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Today, this country is facing awesome challenges. Technology is changing all aspects of life, while work force requirements shift rapidly, swelling the numbers of workers who need to be retrained. At the same time, information technologies are creating changes in the automated office. Higher-level literacy is required for most workers in this sector. As the economy moves from an industrial to an information base, the mass educational approach designed to turn out productive workers for industry is no longer deemed appropriate. Rather, education for the future must be improved; not only must schools reemphasize the basics, they must expand the traditional curriculum to include communications, higher-level problem-solving skills, and scientific and technological literacy. Whereas only 7 percent of this country's new jobs will be in high-technology occupations, programs to train workers for these jobs must be designed and implemented quickly if the United States is to compete in the international marketplace of the new global economy. Educators at all levels should cooperate to provide their students with higher levels of mathematics, language, science, and computer literacy skills, along with critical thinking and reasoning skills. (This paper provides information about and examples of the types of programs needed to prepare persons for the new technological jobs that are emerging.) (KC)

Two myths about high technology are that it will be the primary source of new jobs and that it will vastly upgrade the skill requirements of jobs. Evidence does not support these myths. Most new jobs will not be in high tech fields, and technology will reduce the skill requirements. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that high tech occupations will grow rapidly until 1990, but the actual numbers of jobs that will be created are quite small in comparison to other occupational categories. Technology is shaping the future economy by other forces. Robotics, automation, sophistication of some technologies, and movement of jobs overseas will result in job loss. New jobs will be created by technology in production and maintenance of robots. Skill requirments will also be affected. Reduced skills will be needed to use word processing equipment, computers, and cash registers. Educational implications from these changes include the need to increase and strengthen basic education; the need to strengthen the idea of lifelong, recurrent education; and the need to gear training and education toward adaptability and flexibility. Questions and answers about high technology, vocational education, and changes in the nature of work conclude the document. (YLB)

Robots are becoming increasingly common in American industry. By l990, they will revolutionize the way industry functions, replacing hundreds of workers and doing hot, dirty jobs better and more quickly than the workers could have done them. Robotics should be taught in high school industrial arts programs as a major curriculum component. The benefits to students are great. Robots are interesting and highly motivating, and the cost is reasonable when compared to other major acquisitions. Students can be made aware of a variety of career opportunities through the study of robotics. Finally, the study of robotics can bring schools and industry closer together in cooperative programming activities. In junior high school industrial arts, students can be offered hands-on experiences with simple robots and microprocessors as control devices. By using the modular toy, Capsela, in combination with sensing devices and a computer interface, the fundamentals of robotics are within reach of both junior high school students' abilities and school budgets. The teaching of robotics can be an exciting and rewarding component of the industrial arts curriculum at both the high school and the junior high school levels. (KC)

The computer industry is growing at a phenomenal rate as technology advances and prices fall, stimulating unprecedented demand from business, government, and individuals. Higher levels of education will be the key to securing employment as organizations increasingly rely on sophisticated technology. (Author)

A robotics contest encouraged research into robotics and gave students an opportunity to share their work and to build a robot with practical application for use in the home. (JOW)

"VICA Skills USA Championships" (Bamford) describes the competitions and events of the 1995 National Vocational Industrial Clubs of America Leadership and Skills Conference. "Student Robotics Contest" (Vandenberg) describes an annual competition that invites students to demonstrate their creativity and knowledge of robotics. (JOW)

Describes characteristics of robots, provides a glossary of related terms, and discusses available careers in the field of robotics. Includes a list of postsecondary institutions with robotics programs. (JOW)

The implications for society of greater use of robots in home and factory are still unclear. Students must be taught how to understand and utilize these intelligent machines. (Author/RM)

A series of articles looks at computerization and unions in Australia, France, and India; bargaining agreements about technological innovation in India, the United Kingdom, and the United States; and the effects of technology on the labor force in the Federal Republic of Germany, Japan, and the United States. (SK)

