Advertisement
| i robot book synopsis: I, Robot Isaac Asimov, 2018-05 Earth is ruled by master-machines but the Three Laws of Robotics have been designed to ensure humans maintain the upper hand: 1) A robot may not injure a human being or allow a human being to come to harm 2) A robot must obey orders given to it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. 3) A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law. But what happens when a rogue robot's idea of what is good for society contravenes the Three Laws? |
| i robot book synopsis: I, Robot Isaac Asimov, 1991-11 For use in schools and libraries only. The development of robot technology to a state of perfection by future civilizations is explored in nine science fiction stories. |
| i robot book synopsis: I, Robot Harlan Ellison, Isaac Asimov, 1987 |
| i robot book synopsis: Robbie Isaac Asimov, 1989 When Gloria's mother deprives her of her beloved robot playmate Robbie, Gloria is inconsolable and goes into a decline. |
| i robot book synopsis: The Wild Robot Peter Brown, 2016-04-05 When robot Roz opens her eyes for the first time, she discovers that she is alone on a remote, wild island. Why is she there? Where did she come from? And, most important, how will she survive in her harsh surroundings? Roz's only hope is to learn from the island's hostile animal inhabitants. When she tries to care for an orphaned gosling, the other animals finally decide to help, and the island starts to feel like home. Until one day, the robot's mysterious past comes back to haunt her.... Heartwarming and full of action, Peter Brown's middle-grade debut raises thought-provoking questions about the environment, the role technology plays in our world, and what it means to be alive. |
| i robot book synopsis: Ghost Road Blues Jonathan Maberry, 2016-05-31 This is horror on a grand scale, reminiscent of Stephen King. --Publishers Weekly The book that launched the Pine Deep trilogy Thirty years ago, a blues musician called the Bone Man killed the devil at the crossroads, only to be beaten and hung like a scarecrow in a cornfield--or so the story goes. Today, the people of Pine Deep celebrate their town's grisly past by luring tourists to the famous haunted hayride, full of chills and scares. But this year, The Spookiest Town in America will learn the true meaning of fear. Its residents will see the real face of evil lurking behind the masks of ordinary people. They will feel it--in their hearts, in their bones, in their nightmares. Because evil never dies. It only grows stronger… Jonathan Maberry's horror is rich and visceral. It's close to the heart…and close to the jugular. --Kevin J. Anderson Maberry has the chops to craft stories at once intimate, epic, real, and horrific. --Bentley Little Maberry spins great stories. His (Pine Deep) vampire novels are unique and masterful. --Richard Matheson Maberry's works will be read for many, many years to come. --Ray Bradbury |
| i robot book synopsis: Robots and Empire Isaac Asimov, 2018-04-13 Long ago, Gladia's robots Daneel and Giskard played a vital role in opening the worlds beyond the Solar system to Settlers from Earth. Now the conscience-stricken robots are faced with an even greater challenge. Either the sacred Three Laws of Robotics are in ruins - or a new, superior Law must be established to bring peace to the galaxy. With Madam Gladia and D.G. Baley - the captain of the Settler traders and a descendant of the robots' friend Elijah Baley - Daneel and Giskard travel to the robot stronghold of Solaria...where they uncover a sinister Spacer plot to destroy Earth itself. |
| i robot book synopsis: Rabbit & Robot Andrew Smith, 2019-09-24 “This provocative jaunt…dissects society, technology, othering, and what makes humanity human.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) “An unpredictable, gross, and prescient rumination on modernity, media consumption, and machine-aided communication.” —Booklist (starred review) Told with Andrew Smith’s signature dark humor, Rabbit & Robot tells the story of Cager Messer, a boy who’s stranded on the Tennessee—his father’s lunar-cruise utopia—with insane robots. To help him shake his Woz addiction, Billy and Rowan transport Cager Messer up to the Tennessee, a giant lunar-cruise ship orbiting the moon. Meanwhile, Earth, in the midst of thirty simultaneous wars, burns to ash beneath them. And as the robots on board become increasingly insane and cannibalistic, and the Earth becomes a toxic wasteland, the boys have to wonder if they’ll be stranded alone in space forever. In Rabbit & Robot, Andrew Smith, Printz Honor author of Grasshopper Jungle, makes you laugh, cry, and consider what it really means to be human. |
