Rodney Brooks, the Godfather of Modern Robotics, Says the Field Has Lost Its Way
The New York Times • • business
Key Points:
- Rodney Brooks, a pioneering roboticist, emphasized challenging common assumptions in robotics by negating implicit beliefs, as highlighted in the 1997 film "Fast, Cheap, and Out of Control."
- The film features Brooks alongside a lion tamer, a topiary gardener, and a naked mole rat researcher, all attempting to control nature but ultimately failing in their efforts.
- In the 1980s, Brooks shifted robotic development by drawing inspiration from insects, recognizing their simple brains yet superior capabilities compared to robots constrained by limited computing power.
- This biomimicry approach led Brooks to predict a future with robots integrated extensively throughout everyday life.
