MAKING
COMPANION ROBOTS MORE COMPANIONABLE
Your robotic aide may understand you if you say you're in pain, but
perhaps not if you can only moan in discomfort. For future companion robots to truly serve
their users' needs, they must acquire higher levels of cognitive functioning than they
have at present.
Cognitive robots need to understand human intelligence and behavior on
many levels and then learn how to respond appropriately. A cognitive robot should, for
instance, be able to converse without interrupting, move around without bumping into you,
and know what you mean when you point your finger at something.
The COGNIRON project of the European research consortium Information
Society Technologies is now promoting studies on several aspects of intelligent robotic
behavior, including perceiving--understanding an environment, learning by observation,
making decisions, and communicating and interacting with humans.
While cognitive companion robots might see more immediate applications
in health services, such as for the frail elderly and disabled, the possibility of smart
personal robots for more general use should inspire the imagination. Just as personal
computers changed the world over the past 30 years, personal robots could likewise
revolutionize society over the next 30 years, suggests COGNIRON project coordinator Raja
Chatila.
SOURCE: European Commission, Information Society Technologies, IST
Results,
http://istresults.cordis.lu/index.cfm/section/news/Tpl/article/BrowsingType/Features/ID/82530/highlights/cogniron.
POLLUTION, CLOUDS, AND CLIMATE CHANGE
The darkness or lightness of
pollution particles may make a big difference in global climate change, according to
research by NASA scientists.
Dark particles tend to absorb more sunlight and to prevent clouds from
forming, while lighter pollutant particles absorb less sunlight, helping clouds to form.
Using NASA measurements of sky conditions at 17 locations around the
world (including Washington, Rome, Beijing, and Mexico City), representing different types
of air pollution and weather patterns, the researchers discovered the same pattern of
extensive cloud formation in the presence of light-reflecting pollution and significantly
fewer clouds with light-absorbing pollution.
Clouds not only produce water, but also help regulate how much of the
sun's warmth the planet holds, so predicting the impacts of different types of pollution
on cloud formation could be critical in predicting future planetary warming.
SOURCE: National Aeronautics and Space Administration,
http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2006/jul/HQ_06278_Puzzling_Impact_on_Climate.html.
ZIMBABWE FACES DE-URBANIZATION
While most countries are dealing with rapid urbanization, at least one
country in Africa is experiencing the opposite problem. In Zimbabwe, city residents
fleeing the high cost of living have begun a mass movement back to rural areas, reports
the UN's Integrated Regional Information Network.
One force driving the trend is the government's urban-cleanup program,
which has bulldozed houses, market stalls, and other "illegal" structures,
driving up the cost of rentals in working-class suburbs and sending the inflation rate to
1,200%.
While villages may be more affordable to these rural migrants, the
influx of "foreigners" from the cities is creating a clash of cultures,
according to Matope village leader Thomas Matope. "Since they started settling in our
district, we have seen an increase in cases of theft, prostitution, and public
violence," he says.
SOURCE: IRIN News, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs,
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=54827&SelectRegion=Southern_Africa&SelectCountry=ZIMBABWE
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FUTURE TIMES SUMMER EDITION
The latest edition of FUTURE TIMES, edited by Society President Tim Mack, is now live
at http://www.wfs.org/futuretimessum06.htm.
FUTURE TIMES is the World Future Society's quarterly online newsletter
offering unique and insightful articles from futurists in the field, as well as news from
WFS chapters and special messages from "The Desk of the President" to give you
an inside look at what's going on at the Society.
The summer edition features a profile of our energetic and resourceful
intern, researcher Gabriel ("Gabe") Luis Santos Teykal Velloso of Brazil, and an
article on education reform by David D. Douglas, director of the Self-Ed Network.
***********************************
ASIAN-AMERICAN TREND SETTERS
If you want to know what'll be the next big thing on the pop-culture scene, check out
what Asian-American teens are up to. While this may seem a small cohort, the
"Asian-American youth demographic inhabits a wide variety of cultural worlds and is
engaged in a broad spectrum of media, entertainment, and cultural activities," notes
a new study by New American Dimensions and interTrend Communications.
Technology and gadgets are a large area of interest among these
influential youths, as are video gaming and Manga (graphic novels or comic books) and
Anime (animated videos often derived from Manga). Manga and Anime are a growing $4-billion
business in the United States and also influence fashion and hairstyles among youth in all
demographic groups.
"These results contrast with previous research we have conducted among Hispanic
youth," says David Morse, president of New American Dimensions. "Whereas many
second-generation Hispanic kids often exhibit pride through their language and culture,
Asian-American youth seem to assert their pride in how they are shaping mainstream
American culture."
Reaching these trend setters presents a challenge to traditional marketers. These kids
are more likely to rely on word-of-mouth messaging than through any other media channel or
network, the study notes.
SOURCE: New American Dimensions, http://www.newamericandimensions.com/NEWS_Press.html.
CLICK OF THE MONTH:
WORLDFUTURE 2006 HIGHLIGHTS
http://www.wfs.org/2006summary.htm.
The World Future Society's 2006 meeting in Toronto
has just come to an exhilarating conclusion. Approximately 1,000 futurists from 34
countries and a host of professions participated in "WorldFuture 2006: Creating
Global Strategies for Humanity's Future."
Attendees flocked to special sessions by influential inventor Ray Kurzweil; diplomats
Pamela Wallin, Lance Secretan, and John W. McDonald; noted journalist and author Joel
Garreau; and a host of multidisciplinary leaders in business, government, and academia,
such as Edie Weiner and Arnold Brown, co-authors of Future Think; Dave Mowat of
Vancity Credit Union; Joel Barker and Scott Erickson, co-authors of Five Regions of
theFuture; and many, many more.
Check this site frequently to download speakers' materials as they become available.
You may also examine the final program, order the CD containing most of the conference
sessions (or individual session MP3s), order a copy of the conference volume, browse
speakers' books and other titles showcased in the Futurist Bookstore, and visit the
conference photo gallery.
THE FUTURIST will also cover highlights of the meeting in the November-December issue.
FUTURIST UPDATE: News & Previews from the World Future Society is an
e-mail newsletter published monthly as a supplement to THE FUTURIST magazine.
Copyright © 2006, World Future Society, 7910 Woodmont Avenue, Suite 450,
Bethesda, MD 20814, USA. Telephone 1-301-656-8274; e-mail mailto:info@wfs.org; Web site http://www.wfs.org.
Editor: Cindy Wagner
Assistant Editor: Patrick Tucker
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Cornish
Webmaster: Sarah Warner
Vice President, Membership/Conference Operations: Susan Echard
To subscribe, send an e-mail message to mailto:majordomo@wfs.org with "subscribe
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To unsubscribe or change your e-mail address, send message to Jeff Cornish, mailto:jcornish@wfs.org.
Submit feedback at http://www.wfs.org/fbaug06.htm
The WORLD
FUTURE SOCIETY is a nonprofit, nonpartisan scientific and educational association with
a global membership. Regular membership in the Society, including a subscription to THE
FUTURIST, is $49 per year, or $20 for full-time students under age 25. Professional and
Institutional membership programs are also offered; contact Society headquarters for
details: http://www.wfs.org
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