STS
MODULE 7 : When Human and Technology Cross
Development of Science and Technology in the
Philippines
• Technology now permeates every aspect of our
life.
• A huge variety of technological advancements,
from chemicals and medications to machinery
and equipment that make our lives more
exciting, practical, and healthy, have been made
possible throughout the course of human history
by inventive people.
• Despite these, technology has also brought
about new dangers that our ancestors could not
have imagined.
Technological Advancement in the Philippines
 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)
• Every organ of society should work to
promote respect for human rights and
their freedom through education and
progressive national international
measures in order tho ensure their
recognition amd observance among
nations.
• To fulfill this objective, UDHR is utilized
as a common standard of achievement.
• Article 3. Everyone has the right to life,
liberty and security of person.
• Article 4. No one shall be held in slavery
or servitude; slavery and the slave trade
shall be prohibited in all their forms.
• Article 5. No one shall be subjected to
torture or to cruel, inhuman or
degrading treatment or punishment.
• Article 6. Everyone has the right to
recognition everywhere as a person
before the law.
• Article 7. All are equal before the law
and are entitled without any
discrimination to equal protection of the
law. All are entitled to equal protection
against any discrimination in violation of
this Declaration and against any
incitement to such discrimination.
• Article 8. Everyone has the right to an
effective remedy by the competent
national tribunals for acts violating the
fundamental rights granted him by the
constitution or by law.
• Article 9. No one shall be subjected to
arbitrary arrest, detention, or exile.
• Article 10. Everyone is entitled in full equality
to a fair and public hearing by an independent
and impartial tribunal, in the determination
of his rights and obligations and of any
criminal charge against him.
How Robotics Influence Our Lives
• Robots are showing up more frequently in our
daily lives as technology continues to advance
quickly.
• However, despite their positive impacts not only
in factories and other industrial environments
but also in more common places such as homes
and hospitals, they raise certain concerns with
their rapid development.
Typical Benefits of Robots
• Safety
• Time-saving
• Accesibility
• Surveillance
• Lessens loneliness
• Productivity
• Improved operation
• Less human errors
Impacts of AI in our Everyday Life
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) is utilized to find
solutions to difficulties in our daily loves,
including determining the quickest route
between our house and our place of
employment, reading webpages in another
written language, and a variety of other tasks.
• The growth of AI is typically praised for making
tasks much simpler and time-consuming.
However, just like robotics, our civilization is
faced with significant ethical, social, and legal
difficulties. It is important to carefully evaluate,
minimize, and in certain circumstances, remove
these difficulties and dangers.
• Face recognition features. Built into
smartphones or CCTVs installed in public spaces,
facial recognition technology has progressively
merged into our daily lives.
 • Sex robots. The creators and manufacturers of
these toys claim that they are safe and that
playing with them can be beneficial in reducing
adverse effects on mental health which they
believe can lower cases of sexual harassment
and other similar offenses.
• Robotic chefs.
• Personalized shopping. AI technology is widely
used by online shopping sites to create tailored
recommendations for consumers.
• Digital voice assistance. It lets users conduct
searchers using speech commands as well as
retrieve information via voice synthesis.
• Smart homes. Thermostats attached to our
home can learn about our preferences and daily
habits so that when we return, we are welcomed
by an ideal temperature.
• Sending emails and messages. AI-based
predictive text functions help us compose our
messages.
• Google internet search. Search engines could
not scan the entire internet and deliver what you
want without the assistance of AI.
• Effects of AI on healthcare. AI-driven consumer
health applications are already assisting people
by encouraging a healthy lifestyle which will
reduce the need for doctors in the future. AI is
also already being used to correctly diagnose
diseases in their early stages such as cancer
because of its data analytic capabilities.
Roles of Robots in Protecting the Environment
 Robots plant trees
• SkyGrow CEO Mark Stewart chose planting
trees to alleviate current environmental
impacts. Through this mission, he founded
his business with the intention of planting
trees not just in secluded areas like the
Amazon.
• The Growbot, an automated vehicle that
can plant trees 10 times quicker than a
human can, was created by the SkyGrow
team for around half the price.
• 4,500 Growbots grow mature trees rather
than seeds because mature trees have a
higher probability of thriving in their new
environment.
 Robots help farmers survive droughts
• Robots can follow the development of
plants and discover which varieties can
endure and flourish in challenging
environments using AI sensors and
monitors.
• Through this, farmers can choose plants
that have a better probability of succeeding
with the aid of data analysis, saving them
money while also feeding the community.
 Robots can grow like plants
• To better understand the natural world,
scientists at The Planetoid Project are
attempting to mimic the actions and
behaviors of plants.
• Researchers may investigate the soil that
plants are exposed to by using the robot
plant the researchers have created which
even has a miniature 3D printer that aids the
roots in "growing".