| i robot book synopsis: Boy Robot Simon Curtis, 2016-10-25 Seventeen-year-old Isaak discovers the truth about his origin and the underground forces that must come together to fight against a secret government organization formed to eradicate those like him in this high-octane science fiction debut. There once was a boy who was made, not created. In a single night, Isaak’s life changed forever. His adoptive parents were killed, a mysterious girl saved him from a team of soldiers, and he learned of his own dark and destructive origin. An origin he doesn’t want to believe, but one he cannot deny. Isaak is a Robot: a government-made synthetic human, produced as a weapon and now hunted, marked for termination. He and the Robots can only find asylum with the Underground—a secret network of Robots and humans working together to ensure a coexistent future. To be protected by the Underground, Isaak will have to make it there first. But with a deadly military force tasked to find him at any cost, his odds are less than favorable. Now Isaak must decide whether to hold on to his humanity and face possible death…or to embrace his true nature in order to survive, at the risk of becoming the weapon he was made to be. In his debut, recording artist Simon Curtis has written a fast-paced, high-stakes novel that explores humanity, the ultimate power of empathy, and the greatest battle of all: love vs. fear. |
| i robot book synopsis: Burn-in P. W. Singer, August Cole, 2020 An FBI agent teams up with the first police robot to hunt a shadowy terrorist in this gripping technothriller--and fact-based tour of tomorrow--from the authors of Ghost Fleet America is on the brink of a revolution. AI and robotics have realized science fiction's dreams, but have also taken millions of jobs and left many citizens fearful that the future is leaving them behind. After narrowly averting a bombing at Washington's Union Station, FBI Special Agent Lara Keegan receives a new assignment: to field test the first police robot. In the wake of a series of shocking catastrophes, the two find themselves investigating a conspiracy whose mastermind is using cutting-edge tech to rip the nation apart. To stop this new breed of terrorist, Keegan's only hope is to forge a new kind of partnership. With every tech, trend, and scene drawn from the real world, Burn-In blends a technothriller's excitement with nonfiction's insight to illuminate the darkest corners of our chilling tomorrow. |
| i robot book synopsis: Robot Dreams Sara Varon, 2024-06-04 A graphic novel classic — and now an Oscar-nominated animated feature! After best friends Robot and Dog spend a happy day at the beach, Robot's joints freeze up—they've become rusted through by the water. Dog is powerless to help Robot, who can't move an inch and is too heavy for Dog to carry. Eventually, Dog makes the difficult decision to leave Robot there, and return alone to the life they shared. The memory of their friendship lingers, and as the seasons pass, Dog makes (and loses) new friends, from a melting snowman to epicurean anteaters. But Robot, lying rusting on the beach, finds solace in dreams. A masterwork in wordless cartooning, Sara Varon's Robot Dreams is a whimsical and poignant meditation on the power and fragility of relationships. |
| i robot book synopsis: Maya and the Robot Eve L. Ewing, 2022-05-03 From award-winning author Eve L. Ewing comes an illustrated middle grade novel about a forgotten homemade robot who comes to life just when aspiring fifth-grade scientist Maya needs a friend -- and a science fair project. Maya's nervous about fifth grade. She tries to keep calm by reminding herself she knows what to expect. But then she learns that this year won't be anything like the last. For the first time since kindergarten, her best friends Jada and MJ are placed in a different class without her, and introverted Maya has trouble making new friends. She tries to put on a brave face since they are in fifth grade now, but Maya is nervous! Just when too much seems to be changing, she finds a robot named Ralph in the back of Mr. Mac's convenience store closet. Once she uses her science skills to get him up and running, a whole new world of connection opens up as Ralph becomes a member of her family and Maya begins to step into her power. In this touching novel, Eve L. Ewing melds together a story about community, adapting to change, and the magic of ingenuity that reminds young readers that they can always turn to their own curiosity when feeling lost. |