Noting that work is partly a social activity, and that workers' psychological and emotional needs influence their productivity, this paper explores avenues for improving human-robot cooperation and for enhancing worker satisfaction in the environment of flexible automation. The first section of the paper offers a brief overview of the worker-machine relationship, discussing several assumptions that have lead to inaccurate research conclusions and poor communication between author and reader. The major section of the paper addresses the critical impact of flexible automation on human workers and on organizations, specifically the areas of (1) worker isolation from other humans; (2) worker communication relationships with robots; (3) worker stress; (4) supervision, control, and information transmission in the computer controlled factory; and (5) human self-esteem vis-a-vis computer controlled robots. (FL)

A new industrial era based on electronics and the microprocessor has arrived, an era that is being called intelligent automation. Intelligent automation, in the form of robots, replaces workers, and the new products, using microelectronic devices, require significantly less labor to produce than the goods they replace. The microprocessor thus makes it possible to have economic growth without increasing employment. Microprocessors and robots have altered and will continue to alter significantly the nature and character of work. If work is to serve human beings in their personal development, it seems imperative that they control the nature and character of their technical means so they contribute to, rather than detract from, the human quality of life. The institution of education has a responsibility to help people know and understand more about technical means and the relation of these means to social purpose, themselves, their work, the environment, and their future. The development of the microprocessor and other technical means forces a reassessment of traditional, institutionalized approaches. Education must focus on the future, learning how to learn, lifelong learning, and the skills associated with these processes which enable humans to reprogram themselves to do what they have not been trained to do. (YLB)

New technologies will produce a radical restructuring of work, including a devaluation of current work skills and the creation of new ones at an ever-increasing rate. The robotics industry provides a prototype for the impact of technology on society, and a context for examining the relevancy of schooling in preparing individuals to function within that society. By examining the context in which education for robotics is occurring, the expanding role of education and the growing variety of institutions providing education and training becomes evident. Five sectors of society provide education-related services pertinent to robotics and the other high technologies: (1) government; (2) education; (3) business/industry; (4) labor; and (5) mass media. Each sector has the primary responsibility for only certain aspects of the educating process, although those functions do overlap. The occupations that are emerging in response to high tech industry needs call for new, essential skills which focus on process rather than subject matter content: critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity, application, synthesis, decision-making, communication, and evaluation and analysis. Those individuals who have the requisite knowledge and skills, with the acknowledgement that they will need lifelong retooling, can look forward to a productive place in our society. As a new technology, as an information technology, as an integration of several technologies, and as a major growth industry, robotics can help lead the way for making connections between education, technology, and employment. (JB)

Robots are machines designed to replace human labor. A fear of vast unemployment due to robots seems unfounded, however, since industrialization creates many more jobs and automation requires technologists to build, program, maintain, and operate sophisticated equipment. Robots possess an intelligence unit, a manipulator, and an end effector. Control is designed as either open loop (no verification of location) or closed loop (verification of location). The major uses of robots in industry are welding, machine loading, foundry, and pointing. The automobile industry, the largest user of robots, is actively pursuing automation of as many jobs as possible. The innovative manager can improve chances of successfully using robots by using a systematic approach. Three methods can determine the feasibility and correct type of robots for specific applications: (1) hire a reputable and experienced robot consultant, (2) select a robot manufacturing company, and (3) get the person most knowledgeable about the activities and processes within the company to analyze and evaluate possibilities. In a self-evaluation, a company should look at areas automation could benefit, including bottlenecks and prior and aft stations, excessive items in process, no-judgment jobs, hazardous or undesirable jobs, obsolete or worn-out equipment, and quality problems or excessive scrap. (YLB)

A futurist addresses two questions concerning world peace and the implications of using robots. In the section on peace (part 1), recommendations for world peace include: (1) implementing peace education as a mandatory part of education; (2) establishing a Department of Peace in each country to create a societal infrastructure for implementing peace; (3) institutionalizing a peace-industrial complex stronger than a military-industrial complex in which peace would become a profitable enterprise, (4) establishing a standard peace index for measuring the "quality of peace," (5) studying the meaning of peace in all contexts, (6) building machinery/technology for peace, and (7) conducting research and development for peace. Part 1 concludes that society needs preventive systems which are future-oriented to achieve peace rather than reactive tactical systems. Part 2 focuses on the future of robots, defines artificial intelligence, and makes a distinction between expert systems and robots. The section concludes that while robots and automated machines directly displace people from jobs, expert systems (consulting tools or appliances used for amplifying human skills) will actually create new jobs and raise society's standard of living by making humans increasingly more "intelligent" and capable. (LH)

