Cartoony Robots, Naloxone Myths, Why Dishwashers Dull Knives
Curiosity Weekly
Warner Bros. Discovery
4.6 • 963 Ratings
🗓️ 10 December 2021
⏱️ 16 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Learn why robots should look like cartoons; why more access to an opioid antidote doesn't make people think heroin is safe; and why dishwashers make knives less sharp.
More from Ruth Aylett, professor of computer science at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh:
- Pick up "Living with Robots: What Every Anxious Human Needs to Know": https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/living-robots
- Follow @ruthaylett on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ruthaylett
- University website: http://www.macs.hw.ac.uk/~ruth/
- Edinburgh Centre for Robotics: https://www.edinburgh-robotics.org/academics/ruth-aylett
Despite concerns, more access to naloxone doesn't make people think heroin is safe by Steffie Drucker
- Increasing access to an overdose rescue drug does not reduce perceived risk of opioid use. (2021, October 7). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/929778
- Naloxone access doesn’t make heroin seem less risky. (2021, October 7). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/930363
- Kelly, B. C., & Vuolo, M. (2021). Do naloxone access laws affect perceived risk of heroin use? Evidence from national US data. Addiction. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.15682
- National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2021, June). Naloxone DrugFacts | National Institute on Drug Abuse. National Institute on Drug Abuse. https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/naloxone
- Understanding the Epidemic. (2021). https://www.cdc.gov/opioids/basics/epidemic.html
- National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2021, March 11). Opioid Overdose Crisis | National Institute on Drug Abuse. National Institute on Drug Abuse. https://www.drugabuse.gov/drug-topics/opioids/opioid-overdose-crisis
- NCHS Pressroom - Homepage. (2021). https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/default.htm
- Products - Vital Statistics Rapid Release - Provisional Drug Overdose Data. (2021). https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/drug-overdose-data.htm
- National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2021, June). Heroin DrugFacts | National Institute on Drug Abuse. National Institute on Drug Abuse. https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/heroin
- National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2021, September 23). Opioids | National Institute on Drug Abuse. National Institute on Drug Abuse. https://www.drugabuse.gov/drug-topics/opioids
- The chemistry of poppies: colours and opium. (2020, November 11). Compound Interest. https://www.compoundchem.com/2020/11/11/poppies/
- Public Policy Statement on the Use of Naloxone for the Prevention of Opioid Overdose Deaths Background. (n.d.). https://www.asam.org/docs/default-source/public-policy-statements/use-of-naloxone-for-the-prevention-of-opioid-overdose-deaths-final.pdf
Why do dishwashers dull knives? by Ashley Hamer (Listener question from Jen in Atlanta)
- Cericola, R. (2016, September 22). This Is What a Dishwasher Actually Does to Your Knife. Kitchn; Apartment Therapy, LLC. https://www.thekitchn.com/this-is-what-a-dishwasher-actually-does-to-your-knife-235242
- Preli, M. (2020, January 27). Here’s Why You Should Never Put Knives in the Dishwasher. Martha Stewart; Martha Stewart. https://www.marthastewart.com/7591633/why-not-use-dishwasher-clean-knives
- Richardson, R. (2021, March). Dishwashers and Knives: The Never Again Story. The Kitchen Professor; The Kitchen Professor. https://thekitchenprofessor.com/blog/dishwasher-dulls-knives
- Stainless Steel Cleaning and Maintenance. (2020, February 18). Reliance Foundry Co. Ltd. https://www.reliance-foundry.com/blog/cleaning-stainless-steel
- Price, W. (2019, May 22). How to Care for a Carbon Steel Knife, According to an Expert. Gear Patrol; Gear Patrol. https://www.gearpatrol.com/home/a544968/carbon-steel-knife-care-maintenance/
- What is Dishwasher Detergent Made of? | Homesteady. (2019). HomeSteady | the Ultimate Guide for All Your Household Needs. https://homesteady.com/12277380/what-is-dishwasher-detergent-made-of
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hi, you're about to get smarter in just a few minutes with Curiosity Daily from Discovery. |
| 0:06.2 | I'm Cody Gough. And I'm Ashley Hamer. Today you learn why robots should look like cartoons, |
| 0:11.2 | with robotics researcher Ruth Alet |
| 0:13.4 | and why more access to an opioid antidote |
| 0:16.2 | doesn't make people think heroin is safe. |
| 0:18.8 | We'll also answer a listener question |
| 0:20.4 | about why dishwashers make knives less sharp. |
| 0:23.3 | Let's satisfy some curiosity. |
| 0:26.7 | Human-like robots just feel creepy. |
| 0:30.2 | And there's a reason for that. |
| 0:31.8 | Today Ruth Ailets is back to explain why making robots look human is the wrong approach, |
| 0:38.0 | and why making them more cartoonish is a better idea. |
| 0:41.0 | Ruth Ailets is a professor of computer science at Harriet Watt University in |
| 0:45.2 | Edinburgh who's been a robotics researcher for 30 years and we asked her is it a good |
| 0:50.7 | idea to make robots appear human? |
| 0:53.2 | So researchers do have different views on this. |
| 0:56.6 | So again, citing the Japanese case, you'll see a lot of robotic design there |
| 1:01.1 | which is intended to look very, very human indeed, uncannily so. We talk about the uncanny valley where the behavior of a robot doesn't match the humanness of its appearance. You can make a robot look quite human with a latex skin and glass eyes, a face that moves, nice glossy hair and all the rest of it. But if it then moves a bit |
| 1:23.0 | jerkyly, it's kind of upsetting because you don't expect it. |
| 1:28.0 | Yeah? Because it looks human you think it should move much better. |
| 1:31.0 | So movement is a more difficult problem than appearance in robotics but a lot of |
| 1:36.7 | the impression you give people when they're interacting with the robot is down to the movement and not just |
... |
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