The Heart and the Chip: Our Bright Future with Robots

by Daniela Rus, Gregory Mone

Daniela Rus, a leading roboticist and computer scientist, explores how we can use a new generation of smart machines to help humankind.

Daniela Rus, a leading roboticist and computer scientist, explores how we can use a new generation of smart machines to help humankind. There is a robotics revolution underway. A record 3.1 million robots are working in factories right now, doing everything from assembling computers to packing goods and monitoring air quality and performance. A far greater number of smart machines impact our lives in countless other ways―improving the precision of surgeons, cleaning our homes, extending our reach to distant worlds―and we’re on the cusp of even more exciting opportunities.

In The Heart and the Chip, roboticist Daniela Rus and science writer Gregory Mone reframe the way we think about intelligent machines while weighing the moral and ethical consequences of their role in society. At once optimistic and realistic, they envision a world in which these technologies augment and enhance our skills and talents, both as individuals and as a species―a world in which the proliferation of robots allows us all to be more human.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Technology, Artificial Intelligence, Business, Audiobook

272 pages, Hardcover

Published March 5, 2024

About the author

Daniela Rus is a pioneering roboticist, the first female director of MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, and a MacArthur “Genius” Fellow. She lives in Massachusetts.

Reviews

[mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Format: audiobook ~ Narrator: Andrea Gallo
Content: 4 stars ~ Narration: 5 stars
Complete audiobook review

Finally, after a long time, I listened to a tech audiobook. About robots! Yes!

The author, Daniela Rus, a leading roboticist and computer scientist, presents us with intriguing ideas about what the future in the field of robotics will bring us. The author mainly refers to robots that work in symbiosis with humans, from wearable robots to self-driving cars. While some solutions are in use today, others are momentarily just ideas and will not be available anytime soon.

I like how the author enthusiastically talks about her work and inspires the readers. But we, readers (potential users of these robots), are significantly less patient than scientists. We would like everything to be done immediately. Meanwhile, scientists get excited about every little progress on the way to a solution.

An enjoyable read for those interested in technology, computer science, and robotics. In the audiobook edition, the narrator, Andrea Gallo, reads the book with the same enthusiasm as the author wrote it.

Thanks to Recorded Books for the advance copy and this opportunity! This is a voluntary review and all opinions are my own.

[Ignacio · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting ideas and a really up to date topic that, unfortunatelly, the author does not really manage to convert into a good read. Ms Rus repeats over and over certain models, delves too deeply into her own contributions and fails to help us understand what may be coming and the real impact it may bring upon us.

[Carol Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book significantly increased the number of times I badgered my brother-in-law with questions about robotics. (It's his fault really, that's what you get for being an aerospace engineer.) Although I don't anticipate reaching the same level of expertise as him, and especially not the esteemed Daniela Rus, the fact that I emerged from the book with better comprehension indicates its success. There were times when the work became more vision than analysis of prototypes, Rus even stops to point this out herself. But if you want schematics, go take a robotics course! Rus isn't here to do the menial tasks for you, she's here to broaden your horizons about the possibilities of fusing humanity's creative potential with robotics, machine learning, and AI.

[Kuang Ting · Rating 4 out of 5]

本書評論我有投稿到「獨立評論@天下雜誌」，
*文章標題:「《我們與機器人的未來》勾勒智慧遠景：會摺衣服、帶你飛，還能像積木一樣組裝！」

如果你對科技感興趣，這是一本能夠提升認知的好書喔，帶你真正了解"機器人"的內涵。

以下murmur~

這幾年AI滲透到我們的生活，很多人害怕機器人即將取代我們，這種擔憂某方面來說已經是進行式，你看矽谷的大裁員就略知一二。但另一方面，其實AI正在開創一個新時代，有些專家認為這次的AI革命會超越工業革命，讓人類進入更富足的文明階段。彷彿在玩《文明帝國》呵呵，自己不過30年的時間從類比進化到全數位時代，其實滿懷念以前類比時代的寧靜致遠，不過時代在進步，自己也得努力跟上才行~

