The Heart and the Chip
Our Bright Future with Robots
22 March 2024
Territory Rights — Worldwide including Canada, Singapore and Malaysia, but excluding the British Commonwealth.
Description
Daniela Rus, a leading roboticist and computer scientist, explores how we can use a new generation of smart machines to help humankind.
There is a robotics revolution underway. A record 3.1 million robots are working in factories right now, doing everything from assembling computers to packing goods and monitoring air quality and performance. A far greater number of smart machines impact our lives in countless other ways—improving the precision of surgeons, cleaning our homes, extending our reach to distant worlds—and we’re on the cusp of even more exciting opportunities.
In The Heart and the Chip, roboticist Daniela Rus and science writer Gregory Mone provide an overview of the interconnected fields of robotics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning, and reframe the way we think about intelligent machines while weighing the moral and ethical consequences of their role in society. Robots aren’t going to steal our jobs: they’re going to make us more capable, productive, and precise.
At once optimistic and realistic, Rus and Mone envision a world in which these technologies augment and enhance our skills and talents, both as individuals and as a species—a world in which the proliferation of robots allows us all to be more human.
Reviews
"Without minimizing the serious concerns that have been raised about these technologies, Rus urges readers to consider how they might be used to enhance human work and to support human flourishing." — Valerie Thompson, Science
"Engaging." — Nature
"Few people are as qualified as Daniela Rus to explain the present and future of AI and robotics. The Heart and the Chip brims with unique insights into the technological enthusiasm that drives these fields, combined with a deeply ethical perspective on the human dimensions of their application and use. A must-read for anyone who wants to invent the future." — David A. Mindell, cofounder and partner, Unless, and Dibner Professor of the History of Engineering and Manufacturing, MIT
"A great introduction to the field of robotics and AI.… The connection between robots and superheroes, and Daniela Rus’s lucid explanations of the shrinking gap between robotics and magic, make it indispensable for any aspiring scientist or engineer. At the same time, her inspiring account of the role technology can play in overcoming the grand challenges that face our civilization makes it a must-read for anyone who is concerned about our future." — Vijay Kumar, professor and Nemirovsky Family Dean, Penn Engineering, University of Pennsylvania
"Rus sits at the intersection of MIT’s robot, AI, and computer revolutions, and concisely explains what lies ahead." — Juan Enriquez, author of Evolving Ourselves
"In The Heart and the Chip, Daniela Rus and Gregory Mone describe a future of robots with almost unimaginable potential—in which robots take on new tasks that will help address the pressing challenges of our civilization. They also propose strategies to mitigate potential dangers of a growing number of robots in our midst. An enjoyable and informative discussion of an important set of technologies." — Susan Hockfield, president emerita, MIT
"An authoritative vision of a world where technology allows us to enhance our humanity." — Kirkus Reviews
"A stimulating glimpse into what the future might hold." — Publishers Weekly
"[Rus] knows more about robots and artificial intelligence than just about anyone. Here she takes readers on a tour of the cutting edge of this technology.... She and many of her colleagues envision a world where robots and people cooperate to enhance our abilities, where the human heart and the computer chip work together to make the world better for everyone, especially people who are disabled or disadvantaged.... It’s a compelling vision." — John Keogh, Booklist
Standalone Ebook
9781324050247
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