Robots have spiked my fear over the last two weeks. You see, I’ve left the ranch and gone to the big city of Austin while my husband resides in the hospital.

DRIVING ROBOTS

On the second day of his confinement, I walked towards the hospital entrance from the parking garage and saw a white car with no driver pass in front of me.

Yikes! It scared the bejeebers out of me. I believe it was a Waymo, but I was too busy staring at the empty driver’s seat to check out the name. Since then, I’ve seen the car several times. It never seems dirty. Does it take itself through an automated car wash?

My daughter later told me that she knows a parent who will not let his daughters use a rideshare car with a driver and only allows them to interact with driverless ones because he fears for their safety.

Hmm. Let me think about this. I’m not sure I’m personally to the point where I trust robots with my safety over humans.

BARISTA ROBOTS

Then, there are the barista robots in the lobby. Daily, I pass by the gleaming machine, feeling absolutely intimidated. The directions on the human-sized sign next to the Mt. Comfort Coffee station have directions about downloading an app and using a barcode. My eyes glazed over. After all, down a long hallway next to the cafeteria is a real coffee barista who could make the drink for me.

While the nurse was busy sorting meds, I mentioned to my husband that the contraption intimidated me. The nurse agreed, saying she had the same feeling. And, as I pointed out, I had never seen anyone actually at the barista robots’ station.

Needing a topic for a blog, I screwed up my courage and headed down to the lobby. Since there was no line, I could study the directions without feeling rushed. Turns out the directions for the app were for the hardcore who wanted to order ahead. I made my selection—campfire coffee—a latte with caramel and chocolate.

I even went ultra tech, paying with my smart watch and Google Pay.  Then the robot went to work. It

• Grabbed a fresh cup,
• Filled the cup to the brim, and
• Went to a third station to put something else in.

Now I’m squirming. I wanted to warn it/him/her/whatever that the cup was too full to put in more, but I knew it was useless. The white arm then jerked the cup towards the stand that lowers the concoction to a retrieval window, and

THE DRINK SPILLED

A small puddle, to be sure, but, being a mom, my instinct was to break into the beast and wipe the station clean. Alas, no robot arms reached out to tidy up.

Fortunately, the spill was minimal, and I was able to enjoy my coffee. And, lo and behold, someone actually came behind me to try their luck.

THE FUTURE OF ROBOTS

Sounds as if we will see more of these gadgets. Standard Bots has seven predictions:

1. Cobots —robots that work with humans— are about to take over.
2. AI is making robots smart enough to adapt, decide, and take action without constant human oversight.
3. Robotics will continue to enhance healthcare and caregiving by participating in surgery, checking vitals, and bringing medications.
4. The price is coming down, making them more affordable and accessible for smaller businesses.
5. Growth in household robotics who do the cooking and cleaning is in our future.
6. Robotics are increasingly being used in environmental and disaster response to monitor and clean up the environment.
7. Expansion of robotics in education is expected, where they can do things such as act as lab patterners.

FINAL THOUGHTS ABOUT ROBOTS

Hmm. I hope they don’t start using robots to teach those under eighteen. However, I am excited about robots driving, cooking, and cleaning. Hopefully, the robots will be smart enough to make my perfect martini without spilling it!

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