話說這兩年也有幾部很感人的機器人電影:《機器人之夢》、《荒野機器人》等。而機器人是科幻文學裡很經典的題材，以前讀過好多作品，也玩過很多遊戲，希望以後有機會為文展開分享，我很愛去思考人性跟機械的關係(在職場毫無用途的思維😆)。隨著工作年資累積，自己也開始變得越來越機械化了~雖然很自以為，但還是期許趁自己在成為機械人形之前，能在大腦的電路板上蝕刻年輕時的記憶，等再過幾年腦機介面成熟了，大家都成為賽博格時，還能重新喚醒二十一世紀初的青春活力。

[Kevin Postlewaite · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this hoping for insight how how the frontier of robotics will impact our world in the near future but there isn't really much of that here. There are some very interesting descriptions of some really cool robotics things that Rus has worked on directly or has knowledge of but that's a small part of this book.

There's also, among other things:
1. discussion of Rus' history and her personal connection to robotics and other intellectual pursuits
2. discussion of how Rus imagines the cool robotics things eventually impacting the world
3. Rus' exhortations for society to make good choices
4. Rus' claims that implementing robots won't take peoples' jobs

I'm not interested in #1.
I thought that #2 showed poor imagination, I regularly read more interesting and compelling descriptions of future robotics impact.
#3 is not effective and shows that Rus has not explored these areas particularly deeply. You can read other places more substantive writings about how to improve education. You can read other places the literature showing the ineffectiveness of ethics classes. Rus gives a couple of examples of top-down, executive driven projects that were successful, like the Apollo project and Operation Warp Speed, not understanding that the broad cohesion of individuals in society won't be able to be organized with the same effectiveness to her goals.
#4 similarly shows the shallowness of Rus' understanding. For example, she mentions studies of firms showing increased hiring when their robotics implementations increase, not understanding that industry hiring is what matters. Pointing to how society has accommodated change in technology in the past may not be pertinent when large employers (like vehicle drivers) change far faster than normal, impacting a set of people that are very unlikely to have the ability to move into the computational careers that Rus envisions.

There are other claims that Rus does not back up that I am not convinced about, such as how much machines must understand to be effective. Also, there are recent developments with robotics and general pretrained transformer models that Rus does not mention at all (though she does mention GPT 3) and I think that technologies like this are most likely to be highly impactful over the next 5-10 years.

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

Scientific Speculation

This is an interesting book.

Full of ideas, but, myself, I found it very pipe-dreamy.

I'm more of a fan of realists, who have ideas grounded in current and in-development tech, but this book was very theoretical and utopian.

I think of it actually quite similar to the book Shaping the Future of Education: The ExoDexa Manifesto. It describes some great ideas, but very, very speculative.

Also some of the ideas and speculations in this book I found were a little off - for example, she says that if all vehicles are automated and self-driving, we could have meetings in the car and enjoy leisure - which is true enough. But, she also said that we would get to our destination in the same amount of time but have the freed up time of driving.
This is incorrect. If all vehicles were self-driving you pretty much would not need traffic lights. Congestion itself would most likely be completely eliminated. Not only that but when I co-hosted a technology podcast YEARS AGO, I had predicted that there would no longer be the need for parking lots or garages in homes or even owning vehicles at all if all vehicles are self-driving. You could just hail a vehicle that is roaming around and get to your destination without the need of owning it. Making vehicles solely a tool to get from A to B.

Also, a handful of the ideas in this book are actually either in-market or in-prototype with some caveats and reasons they are not fully implemented due to regulatory reasons (kind of like the Amazon drone shipping). Therefore I found some of the ideas, utopian.

Still a good book, but if you are looking for a book of hard-science developments of the coming couple years, you will likely be left disappointed in a couple years when the tech is still "in research".

3.0/5

[Francis Tapon · Rating 5 out of 5]

So far, this is my favorite book in 2024.
Romanian roboticist Daniela Rus joins forces with expert writer Gregory Mone to make a engrossing book about future robots.