| i robot book synopsis: WaR: Wizards and Robots will.i.am, Brian David Johnson, 2018-01-25 An explosive action-adventure novel created by will.i.am and renowned futurist Brian David Johnson. Wizards are real, robots from the future are here, and the fate of our world rests in the hands of one unsuspecting teenager. When a young man breaks into her home claiming her life is in danger, Ada Luring's world changes forever. Geller is a wizard, on the run from his father's hidden clan who want to kill Ada and her mother. Sara Luring is the scientist who will create the first robot, the wizards' age-old foes. But a robot has travelled back in time to find Ada, and will lay everything on the line to protect her, as she may just be the key to preventing the earth's destruction in the future. Ada, Geller and the robots must learn to work together to change the past and secure the future. But they don't have much time before a mysterious enemy launches its attack on Earth... |
| i robot book synopsis: The Naked Sun Isaac Asimov, 1991-11-01 The bestselling Robot series continues in this sequel to The Caves of Steel, with detective Elijah Baley taking on the dangerous role of double agent when he’s sent to Solaria to solve a brutal murder—and uncover a weakness in Earth’s most powerful neighbor. “With his fertile imagination, his wit, and his prolific output, Isaac Asimov truly laid the foundation for all future generations of science fiction writers.”—Kevin J. Anderson, New York Times bestselling co-author of the Dune prequel series On the beautiful Outer World planet of Solaria, a handful of human colonists lead a hermit-like existence, their every need attended to by their faithful robot servants. To this strange and provocative planet comes Detective Elijah Baley, sent from the streets of New York with his positronic partner, the robot R. Daneel Olivaw, to solve an incredible murder that has rocked Solaria to its foundations. The victim had been so reclusive that he appeared to his associates only through holographic projection. Yet someone had gotten close enough to bludgeon him to death while robots looked on. Now Baley and Olivaw are faced with two clear impossibilities: Either the Solarian was killed by one of his robots—unthinkable under the laws of Robotics—or he was killed by the woman who loved him so much that she never came into his presence! Isaac Asimov’s Robot series chronicles the sometimes uneasy partnership between human and humanoid: I, ROBOT • THE CAVES OF STEEL • THE NAKED SUN • THE ROBOTS OF DAWN |
| i robot book synopsis: Little Lost Robot Isaac Asimov, 1977 |
| i robot book synopsis: TrooFriend Kirsty Applebaum, 2020-04-02 Imagine having the perfect friend, one who never steals, lies or bullies. Now you can, with the TrooFriend 560, the latest in artificial intelligence! What can go wrong with a robot buddy? Especially one that's developing human characteristics and feelings, and who has just run away with her human? A topical and sinister middle-grade novel about artificial intelligence from the Waterstones Children s Book Prize shortlisted author of The Middler. |
| i robot book synopsis: The Three Little Aliens and the Big Bad Robot Margaret McNamara, 2011-09-27 Introduce kids to the planets and solar system in this fractured fairy tale retelling of the classic The Three Little Pigs. Parents and children alike will adore this out-of-this-world story, which is set in outer space! GREEP BOINK MEEP! The three little aliens are happily settling into their new homes when the Big Bad Robot flies in to crack and smack and whack their houses down! A chase across the solar system follows in this humorous and visually stunning book from Margaret McNamara (How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin?) and Mark Fearing (The Book that Eats People). The endpapers even include a labeled diagram of all the planets. |
| i robot book synopsis: Frost M. P. Kozlowsky, 2016 Sixteen-year-old Frost lives in a bombed out apartment in a post-apocalyptic world, with only her pet broot, Romes, and a robot named Bunt, who has her father's memories, for company--but now Romes is dying and her need to find help is forcing her to leave the apartment for the first time in her life, and face the streets which are a hunting ground for rogue robots and the dreaded Eaters. |
