Could Your Best Friend Be A Robot? - Weekly Mash-Up 179

Could Your Child's Best Friend Be A Robot?
Forbes

Wall-E is the friend you never had... but your children might! Pioneers in robotics, artificial intelligence, and character design are turning children's fantasies into reality. Recently, social robots that resemble “Pixar robots come to life” have been flooding the market that are built to make believable emotional connections with the children that play with them. Einstein is a robot that will tutor children in Physics and Buddy will act as a trusted companion for the family. Read more

Expedia wants you to step into your hotel rooms with virtual reality
Mashable

Expedia is going to use Virtual Reality to create a more compelling marketing experiences for their customers. As increasing numbers of people have access to VR gear in their homes, Expedia is creating virtual listings of their holiday destinations to allow potential travels to virtually experience hotels and rooms before they book into them. They are not the first company to use Virtual Reality to incentivise customer purchases, but it could signal a shift in how people start making their booking decisions. Read more

Disney Files Patents for Robots and Augmented Reality
Blooloop

Disney has already made it clear that Augmented Reality, and not Virtual Reality, has a future at its theme parks. However, the recent patent that was filed for Augmented Reality Controls leaves people in no doubt of its commitment to incorporating this technology. Accompanying this is a patent for robot development, most likely to join Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck as roaming park characters. Building these two technologies within its parks is clear evidence that Disney is looking forward to an exciting and innovative future. Read more

Artificial Intelligence will cause a revolution of awareness, not the rise of distrust
The Drum

Controversy and anxiety have regularly attached themselves to developments in automation and Artificial Intelligence. Predictions of a future in which humans consistently lose out to artificially enhanced machines have been rife. However, instead of fearing what AI could bring, it is important to recognise the incredible repercussions it could have - preparing us for natural disasters, bolstering the judicial system, and providing invaluable medical breakthroughs. Read more