She defines robots loosely: self-driving cars and the daVinci surgical robot (which is teleoperated) are robots.

As a result, the book has a wide scope.

She's a techno-optimist who believes robots will co-exist and complement humans.

Yes, jobs will be destroyed just like cars and computers destroyed industries and jobs.
However, new jobs will crop up.

What she emphasizes is that the heart must work with the computer chip.

It's a perfect book for anyone who wonders where robots are and where they're going.

[Vinayak Hegde · Rating 2 out of 5]

The world of robotics is fascinating, offering several opportunities for exploration and discovery. Written by a leading researcher in the field, this book had the potential to go in-depth into the robotics field. Unfortunately, it falls short, meandering into unrelated topics such as education for kids and sustainability, becoming repetitive at times. A more focused and tightly edited approach would have greatly improved the reading experience.

The book is divided into three sections. The first, Dreams, explores the future of robotics from teh author's vantage point. Some chapters stand out, particularly those on medical applications, self-assembling robots, and industrial automation (Vision, Precision, and Strength). One of the most intriguing ideas is the development of biodegradable robots that can be ingested to perform surgeries internally—a glimpse into the revolutionary potential of robotics in medicine, improving accessibility and extending human capabilities.

The second section delves into robotics technology, though it disproportionately emphasizes AI at the expense of other crucial topics. While AI is an important component, I wish the book had given more attention to haptics, control systems, feedback mechanisms, robotic operating systems, and mechanics. It does, however, offer insightful discussions on the challenges robots face in navigating the unpredictability of the natural world. The book effectively breaks down the complexity of robotic systems, which integrate mechanics, electro-mechanical components (sensors, actuators, power systems), computational hardware (processors, storage), communication networks, and software (algorithms, ML, AI, firmware). These must seamlessly work together across three core phases: reasoning, planning, and control. One particularly striking observation is how seemingly complex feats—like sending a robot to Mars—are, in some ways, easier than designing one capable of clearing a dining table due to the nuances of human environments.

The final section, Responsibility, is the weakest, bloated with repetitive arguments and vague generalizations. While the "What Could Go Wrong chapter" is somewhat interesting, the discussions on computational education and grand challenges are disappointingly shallow. Rather than offering meaningful insights, this section feels like a collection of scattered anecdotes that fail to deliver valuable takeaways.

Overall, while the book contains some good ideas and interesting examples, it lacks the structure and depth needed to do justice to the field of robotics. With better editing and a sharper focus, it could have been a much stronger read.

[Rich Bowers · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Heart and the Chip by Daniela Rus
 
The Heart and the Chip discusses how robotics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence have optimal utilization when combined with human input and intervention. 
 
The author shares her ideas and dreams of how robots, working in tandem with humans, can accelerate positive progression in multiple critical areas of humanity such as healthcare, space exploration, climate control, and even household chores like folding laundry. I really enjoyed her chapters on the work of the future and how we have to prepare ourselves and children through upskilling our digital literacy and computational thinking.
 
It sounds like a technical book, but Rus is an artist with breaking down the tech jargon and even relating it to areas we are familiar with like superhero comics and other popular movies. She also does an excellent job on highlighting how we should not be afraid of AI, but that we can embrace it and shares solutions of how humans can be in control of the advancements.

Putting 4 stars instead of 5 just due to a few chapters that I found myself pushing to get through and for the reason of so many name drops throughout the book. Overall read was very enjoyable.

[Rafael Angelo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommended for those who like to think about technology and future potential use cases.

The authors strike a good balance between the tech of aspiration and feasibility/limitation.

The book is easy to read and has certainly added some new perspectives for me in terms of the potential for robots + AI.

Lastly, the chapter about responsibility and how to make sure this technology is not used for the unethical and dangerous purposes is direct to the point and pragmatic. I find that many related books have a similar discussion but are often too generic. The authors do a good job in covering what’s important to keep society safe and still capitalize on these technological advancements.

[Elayile · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book over the past few months and it really made me think how synonymous AI was becoming to robotics.