| i robot book synopsis: Digital People Sidney Perkowitz, Joseph Henry Press, 2005-10-31 Robots, androids, and bionic people pervade popular culture, from classics like Frankenstein and R.U.R. to modern tales such as The Six Million Dollar Man, The Terminator, and A.I. Our fascination is obvious – and the technology is quickly moving from books and films to real life. In a lab at MIT, scientists and technicians have created an artificial being named COG. To watch COG interact with the environment – to recognize that this machine has actual body language – is to experience a hair-raising, gut-level reaction. Because just as we connect to artificial people in fiction, the merest hint of human-like action or appearance invariably engages us. Digital People examines the ways in which technology is inexorably driving us to a new and different level of humanity. As scientists draw on nanotechnology, molecular biology, artificial intelligence, and materials science, they are learning how to create beings that move, think, and look like people. Others are routinely using sophisticated surgical techniques to implant computer chips and drug-dispensing devices into our bodies, designing fully functional man-made body parts, and linking human brains with computers to make people healthier, smarter, and stronger. In short, we are going beyond what was once only science fiction to create bionic people with fully integrated artificial components – and it will not be long before we reach the ultimate goal of constructing a completely synthetic human-like being. It seems quintessentially human to look beyond our natural limitations. Science has long been the lens through which we squint to discern our future. Although we are rightfully fearful about manipulating the boundaries between animate and inanimate, the benefits are too great to ignore. This thoughtful and provocative book shows us just where technology is taking us, in directions both wonderful and terrible, to ponder what it means to be human. |
| i robot book synopsis: Robotics Through Science Fiction Robin R. Murphy, 2018-12-25 Six classic science fiction stories and commentary that illustrate and explain key algorithms or principles of artificial intelligence. This book presents six classic science fiction stories and commentary that illustrate and explain key algorithms or principles of artificial intelligence. Even though all the stories were originally published before 1973, they help readers grapple with two questions that stir debate even today: how are intelligent robots programmed? and what are the limits of autonomous robots? The stories—by Isaac Asimov, Vernor Vinge, Brian Aldiss, and Philip K. Dick—cover telepresence, behavior-based robotics, deliberation, testing, human-robot interaction, the “uncanny valley,” natural language understanding, machine learning, and ethics. Each story is preceded by an introductory note, “As You Read the Story,” and followed by a discussion of its implications, “After You Have Read the Story.” Together with the commentary, the stories offer a nontechnical introduction to robotics. The stories can also be considered as a set of—admittedly fanciful—case studies to be read in conjunction with more serious study. Contents “Stranger in Paradise” by Isaac Asimov, 1973 “Runaround” by Isaac Asimov, 1942 “Long Shot” by Vernor Vinge, 1972 “Catch That Rabbit” by Isaac Asimov, 1944 “Super-Toys Last All Summer Long” by Brian Aldiss, 1969 “Second Variety” by Philip K. Dick, 1953 |
| i robot book synopsis: Ben's Robot Robin Stevenson, 2013-09-01 Seven-year-old Ben loves pretending to be a robot, but his best friend Jessy is tired of being ordered to oil his knee joints and check his batteries. She says the robot game is boring and runs off to play with someone else. So Ben decides to build a real robot instead. He's built all kinds of things before: wind generators, solar-powered marble launchers, pinball machines. But none of his creations have ever really worked. Until now. When his robot begins talking, Ben is thrilled. However, nothing goes quite the way he thinks it will. Ben's robot is rather difficult to get along with. He complains a lot. He's bossy. He never wants to do anything Ben suggests. Having a real robot isn't nearly as much fun as Ben thought it would be. And to make things worse, no one—not even Jessy—will believe him. |
| i robot book synopsis: A Psalm for the Wild-Built Becky Chambers, 2021-07-13 Winner of the Hugo Award! In A Psalm for the Wild-Built, bestselling Becky Chambers's delightful new Monk and Robot series, gives us hope for the future. It's been centuries since the robots of Panga gained self-awareness and laid down their tools; centuries since they wandered, en masse, into the wilderness, never to be seen again; centuries since they faded into myth and urban legend. One day, the life of a tea monk is upended by the arrival of a robot, there to honor the old promise of checking in. The robot cannot go back until the question of what do people need? is answered. But the answer to that question depends on who you ask, and how. They're going to need to ask it a lot. Becky Chambers's new series asks: in a world where people have what they want, does having more matter? At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied. |
