#IdeaDrop Library House

What if you could instantly download a new set of skills simply by plugging your brain directly into the Internet? This “Matrix-like” capability will soon be a reality for robots, creating scalable machines without the limitations of onboard memory and software. In the cloud-based future, robots will take advantage of the Internet as a resource for massively parallel computation and real-time sharing of resources. Aided by “The Internet of Things,” “Networked robots” will leverage the broad availability of networking and incorporation of open-source, open-access, and crowdsourcing to extend previous concepts and capabilities through access to a global library of images, maps, and object data -- while performing analysis and learning. As a result, cloud robots have the potential to become aware than oblivious, more social than solitary, and more like companions than tools. Part of the IEEE Technology for Humanity Series.