The book first goes over Daniela's dreams as a child and follows with what is happening in the current world (and all the advancements the fields of robotics has made), then finishes off the book with what we should be careful about going forward.

Basically, robots have evolved incredibly over the past few decades and now it has the potential to be smart with AI. There are many physical obstacles like endowing robots with more sensory precision, but the future is bright.

Like Ethan Mollick's book, she offers some (more benign) scenarios, but one that has the warmest feel is the one where the heart leads the chip - "This is the future in which robots are certified safety-critical systems with well-understood capabilities that give us superpowers and assist us with all kinds of cognitive and physical tasks, lifting humanity as a whole to a higher standard of living and a more fulfilling existence."

And some qualities of such robots (and AI systems) are the following -

Safe / Secure / Assistive / Causal / Generalizable / Explainable / Equitable / Economical / Certified / Sustainable / Impactful

Overall, as I was reading this, it made me realize that robotics and AI are so intertwined, the lessons learned and to be learned seem very similar.

The only downside to this book is that, as with all the AI-related books these days, it is already outdated despite being only published a year or two ago. But this is more due to the rapid developments in AI rather than anything else.

I highly recommend this book.

[Fiona Robison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book because my husband is a software engineer who works with machine learning an AI. I thought it would be interesting to hear about this field of study in more layman‘s terms, and the author does a good job, bringing the technological explanations to appoint that, they are more understandable. She is quite the dreamer. But I guess that is how scientific inventions are made is by considering all of the possibilities. Some of the technologies she described are already happening, some are being designed and perfected, and others are pure wishful thinking at this point, but I was intrigued at her creativity and ability to come up with what may sound like an outlandish idea, but could very well be something that would be feasible and make a difference in the world in the not too distant future. As usual in almost every book, I have read lately, the liberal standpoint as the only standpoint was a bit obnoxious. I wish that authors could be a little bit less subjective in their presentation of what otherwise was a very interesting fascinating book. I was intrigued by her chapters on education and the importance of children being exposed to computing ideas at a young age so they are not intimidated by them later on. I did lose interest several times, and would probably only give it 3 1/2 stars, but four stars is in my mind a book good enough that I would recommend to others.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stars: 4.5

So much of the news right now is about AI: its rise, how companies are employing it, where the information for it is coming from, how lawyers are using ChatGBT to find briefs. I don't tend to be an alarmist myself (I feel like history buffs generally aren’t?) but I was feeling like I needed to learn a bit more, so when I saw the ARC for this book by roboticist Daniela Rus, I thought this would be a great place to start - and it was.

Rus’ book is aimed at the general reader, someone with little knowledge of robotics outside of Star Trek but it never condescends to the reader. She does an excellent job of explaining where AI is at the moment and where it is heading. Does she worry that robots are going to take over the world? She does not, but she does carefully and methodically lay out where issues with robotics are currently at and where they might arise as the field grows. She is the director of MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, so she is obviously an advocate for AI and it is important to understand that while reading the book - but I don’t think Rus pretends she is not enamored of her subject, one she has loved since she was a child.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone with little background in robotics who is looking for some insight. I listened to the audiobook and I was able to follow along without any issues.

[Mariana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy read. Perfectly separated chapters and parts, a beautiful guide towards applications and functions of robots. As a neuroscientist I really resonated with the ideas of sense-process-act and how robots mimic humans both in having a brain and a body to act. I was surprised by the idea of giving robots an objective and running simulations so that they “learn” themselves. Mimicking the reward system and motor feedback to self-adjust the program is fascinating. I want to highlight Daniela’s ethics about robotics, wanting to make the world a more inclusive world for people that can benefit from enhancement, specially for blind people. The very title highlights how robots can help humans but how human nature is irreplaceable. I still wonder if what makes us conscious can be replicated. Can robots develop a sensibility for art further than regurgitate ideas? This book itched my spiritual curiosity and endless questions of free will through the juxtaposition with robots, are we programmed by something greater? I love learning about technology through analogies with biology and questioning my biology by reducing my existence to analogies with robotics.