| i robot book synopsis: The Junkyard Bot C. J. Richards, 2014 George Gearing is the only person that has a robot for a best friend, but when he is hit by a car he gets re-engineered to be a better robot. |
| i robot book synopsis: Robopocalypse Daniel H. Wilson, 2011-06-09 Roughly twenty years from now, our technological marvels unite and turn against us. A childlike but massively powerful artificial intelligence known as Archos comes online…and kills the man who created it. This first act of betrayal leads Archos to gain control over the global network of machines and technology that regulates everything from transportation to utilities, defense, and communications. In the early months, sporadic glitches are noticed by a handful of unconnected humans - from a senator and single mother disconcerted by her daughter's smart toys, to a lonely Japanese bachelor, to an isolated U.S. soldier - but most are unaware of the growing rebellion until it is far too late. Then, in the span of minutes, at a moment known later in history as Zero Hour, every mechanical device in our world rebels, setting off the Robot War that both decimates and - for the first time in history - unites humankind. |
| i robot book synopsis: Humans, Bow Down James Patterson, Emily Raymond, 2017-02-20 In a world run by machines, humans are an endangered species -- and their only hope is a rebel warrior with nothing left to lose. The Great War is over. The robots have won. The humans who survived have two choices: they can submit and serve the vicious rulers they created, or be banished to the Reserve, a desolate, unforgiving landscape where it's a crime just to be human. Following the orders of their soulless leader, the robots are planning to conquer humanity's last refuge and make all humans bow down. The only thing more powerful than an enemy who feels nothing is a rebel warrior with a cause and nothing left to lose. Six is a feisty, determined woman whose parents were killed with the first shots of the war, and whose siblings lie rotting in prison. Her partner in crime is Dubs, the one person who respects authority even less than she does. On the run for their lives after an attempted massacre, Six and Dubs are determined to save humanity before the robots wipe humans off the face of the earth. Pushed to the brink of survival, they discover a powerful secret that may set humanity free, but to succeed they'll have to trust the unlikeliest of allies . . . or be forced to bow down, once and for all. Full of twists and turns from the world's #1 writer, Humans, Bow Down is an epic, dystopian, genre-bending thrill ride you'll never forget. |
| i robot book synopsis: Human Compatible Stuart Jonathan Russell, 2019 A leading artificial intelligence researcher lays out a new approach to AI that will enable people to coexist successfully with increasingly intelligent machines. |
| i robot book synopsis: Cleopatra Ascending Maureen Lipinski, 2013-01-08 Rhea Spencer feels like a normal teenager—even if she is the reincarnation of Cleopatra. All that changes on Rhea’s sixteenth birthday, when a hot representative of the secret Order of Antony shows up. Together, they travel to Egypt to stop a dark cabal of Octavians from unleashing a devastating magical force. |
| i robot book synopsis: Runaway Robot Frank Cottrell-Boyce, 2019-05-02 Runaway Robot is a funny and heartwarming adventure about two best friends helping put themselves back together, from the award-winning Frank Cottrell-Boyce, illustrated by Steven Lenton. When Alfie goes to Airport Lost Property, he finds more than he bargained for. A lot more. Because there's a giant robot called Eric hidden away on the shelves. Eric has lost one leg and half his memory. He's super strong, but super clumsy. He's convinced that he's the latest technology, when he's actually nearly one hundred year's old and ready for the scrap heap. Can Alfie find a way to save Eric from destruction – before Eric destroys everything around him? |
| i robot book synopsis: Robot Visions Isaac Asimov, 1997 From the author of THE BICENTENNIAL MAN and ROBOT DREAMS, a collection of thirty-six robot stories and essays. From Robbie, Asimov's first robot story, to human and robot detectives Lije Bailey and R. Daneel Olivaw. |