 Humanoid robots dive to the bottom of the
ocean
• Ocean One, a humanoid robot created
by the Stanford Robotics Lab to explore
the ocean and gather samples as
efficiently as a diver, was recently
covered by the team at Evolving Science.
It focus on its first development were the
Red Sea's coral reefs.
• Ocean One can live at great depths and
replicate a human SCUBA diver,
complete with arms, depth sensing, and
touch feedback, without harming the
reef.
 Swarm robots collect data
• Aquabotix is a technology development
company that creates vehicles for
underwater inspection. It specializes in
swarm robots, or multiple small robots
that can be controlled by one operator.
As a whole, swarm robots cover more
territory than one robot can, damaged
individual units cannot affect the entire
research plan, they can collect more
diverse data, and they are more
affordable.
• This makes the data more reliable and
helps scientists learn more about the
ocean and how to protect it.
 Robots harvest wave and solar energy
• A great example is the Wave Glider by
Liquid Robotics. It looks like a surfboard
and has built in solar panels, collecting
solar energy as it moves along the ocean
surface. It uses the stored energy for
propulsion and to recharge the batteries
needed for its sensors.
• Wave Glider’s applications include
collecting high-resolution carbon dioxide
samples in difficult locations for a
complete picture of global climate
change.
 Robots eat water pollution
• The Permaculture Research Institute in
Australia recently covered the
development of a “Row-bot” developed
by the University of Bristol that digests
pollution in the water and turns it into
energy. The robot swims around,
ingesting microbes which then power
the boat’s motor.
• According to Jonathan Rossiter, who
hosted a TED talk about these robots,
this technology could help reduce the
impact of tankers that flush their oil
tanks into the sea and of chemicals that
are washed into rivers and wind up in the
oceans.
 Robots kill invasive species
• The Crown-of-Thorns starfish on the
Great Barrier Reef in Australia can kill off
large swaths of reef, destroying the
homes of thousands of delicate species.
• The team at BiopixelTV shared a solution
in the for, RangerBot, which finds and
kills the starfish with an eco-friendly
injection, preventing the starfish from
doing further damage. According to
experts, six human divers could only
cover half of the reef in a year, but six
RangerBots can cover the reef 14 times
over the same period.
 Robots pick up river trash
• One company, Urban Rivers, developed
a trash robot for the Chicago River. It
floats along collecting garbage to keep
the waterway clean.
• The robot came to be after Urban Rivers
installed 1,500 square feet of floating
wetland and urban garden. They noticed
trash kept getting caught in the plants
and sent someone out each day to pick
it up. The team realized the trash was
only going to build, and started
developing a robot to help them clean
up the waterways. This robot keeps the
plants trash-free and prevents animals
from accidentally ingesting the waste.
 Robots make recycling easier
• AMP Robotics' robots use AI to “see”
items on a conveyor belt and record
what they are. They can then sort the
materials and place them into
designated bins.
• This solution increases efficiency with
higher throughput and better bale
quality. It also allows users, whether
cities or construction companies, to
budget more accurately with fixed labor
rates.
 Robots climb into the sewers
• Tech writer Luke Dormehl at Digital
Trends showcases Luigi, a sewer robot
developed by MIT’s Underworlds
project. Operated with an iPhone app,
the robot studies bacteria and chemicals
in manholes.
• It is the first sewer sampler in a group
that would later gather and examine raw
sewage and send the information back
to the lab.
• The robots will be able to gather more
sample much faster than their human
colleagues who are confined to
physically carrying liter-sized samples,
thanks to sampling tools that upload
data remotely (and with plans for a real-
time biochemical detection platform in
the works).
 Robots reduce carbon emissions
• Senior environment reporter Emily
Guerin at KPCC Southern California
Public Radio recently discussed the rise
of automated equipment in the Port of
Long Beach. While it is adversely
 affecting union workers there, the
impact on climate change is good.
• This is because the new equipment
releases no emissions and greatly
reduces the pollution-causing tools and
trucks needed to operate the port.
Guerin explains that heavy duty diesel
trucks are responsible for 150 tons of
smog emissions per day (compared to 80
tons for cars and SUVs). If automation
can reduce this number, the air in
Southern California has a chance of
clearing up.
 Robots reduce personal transportation
emissions
• According to Alexandra Gray of World
Economic Forum, transportation is
responsible for 23% of all energy-related
CO2 emissions worldwide.
• Researchers at the University of Surrey
are developing an alternative to
traditional battery power that is 1,000-
10,000 times stronger than the ones
currently in use, enabling electric cars to
cover the same distances as gas-
powered vehicles while also charging in
the same amount of time
 Robots send environmental alerts on social
media
• The "Rapid Response Team" tool was
recently created by programmers at
Climate Reality to notify their Facebook
fans whenever there is news on the
battle against climate change.
• Fans have the option to opt in and then
respond to the communication. This
could entail contacting their local
legislators or making a donation to a
group that supports disaster relief. With
the aid of Facebook bots that can send
about alerts, thousands of people cam
band together.