Janis Grobovs: –The robots are here to stay

At HS News Systems headquarters you’ll find the mathematician Janis Grobovs. He is working on the software for the latest addition of robots for HS to deliver.

We surround ourselves with more and more automation both in the industry, and in society in general. Will we end up like one of the Terminator movies? –That’s highly unlikely, Gobrovs says.

INTELLIGENT ROBOTS THAT YOU’LL FIND IN THE MOVIES, ARE WAY AHEAD. WE’RE NOT QUITE THERE YET, LUCKILY.

Janis Grobovs, Software engineer

Isaac Asimov’s three laws of robotics

The famous Soviet-American scientist, author, and writer, Isaac Asimov were among the earliest individuals when it comes to fantasizing about a world filled with robots. In 1942 the published his three laws of robotics, which has provided inspiration for a number of well-known movies and TV series.

Terminator Dark fate, Paramount pictures 2019

Stumbled into the world of mathematics

Janis has brought his interest for mathematics and programming into his job as a software engineer at HS News Systems. He’s originally from the capital of Latvia, Riga. However he studied mathematics at the University of Oslo.

Behind him, in the corner of his office, you’ll find the prototype for HS’s brand new robot.

I. Robot, 20th Century Fox 2004

– First and foremost, I enjoy mathematics because of its’ specific nature. It’s all about solving problems and making things work. I probably prefer applied mathematics over the theoretical aspect. It’s much more fun when you make things happen as a result of your calculations. Programming robots to perform certain tasks is a good example, Gobrovs explains.

– This is no Terminator! In any shape or form, says Janis with a huge grin on his face. It’s designed to pick up tiny spice bags from a box. Even something so simple is actually incredibly complicated.
Lurking the the background of these relatively simple tasks, lie a lot of programming and maths.

– We use cameras combined with LIDAR to read and understand the content. This, combined with machine learning, makes the algorithm capable of differentiating between the several spice bags in the box.

Artificial intelligence, Warner Bros Pictures 2001

A new industrial revolution?

From the systematization of agriculture 12,000 years ago, to the invention of Gutenberg’s art of printing in the 15th century; Continuous development of new technologies and methods has driven humanity forward for thousands of years.

– A more modern example is perhaps «Spinning Jenny«, which has become the very symbol of the modern industrial revolution. The robots we develop today should be seen as a further evolution of this kind of technology.

-While robots may not take over society, in movies like Terminator and I Robot, it does in fact enable us to streamline production lines all over the world. Let’s face it – robots will continue taking over some of our jobs in the future. In return we’ll get more time to do exciting and creative tasks. After all, there’s always need for mathematicians and engineers to maintain and program the robots, says Grobovs.