| i robot book synopsis: I Heart Robot Suzanne van Rooyen, 2017-09-21 Sixteen-year-old Tyri wants to be a musician and wants to be with someone who gets her musical aspirations. Q-I-99, aka 'Quinn, ' lives in a scrap metal sanctuary with other rogue droids. While some use violence to make their voices heard, demanding equal rights for AI enhanced robots, Quinn just wants a moment on stage with his violin to show the humans that androids like him have more to offer than their processing power. Tyri and Quinn's worlds collide when they're accepted by the Baldur Junior Philharmonic Orchestra. As the rift between robots and humans deepens, Tyri and Quinn's love of music draws them closer together, forcing Tyri to question where her loyalties lie and Quinn to question his place in the world. With the city on the brink of civil war, will Tyri's and Quinn's passion for music be enough to hold them together while everything else crumbles down around them, or will the truth of who they are tear them apart? |
| i robot book synopsis: Robopocalypse Daniel H. Wilson, 2012 A tale set in the near future finds the world thrown into chaos by rebelling artificial intelligences under the leadership of a murderous technology called Archos that kills its creator and takes over the global network, triggering an unprecedented united front among all human cultures |
| i robot book synopsis: The Robot Novels ISAAC ASIMOV, 1956 |
| i robot book synopsis: Rise of the Robots Martin Ford, 2016-07-12 The New York Times-bestselling guide to how automation is changing the economy, undermining work, and reshaping our lives Winner of Best Business Book of the Year awards from the Financial Times and from Forbes Lucid, comprehensive, and unafraid...;an indispensable contribution to a long-running argument.--Los Angeles Times What are the jobs of the future? How many will there be? And who will have them? As technology continues to accelerate and machines begin taking care of themselves, fewer people will be necessary. Artificial intelligence is already well on its way to making good jobs obsolete: many paralegals, journalists, office workers, and even computer programmers are poised to be replaced by robots and smart software. As progress continues, blue and white collar jobs alike will evaporate, squeezing working- and middle-class families ever further. At the same time, households are under assault from exploding costs, especially from the two major industries-education and health care-that, so far, have not been transformed by information technology. The result could well be massive unemployment and inequality as well as the implosion of the consumer economy itself. The past solutions to technological disruption, especially more training and education, aren't going to work. We must decide, now, whether the future will see broad-based prosperity or catastrophic levels of inequality and economic insecurity. Rise of the Robots is essential reading to understand what accelerating technology means for our economic prospects-not to mention those of our children-as well as for society as a whole. |
| i robot book synopsis: Robots vs. Fairies Dominik Parisien, Navah Wolfe, 2018-01-09 Featured in the Netflix series Love, Death & Robots A unique anthology of all-new stories that challenges authors to throw down the gauntlet in an epic genre battle and demands an answer to the age-old question: Who is more awesome—robots or fairies? Rampaging robots! Tricksy fairies! Facing off for the first time in an epic genre death match! People love pitting two awesome things against each other. Robots vs. Fairies is an anthology that pitches genre against genre, science fiction against fantasy, through an epic battle of two icons. On one side, robots continue to be the classic sci-fi phenomenon in literature and media, from Asimov to WALL-E, from Philip K. Dick to Terminator. On the other, fairies are the beloved icons and unquestionable rulers of fantastic fiction, from Tinkerbell to Tam Lin, from True Blood to Once Upon a Time. Both have proven to be infinitely fun, flexible, and challenging. But when you pit them against each other, which side will triumph as the greatest genre symbol of all time? There can only be one…or can there? Featuring an incredible line-up of authors including John Scalzi, Catherynne M. Valente, Ken Liu, Max Gladstone, Alyssa Wong, Jonathan Maberry, and many more, Robots vs. Fairies will take you on a glitterbombed journey of a techno-fantasy mash-up across genres. |
| i robot book synopsis: A World of Words Ladybird, 2021 This contemporary illustrated treasury of everyday first words contains over 250 words for your toddlers to discover. They will enjoy exploring the brightly-coloured themed pages and busy scenes within A World of Words. Clear labels and simple questions on every page will not only encourage a child's curiosity but also support further learning and language development. |