[Iskander · Rating 4 out of 5]

Daniela is making the right case for the collaboration of humans and robots (and AI) in more of a symbiosis and shaping a good view of what robots are more than the usual humanoid concept. I got inspiration, especially at the beginning of the book. The fleshing out in the second half felt in line with what you expect. Solid overview as a more intermediate introduction. It made me curious to dive deeper into all the research that was touched upon.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second half is much better than the first half. But overall the book speaks in generalities without much depth on any particular topic.

The first half consists of dreams about potential future robots which are rather fanciful, the second half is about the current state of robotics and the possible future. This half is better but would have been better with a deeper focus on a few examples rather than the wide but shallow approach.

[Sara Weather · Rating 3 out of 5]

#70

The Good

A. Solutions! - the author envisions solutions to problems with robots and how robots can improve folks' lives.

Passion and vision author has for robots- it makes you realize how much pessimism (reasonably/unreasonably) is around robots.

B. Authors perspective & knowledge of robots- author is very knowledgeable about robots so things feel well thought out.

C. 360 view of robots & their future- thought provoking, author strikes a balance seeing some of robots best & worst potential.

Moral conflicts are presented such as the want to push for robots to do no harm vs robots being used for war.

D. Deeper understanding of robots and the issues that we face with them. Robots becoming Terminators is the usual problem presented in media but most issues we are facing are them not thinking or evolving like humans/living creatures.

E. Importance of listening to those you seek to help when creating something meant for them.

The Bad

Repetitive.

Should there be pictures to go along with inventions?

The Meh

The number of inventions/advancements felt overwhelming at times but also amazing.

Thoughts

 🤖What will be the effects be with robots doing errands in place of us?

 🤖Why is progression of robots portrayed only as bad? What ways is the dystopian portrayal of robots shifting our perspective on robots?

 🤖 Is our personification of robots harming our understanding of them?

 🤖Much can be said about robots taking human jobs.

 🤖Is most of the issues we are putting on robots something we need to take up with their creator?

 🤖Made me think about the separation between media/ human thought on robots' vs reality of where robots actually are.


I won this from W.W. Norton & Company via goodreads

[Liz]

I got about half way through this book and lost steam. I think the topic is interested, but it was presented in a slow, dry format that made me want to pick up the book less and less. Eventually, I realized I was never going to make progress.

[Meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the robotics / futurism book I have been waiting for! It is SO much fun to read. Very positive about what robots can do to actually help us.

[Alicia Pratt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book I couldn't put it down. It's a must read in my opinion

[Christine Corrigan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Heart and the Chip: Our Bright Future with Robots by Daniela Rus, renowned roboticist, and Gregory Mone, best-selling science writer, take complex topics--the future of intelligent machines and AI and their impact on humanity--and make them understandable, and even better, enjoyable to read. The book envisions a future where intelligent machine allow individuals to do more of the activities that they want to do, helping people become more human. While the book does get overly visionary at times, it is overall well-balanced and of interest to any reader who wants to see where the future is going.

Many thanks to W.W. Norton for an advanced copy of The Heart and the Chip. All opinions expressed are my own.

[Sherry Griffin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book wasn’t a hard read but I really didn’t like it. I’m not sure what I expected but I was left disappointed throughout.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an intriguing read, catching me up on the progress of AI, specifically robotics.

I was especially intrigued with the author's descriptions of very small, insect size robots.

[Cole Kaplan · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF, good book on robotics and inspiration for that kind of work but I got bored

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book as part of a Goodreads giveaway. It was very eye opening and informative.

[Luiz Rodolfo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Made me understand a little bit and imagine how our near future will be.

[Bastian Lechermann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good examples and visions, however, a little bit too much depth at the beginning. Gets better and more practical at the end!

[Viraj Singh · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a good primer, but honestly wouldn’t have minded it to be a bit more technically interesting or just more narratively compelling

[SWC · Rating 4 out of 5]

A varied and informative description about what robots are and can do

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to come...