The Henn-na Hotel (the Weird Hotel) is a hotel in Nagasaki which is the world’s first hotel staffed by robots.
Read:
Glossary
- to cull – to reduce or control the size of something by removal
- plethora – a very large amount of something, especially a larger amount than you need, or can deal with
Answer the questions:
- Why were so many robots made redundant?
- What problem had the hotel hoped the robotic workforce would solve?
- Why were guests frustrated with the droids?
Practice Makes Perfect
Complete the article with the present simple ACTIVE or PASSIVE form of the verbs in brackets.
A typical scenario would unfold as such: A patient 1. ……….. (bring) to the Ryder Trauma Center at the University of Miami’s Jackson Memorial Hospital (where the WLIRC doctors work) by ambulance or helicopter. While the patient is en route, the trauma center 2. …….. (check) to see if there is a specialist on site who can treat the patient’s specific injuries. If there are none available and the specialist on call is unable to make it to Ryder in time, staff at the center 3. ……… (wheel out) the RP-7, 4. …….. (make) by InTouch Technologies, Inc., a Santa Barbara, Calif., medical robotics technology company. Once a specialist 5. ……… (locate) , he or she 6. ………. (uses) a laptop or PC to remotely connect via wireless broadband with the robot. After the connection 7. ……… (make), the specialist is able to control the robot’s movement, possibly even meeting the patient at the door. From there, the specialist can autonomously drive the robot to operating rooms, intensive care units and patients’ bedsides so he or she can monitor those patients as well as instruct nurses and residents.
Key: 1. is brought; 2. checks; 3. wheel out; 4. made; 5. is located; 6. uses; 7. is made
In order to read the whole article, go to: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/robot-telemedicine
Discuss
- What image springs to mind when you hear the word ‘robot’?
- Do you have your favourite film about robots?
- Do you think robots will replace McDonalds workers?
- Would you rather deal with a robot or a human in a store?
Explore it more to create your own teaching-learning experience!
Technology That My Kids Will Have to Explain to Me
Read:
https://www.newyorker.com/humor/daily-shouts/technology-that-my-kids-will-have-to-explain-to-me
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