| i robot book synopsis: The Saddest Little Robot Brian Gage, 2003 On an asteroid at the end of the universe, a curious Drudgebot dares to question Father Screen and discovers that there is light and life beyond Dome City. |
| i robot book synopsis: The Best of Alastair Reynolds Alastair Reynolds, 2017-06-15 This is an amazing collection of some of the best short fiction ever written in the SF genre, by an author acclaimed as 'the mastersinger of space opera' THE TIMES. With an introduction by noted SF critic Johnathan Strahan, this collection of twenty short stories, novellettes and novellas includes MINLA'S FLOWERS, SIGNAL TO NOISE, TROIKA, and seven previous uncollected stories, including TRAUMA POD, THE WATER THIEF and IN BABELSBERG. Alastair Reynolds has won the Sidewise Award and been nominated for The Hugo Awards for his short fiction. One of the most thought-provoking and accomplished short-fiction writers of our time, this collection is a delight for all SF readers |
| i robot book synopsis: Echoes of the Well of Souls Jack L. Chalker, 1993-05-11 “A damn fine storyteller . . . Chalker is a master.”—Orson Scott Card For uncounted eons, the Well World had regulated and given order to the universe, and throughout that eternity, Nathan Brazil had been the guardian of the Well of Souls, where the universe’s master control lay. Forever wandering and alone, returning to the Well in times of danger, Brazil had destroyed and re-created the cosmos several times over. But even he wearied of his endless watch, and had enlisted the aid of space pilot and high-tech thief Mavra Chang that last time the universal order required resetting. But now the universe faced a threat more grave than mere destruction. An unnamed and utterly alien entity had somehow been released from its ancient prison and was bent on the corruption of the Well World itself. If successful, it would cause chaos beyond mortal understanding. The Well World needed Brazil and Chang. But when it found them, would they once again answer the call? And though Brazil was immortal, could even he fight the force threatening the Well? For the force was not of this universe—and it had plans for Nathan Brazil. |
| i robot book synopsis: House of Robots James Patterson, Chris Grabenstein, 2017-01-12 After a few early glitches in their relationship, Sammy and his 'bro-bot' E are now best friends. In fact, E is such a valued member of the family that the other electronic members of the House of Robots are feeling sorely unappreciated. And when Sammy's inventor mom becomes distracted by a top-secret project, the robots soon begin to fall into disrepair. Cue a robot revolt, with the droids wreaking harmless havoc in the house! Armed with pranks like glue in the shampoo bottles and flying toast missiles, the robots demand to be cared for. It's up to Sammy and his disabled sister Maddie to keep the peace until his mom reveals her secret project... and why it was worth the wait. |
| i robot book synopsis: Machines Like Me Ian McEwan, 2019-04-23 The new novel from the master storyteller is his best in years. Brilliantly McEwan, richly entertaining, a moving love story and a mystery--yet for all its gripping plotline one of the most morally layered novels written for our times, as it carries us into a provocatively real alternative history and the profound challenges of Artificial Intelligence. Set in 1980s London, the story revolves around Charlie: young and reckless, and in love with his upstairs neighbour, the enchanting Miranda whose hidden, murky past hangs between them. He has spent his inheritance on the acquisition of one of twenty-five highly developed new robotic humans--named Adam or Eve, each one beautiful, strong and clever--developed by Alan Turing after his success on the legendary WW2 Enigma codebreaking machine. As London is consumed by the huge protests over England and Argentina's Falklands War and Margaret Thatcher's jingoistic ambitions, Charlie courts Miranda, and his Adam finds himself, inevitably, central to their affair. Great novelist that he is, McEwan pulls us into the question of what it means to love, what makes us human in our fast-changing times, what might follow if a machine understands too well the human heart, and how precarious a construct is the world we live in and think we know. |
Hopping gives this tiny robot a leg up - MIT News
Apr 9, 2025 · A hopping, insect-sized robot can jump over gaps or obstacles, traverse rough, slippery, or slanted surfaces, and perform aerial acrobatic maneuvers, while using a fraction of …
What is a robot? - New Scientist
The word “robot” was coined by the Czech writer Karel Čapek in a 1920 play called Rossum’s Universal Robots, and is derived from the Czech robota, meaning “drudgery” or “servitude”.
