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Interesting set of survey results on travel and robotics. However, like many things in life; things in moderation have more stayong poor v. going overboard. And, robots are not exception to this. It is inate for humans to have and need human interaction especially in personable service space.

LONDON, March 9, 2016 /NEWS.GNOM.ES/ — A survey of more than 6,000 travellers in Asia, Europe, North America and South America reveals nearly 80% of respondents expect robots to play a big part in their lives by 2020, with three quarters believing they will make their lives significantly better. Almost two thirds of respondents would be comfortable with robots being used in the travel industry. (Logo: http://photos.NEWS.GNOM.ES.com/prnh/20160303/340128LOGO )

Travelzoo (NASDAQ: TZOO), a global media commerce company, conducted the research as part of its Future of Travel project exploring consumer acceptance of robots in the travel and tourism industry. Richard Singer, Travelzoo’s European President, will make a keynote speech on the findings at this year’s ITB Berlin – Europe’s largest travel trade show. On March 11, Mr. Singer will share the stage with Toshiba’s Chihira Kanae – one of the world’s most human-looking robots, who will make her European debut at the event.

According to the survey, international travellers are largely comfortable with robots playing a role in their holiday, though some nations appear more cautious than others. German and French respondents were the most averse, while Chinese and Brazilians were the most positive about how robotics and artificial intelligence could enhance a holiday or travel in general – 92% of Chinese were comfortable with the idea.

Continue reading “Travellers Expect Robots on Their Holidays” | >

I don’t believe that we’re a decade away given the advancements around Quantum infrastructure work such the Quantum Internet and Platform. Too much progress is showing me within the next 7 to 8 years is a possibility especially with the race that we’re all in.

Bill Gates did an Ask Me Anything on Reddit Tuesday and said that there’s a chance within six to ten years that “cloud computing will offer super-computation by using quantum.”

“It could help users solve some very important science problems, including materials and catalyst design,” Gates wrote.

Quantum computing could help users analyze very large amounts of data quicker than they can do now with processor-based computers. While D-Wave offers quantum computing hardware, there is some debate over whether the products actually achieve quantum computing. Gates noted that Microsoft and others are working on quantum computing but steered clear of any debate about whether actual systems are on the market now.

Continue reading “Gates thinks quantum computing in the cloud may come in a decade” | >

If and when self-driving cars become a practical reality, you’ll probably want something to do during your journeys besides chatting with passengers or checking your phone. Thankfully, Ford might have an answer. It recently obtained a patent for an “autonomous vehicle entertainment system” that would let you watch videos when you’re hands-free. Kick your vehicle into self-driving mode and a projector system could swing into action, complete with its own screen — yes, you could watch a movie while you’re on the way to visit family. Think of it as in-flight entertainment, just grounded.

As with most patents, there’s no certainty that Ford will ever use this. While the car maker is serious about autonomous vehicles, it could just as easily resort to flat-panel displays and other less dramatic hardware. There are some safety concerns, too. Do you really want the driver to be completely oblivious to road hazards? For this to work, driverless car tech will have to advance to the point where it’s truly reliable — where you can watch a 2-hour flick without worrying that your car might plow into a bus.

Continue reading “Ford hopes you’ll watch movies in self-driving cars” | >