The Robots Are Coming! Hurray!

At a SXSW “robot petting zoo,” Matternet’s drone was joined by machines built to respond in the case of a disaster or to take on essential tasks that would otherwise require lots of manpower or expensive equipment.

AirRobot, a sleek, stripped down traditional drone (i.e., an unmanned aerial vehicle resembling a pilotless plane), has responded to 18 out of the 43 disasters at which robots have been utilized by responders. It can fly much lower than a helicopter, giving crews more precise intelligence. It's been used at train crashes and mudslides to provide live video feeds of disaster. Teams can use the feed to monitor the situation and plan their response.

Halodrop, another drone at the zoo, uses live streams to monitor major infrastructure for damage. Instead of a five person crew working for a week, it can check, say, an entire bridge in three hours.

Muppette is made from off-the-shelf sensors and drone parts, but the team invented the 3D printing system.

The most striking bot at the zoo was Muppette, the product of two architects who grew tired of the limited build area on their office’s 3D printer. They began building a 3D printing drone in their spare time with an off-the-shelf drone and sensors. A tube snakes out from the drone's belly, where it can deposit a concrete mix to build a temporary shelter. In the case of a disaster, it could effect temporary repairs to roads or other essential infrastructure.

There's no doubt that drones are entering our lives. The question is whether the world will see only the bad, or welcome the good.