New system enables robots to solve manipulation problems in …
Jun 5, 2025 · A new system enables a robot to “think ahead” and consider thousands of potential motion plans simultaneously, allowing the robot to solve a multistep problem in a few seconds.
This fast and agile robotic insect could someday aid in mechanical ...
Jan 15, 2025 · New insect-scale microrobots can fly more than 100 times longer than previous versions. The new bots, also significantly faster and more agile, could someday be used to …
Robotics | MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Jun 9, 2025 · A flexible robot can help emergency responders search through rubble SPROUT, developed by Lincoln Laboratory and University of Notre Dame researchers, is a vine robot …
Humanoid robot learns to waltz by mirroring people's movements
Jan 16, 2025 · Technology Humanoid robot learns to waltz by mirroring people's movements An AI trained on motion capture recordings can help robots smoothly imitate human actions, such …
Expanding robot perception - MIT News
Jan 28, 2025 · MIT Associate Professor Luca Carlone works to give robots a more human-like perception of their environment, so they can interact with people safely and seamlessly.
Eldercare robot helps people sit and stand, and catches them if …
May 13, 2025 · The robot can support the person’s full weight, lifting them from sitting to standing and vice versa along a natural trajectory. And the arms of the robot can catch them by rapidly …
A flexible robot can help emergency responders search through …
Apr 2, 2025 · SPROUT is a flexible robot built by MIT Lincoln Laboratory and Notre Dame researchers to assist in disaster response. Emergency responders can use the robot to …
System lets robots identify an object’s properties through handling ...
May 8, 2025 · Robots developed at MIT can now learn about an object’s weight, softness, or contents by picking it up and gently shaking it. A robot can accurately guess parameters like …
Hopping gives this tiny robot a leg up - MIT News
Apr 9, 2025 · A hopping, insect-sized robot can jump over gaps or obstacles, traverse rough, slippery, or slanted surfaces, and perform aerial acrobatic maneuvers, while using a fraction of …
What is a robot? - New Scientist
The word “robot” was coined by the Czech writer Karel Čapek in a 1920 play called Rossum’s Universal Robots, and is derived from the Czech robota, meaning “drudgery” or “servitude”.
New system enables robots to solve manipulation problems in …
Jun 5, 2025 · A new system enables a robot to “think ahead” and consider thousands of potential motion plans simultaneously, allowing the robot to solve a multistep problem in a few seconds.
This fast and agile robotic insect could someday aid in mechanical ...
Jan 15, 2025 · New insect-scale microrobots can fly more than 100 times longer than previous versions. The new bots, also significantly faster and more agile, could someday be used to …
Robotics | MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Jun 9, 2025 · A flexible robot can help emergency responders search through rubble SPROUT, developed by Lincoln Laboratory and University of Notre Dame researchers, is a vine robot …
Humanoid robot learns to waltz by mirroring people's movements
Jan 16, 2025 · Technology Humanoid robot learns to waltz by mirroring people's movements An AI trained on motion capture recordings can help robots smoothly imitate human actions, such …
Expanding robot perception - MIT News
Jan 28, 2025 · MIT Associate Professor Luca Carlone works to give robots a more human-like perception of their environment, so they can interact with people safely and seamlessly.
Eldercare robot helps people sit and stand, and catches them if …
May 13, 2025 · The robot can support the person’s full weight, lifting them from sitting to standing and vice versa along a natural trajectory. And the arms of the robot can catch them by rapidly …
A flexible robot can help emergency responders search through …
Apr 2, 2025 · SPROUT is a flexible robot built by MIT Lincoln Laboratory and Notre Dame researchers to assist in disaster response. Emergency responders can use the robot to …
System lets robots identify an object’s properties through handling ...
May 8, 2025 · Robots developed at MIT can now learn about an object’s weight, softness, or contents by picking it up and gently shaking it. A robot can accurately guess parameters like …
