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Swarming robots (mp3) BBC: "Adam Hart reports on the latest developments in controlling groups of robots, and asks why models taken from the behaviour of social insects such as bees, ants and termites may be far more complex than previously thought. He also delves deep into the cells of plants looking at how the physical and chemical triggers for plant growth might be useful in robot design." Read on

Ex-Drone Pilot: Bruce Black - Interview for ttbook.org (audio stream) Ex-Drone Pilot: Obama - Interview for Russia Today (youtube) "Retired US Air Force pilot Bruce Black talks about his experience flying drones in places like Iraq and Afghanistan."

The Meme of Our Time - Alex Rivera (audio stream) Filmmaker Alex Rivera has been interested in drones for years. His 2008 sci-fi thriller, Sleep Dealer, imagines a dystopian future where the U.S.-Mexico border is aggressively policed by drones, and migrant workers can only cross it virtually, by plugging their bodies into a digital network of robots. He told Steve Paulson why he believes drones are the meme of our time.

Commercial Drones - Missy Cummings (audio stream) Missy Cummings studies unmanned systems like drones, as director of Duke University’s Humans and Autonomy Lab. Charles Monroe-Kane spoke with her about a few of the ways drones are being used outside of the military.

Drones Gone Wild (audio stream) Have you heard about Amazon's plans to start a fleet of delivery drones? What would that look like? Listener Sandra Cheasty gives us a glimpse in her short story, "Drones Gone Wild."

More at www.ttbook.org

Our Universal Robots [mp3] Brooke talks with professor Jay P. Telotte about the ways our fears and fascinations with robots are reflected in culture.

The Army's Robot Recruiter [mp3] "Sgt. Star is a chatbot designed to influence potential recruits to enlist in the US Army. So how do we feel about that? Alex talks to the Army and a reporter who's covered recruitment abuses to figure out if we're better or worse off for having a Siri who can talk us into going to war." Read on

Engineering Intelligence [mp3] "Despite the technological leaps made in the realm of artificial intelligence, people often object to the idea that the minds of machines can ever replicate the minds of humans. But for engineers, the proof is in the processing. Brooke talks with Stanford lecturer and entrepreneur Jerry Kaplan about how the people who make robots view the field of AI."

Google's Robot Brigade [mp3] "Google has scooped up more than a half dozen robot companies, but they are keeping mum about why they're acquiring these technologies."

More at www.onthemedia.org

The uncanny valley in robot design (mp3) "This hypothesis was coined by robotics professor Masahiro Mori in 1970. It refers to an increasing revulsion for some, as robots seem increasingly humanlike in their appearance and movement. Ayse Saygin is studying the human response to robots as their role is increasing in areas such as healthcare and education." Read on

The secrets of nature's grossest creatures, channeled into robots TED Talks: "How can robots learn to stabilize on rough terrain, walk upside down, do gymnastic maneuvers in air and run into walls without harming themselves? Robert Full takes a look at the incredible body of the cockroach to show what it can teach robotics engineers." Read on