After surveying the history and current status of online database searching, this report offers a timeline describing four stages of possible developments for online systems. In the first stage, an expert interface assists CD-ROM-based searching by offering advice about search strategies. Advantages are that search logic can be refined with the help of an expert consultant; however, keyboard input is still required. The next stage features online searching conducted through either keyboard or voice input. A problem is that verbal speech has its own limitations--e.g., pronunciation differences and accents. At the next stage, more sophisticated interactive robotics permit database construction and searches through private conversations between user and system. Its diagnostics make the system capable of learning and improving, and able to adapt to personality requirements of an individual user. However, browsing would be almost impossible and robotics are expensive. The final stage depicts a time when neurotransmission of requests from a searcher's mind directly into the system will make it possible for the computer to respond to thoughts rather than words. A problem with this stage includes the necessity of users' learning to erect mental shields to screen out thoughts not related to the search. (SD)

Will there be radical changes in the workplace by 1997? Four predictions, two full of gloom and doom and two full of promise, are common in current literature. One recent theory holds that we are facing a polarization of American society through the erosion of the middle class. Another gloomy prediction suggests that not only is the middle class eroding, but also that there will be no work for an increasingly large proportion of those seeking work--jobs will be filled by robots. A more hopeful notion is that eliminating government regulations will boost productivity; another is that the nation is about to enter a new era of labor-management cooperation. None of these ideas has much substance, although they may be based on some fact. Rather, each serves some special interests. The actual nature of the workplace in 1997 will probably be not much different than it is today. Change comes slowly and will continue to do so. Some predictions for the future are that business cycles producing recessions will continue to occur; that the work force will continue to grow through fewer young people going to college and more older people working longer; and that technology will bring about job change, but will not bring about an extraordinary demand for new skills. At the same time, workers have changed; they are more educated and have a different family structure. These workers will need different labor-management structures. On the whole, however, the decade will not see radical changes in the workplace. Change takes much time and enormous amounts of capital, and much longer than 10 years will be needed to make an impact. (KC)

While analyzing humor is difficult, Henri Bergson's concept of comedy (a person acting like a machine) outlined in the classic essay, "Le Rire," in 1900, is probably too narrow a definition. Science fiction film, a genre which has evolved since the publication of Bergson's essay, has also speculated about man and society, often to comment on, and to ameliorate, the human condition. The archetypal antinomy of artifact vs. nature, for Bergson the locus of comedy, is for most science fiction the focus of "angst." Nevertheless, the characters C-3PO and R2-D2 in George Lucas'"Star Wars" demonstrate Bergsonian comic principles primarily through reversal--a machine acting like a person--and sometimes through double reversal--a machine acting like a person acting like a machine. (RS)

Describes robotics programs that can be used at the middle school, high school, and university. (JOW)

Discusses intelligent software agents, or knowledge robots (knowbots), and the impact they have on the Internet. Topics addressed include ethical dilemmas; problems created by rapid growth on the Internet; new technologies that are amplifying growth; and a shift to a market economy and resulting costs. (LRW)

Describes a four-part curriculum that can serve as a model for incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) into the high school computer curriculum. The model includes examining questions fundamental to AI, creating and designing an expert system, language processing, and creating programs that integrate machine vision with robotics and manufacturing. (KRN)

Industrial education today must address the basic skills necessary to control and understand the manufacturing process. Machining, welding, and a common-sense knowledge of mechanics are needed. (JOW)

Provides a means of communicating what robots are, how they function, and for what they are being used. (JOW)

Indicates that there is a danger that high tech will be a fad for a few years with too much money and attention spent on these programs and not enough on traditional vocational and technical programs. (JOW)

Discusses employment opportunities in robotics. (JOW)