoDXYYtgK0
 What is your opinion about Facebook failed experiment?
 Why do you think they shut down the machines?
 What would you have done in that case? Why?
 Are you scared of AI now?
 SPEAKING
Activity 8 Classwork
Pair work
Look back at all the robots you have seen in this unit.
 Which one is the most useful? Why?
 Which one (ones) didn’t you like? Why?
 Which one would you like to buy/have? Why?

Activity 9
Pair work
In pairs, design an animal robot. What kind of animal is it going to mimic / be? What is its function? What is it
going to be made of? What are its advantages going to be? What are its disadvantages going to be? If it is
commercial, how much is it going to cost?
Prepare a brief presentation (3 minutes) of your Robot for the class.
 CONGRATULATIONS!
You have finally completed the tasks in this unit.
Now you can:

Analyse information about developments in technology.

Write a paragraph contrasting information.
Write a prediction paragraph.
CREDITS

 PLE COORDINATOR: Nohra Vargas, M.A. in ELT

Universidad Nacional de Colombia.
 ELT EDITOR: Fernando Alexander Calderón Velasco, M.A. in Creative Writing
Professor for Explora UN Mundo and the Intensive English Program
Universidad Nacional de Colombia.