San Pedro High School "Robotics In Action" Science Fair

– Press Release, San Pedro High School – Every year our students are being prepared for their annual Science Fair. This event gives them an opportunity to display their creativity and innovation. This year the Science Fair was held on March 6, 2015, under the R. Angel Nuñez Auditorium. Students competed for first, second and third place for the Senior and Junior category under the theme: Robotics In Action, Making Life Easy. Prizes were given for the best banner and best project.

Robotics is at an inflection point – a bend in the curve where many technologies that used to be found only in science fiction are becoming everyday reality. The 5 areas in Robotics, which are already here, that I believe will have a major economic impact and help to transform society over the next decade or so are:

1. Drones
2. Medical Procedures, Operations and Health
3. Prosthetics and Exoskeletons
4. Artificial Assistants
5. Driverless Cars

Automation currently exists in areas such as water management or unmanned aircraft that fly and shoot missiles, but whole new areas of robot use will open up in future. One such use will be in a medical context, as exoskeletons to help disabled people move, helping to make them less dependent on others. Even more significant will be the insertion of robots into our bodies, such as intelligent implants in the brain, which will improve our rational thought, and nano robots to be released into the blood to clean our arteries. Another important role will be the replacement of people working in the areas of security, surveillance or defense. According to Professor Lopez Pelaez, it is predicted that 40% of armies will be automated with robot soldiers by 2020 “just as a car factory is today, which will result in less human deaths during violent conflicts”.