Aug 31 Watch 9:13 Are we on the brink of a jobless future? By PBS News Hour Futurologists have been predicting the automation armageddon -- robots replacing human workers -- for decades. Has the future finally arrived? Economics correspondent Paul Solman visits Silicon Valley to talk with leading tech thinkers and computer scientists about whether humanity is… Continue watching
Aug 31 Column: Robots won’t steal all our jobs, if employers and workers adapt By Paul Osterman Our obsession with robots and automation is leading us to overlook challenges and opportunities that could grow the U.S. workforce and create quality jobs. Continue reading
Jul 20 How do we invest in the future of humanity? Swedish philosopher Nick Bostrom explains By Paul Solman Economics correspondent Paul Solman recently traveled to Oxford University’s Future of Humanity Institute. And yes, there is an institute that studies only that -- the future of the human race. Continue reading
Jun 02 The lionfish zapper hits the open seas By Nsikan Akpan Last year, we broke the story of a robot being being developed to fight invasive lionfish. This spring, the prototype landed in the open ocean for the first time. Here’s how they took the idea from paper to practice. Continue reading
May 08 Are robots coming for your blue-collar jobs? By Making Sen$e Editor On average, the arrival of one new industrial robot in a local labor market coincides with an employment drop of 5.6 workers. Continue reading
Apr 11 The science behind why your shoelace knot is doomed to fail By Nsikan Akpan Fret no longer children of planet Earth, as new research has figured out the physics behind why shoelace knots fail and why some shoelaces are more prone to the mistake. Continue reading
Feb 02 A ‘Bat Bot’ takes flight By Andrew Wagner Bat wings have intrigued scientists for centuries. And now, engineers have created “Bat Bot,” a small aircraft that mimics the flight patterns of the small, rodent-like flyers. Bat Bot exposes the complicated mechanics of bat flight and simultaneously provides clues… Continue reading
Dec 09 This jumping robot leaps to new heights By Leigh Anne Tiffany A new primate-inspired robot has a feature that is leaps and bounds above the rest. Continue reading
Nov 02 Watch 8:09 These robots are helping answer a huge unknown about young marine life By PBS News Hour Many mysteries remain about life under the sea, like what happens to marine creatures between life stages of larvae and adulthood. These tiny creatures are extremely hard to track in the open ocean, so one marine ecologist is using robots… Continue watching
Nov 02 Mexico taking U.S. factory jobs? Blame robots instead By Paul Wiseman, Associated Press Donald Trump blames Mexico and China for stealing millions of jobs from the United States. He might want to bash the robots instead. Continue reading