Read the following article from the Irish Times about robotics. Answer the accompanying questions.
THE ROBOTS ARE COMING By Pamela Newenham
Like it or not, robots are coming. It’s just a question of how long before they become part of the family.
There are already nearly one million robots in the world today. They are used for assembling products, handling dangerous materials, spray-painting, cleaning sewers, detecting bombs and performing intricate surgery.
This mechanised army is only going to get bigger in years to come, with robots revolutionising life as radically as the internet and social media has done in the last decade…
1. What are robots already being used for?
The global phenomenon that is robotics is also taking a foothold in Ireland, with more and more companies specialising in drones and robotics popping up…
Colmac Robotics co-founder and University of Limerick technology student Colmán Munnelly says robotics is currently where computers were when Bill Gates started out.
‘This is the dawn of a new era. There will be some form of robot in every household in the next 20 to 30 years.’
Some of these robots might even have been developed by students of Munnelly’s ed-tech start-up. He founded Colmac Robotics with Niall McCormick to teach children between the ages of eight and 14 about robots… McCormick says children learn several different skills including computer-aided design, electronic and mechanical engineering, physics and computer science.
2. Why is it important for young Irish people to learn about technology?
