3. Imagining a More Capable Future

Close your eyes and take a journey with us into the future. What do you see? Self-driving cars. Immersive, life-like video games. Robotic companions for our aging loved ones. Nanobots zapping cancer cells with – yup – lasers. OK, maybe these aren’t your go-to futuristic projections, but they’re not too far off what we’re seeing on the horizon of robotics. In our third and final episode of MORE CAPABLE, a robotics podcast, we take everything we’ve learned from the first two episodes about practical, assistive robotics and look 5, 10, 20 years into the future. With the help of futurists, entrepreneurs, roboticists and more, our journey through the impact of robotics on human life concludes as it began – with curiosity, excitement and optimism.Credits:Exec. Producer: Tim BradleyProducers: Gabe Gerzon, Beth York, Shaw Flick, David RiemerHosts: Beth York & Shaw FlickStory: Beth York, Shaw Flick, David Riemer, Tim Bradley, Gabe GerzonAudio Editors: David Riemer & Mandy LawsonMix & Master: Trent TonerThanks to our guests on this episode (in order of appearance):Fady Saad (Co-Founder, MassRobotics) Tom Salemi (Editorial Editor, DeviceTalks)Adam Sachs (Co-Founder & CEO, Vicarious Surgical)Sammy Khalifa (Co-Founder & CTO, Vicarious Surgical)Jody Holtzman (Sr. Managing Partner, Longevity Venture Advisors, LLC)Colin Angle (CEO, Chairman & Founder, iRobot)Debbie Theobald (CEO, VECNA Technologies) Zachary Servideo (Founder, Value Creation Labs)©Matter CommunicationsCreated with the support of Vicarious Surgical

Beyond the idea that robots will turn on us and overthrow humankind. Beyond our tendency to imagine robotics manifested as a humanoid assistant (or foe). And beyond the cool factor that creates robotic solutions to imaginary problems, we humans want to live happy, healthy, long lives. We want the energy to focus on what we enjoy. And we want the time to do the things that matter to us most. In episode two of MORE CAPABLE, a robotics podcast, we explore how roboticists are inventing that happier, healthier human future through medical innovation. From the dawn of major abdominal surgery through assistive robotic surgical technologies, we hear the story of robotic MedTech told by the doctors, engineers, entrepreneurs, and media members who understand it best. And we see how minimally invasive surgical solutions are paving the way to better patient outcomes and enhanced surgeon experiences. Spoiler alter: In the future, doctors are wearing VR headsets (and it’s as awesome as it sounds)!Credits:Exec. Producer: Tim BradleyProducers: Gabe Gerzon, Beth York, Shaw Flick, David RiemerHosts: Beth York & Shaw FlickStory: Beth York, Shaw Flick, David Riemer, Tim Bradley, Gabe GerzonAudio Editors: David Riemer & Mandy LawsonMix & Master: Trent TonerThanks to our guests on this episode (in order of appearance):Colin Angle (CEO, Chairman & Founder, iRobot)Barry Greene (Chief Medical Officer and Co-Founder, Vicarious Surgical)Tom Salemi (Editorial Editor, DeviceTalks)Joshua Ness (Sr. Manager, Verizon 5G Labs)Debbie Theobald (CEO, VECNA Technologies)Jane Li (Assistant Professor, Robotics Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute)Jing Xiao (Professor, Robotics Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute)Adam Sachs (Co-Founder & CEO, Vicarious Surgical)Sammy Khalifa (Co-Founder & CTO, Vicarious Surgical)©Matter CommunicationsCreated with the support of Vicarious Surgical

What do you think about when you think about robots? Do you feel scared or curious or maybe even optimistic? And where do those thoughts and feelings even come from? On this first episode of MORE CAPABLE, a robotics podcast, we scratch the shiny, metallic surface of the popular imagination of robots, revealing a complex and fascinating definition of robotics just beneath. Because whether we realize it or not, robotics is everywhere, from fly-by-wire airplanes in the skies to tiny robotic vacuums in our homes. And the robotic takeover predicted by sci-fi writers is much more assistive in nature than dystopian future we’ve come to expect. With the help of some of today’s most important voices in robotics, in this episode we explore how we define humanity in relation to humanoid robots and how the field of robotics ultimately makes us more human.Credits:Exec. Producer: Tim BradleyProducers: Gabe Gerzon, Beth York, Shaw Flick, David RiemerHosts: Beth York & Shaw FlickStory: Beth York, Shaw Flick, David Riemer, Tim Bradley, Gabe GerzonAudio Editors: David Riemer & Mandy LawsonMix & Master: Trent TonerThanks to our guests on this episode (in order of appearance):Colin Angle (CEO, Chairman & Founder, iRobot)Fady Saad (Co-Founder, MassRobotics)Adam Sachs (Co-Founder & CEO, Vicarious Surgical)Zachary Servideo (Founder, Value Creation Labs)Jing Xiao (Professor, Robotics Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute)©Matter CommunicationsCreated with the support of Vicarious Surgical

In a word, robots are AWESOME. But beyond all the cute bloops, silly bleeps and the irrational fear that they’ll take over humanity someday, the field of robotics sits at the intersection of dreams and practical applications. On MORE CAPABLE, a 3-part limited-release robotics podcast, we discuss how the business and innovations that drive robotics overlap and often conflict with popular imagination. And if the millions of Roombas in homes around the world have taught us one thing, it’s that the goal of robotics isn’t to replace humanity – it's to make human life more livable. So we spoke with some of the most important voices in robotics today to get a pulse on the current state of assistive robotic technologies and the future of their medical applications. Because better tools enhance the overall experience of life and it’s the relationship we create and embrace with robots that let us focus on being less task-driven and more human. And if we can replace the fear of singularity with the reality of multiplicity – we'll see that a world with robots is better than one without. Because somewhere near the crossroads of human problems and robotic solutions, the field of robotics makes us all MORE CAPABLE.