Xion Nan Robot Writes a Short Article in Seconds

Surprising the whole world, Xion Nan, a robot journalist has successfully achieved its purpose by writing a 300 characters article in seconds for a Chinese daily newspaper.

According to Wan Xiaojun, a professor at Peking University, who heads the research team, the journalist robot Xion Nan has been designed to write both short and long reports and completed the article about the Spring Festival travel rush in seconds. The article was published in the Guangzhou-based Southern Metropolis Daily.

“When compared with the staff reporters, Xiao Nan has a stronger data analysis capacity and is quicker at writing stories,” Wan Xiaojun said.

“But it does not mean intelligent robots will soon be able to completely replace reporters,” China Daily quoted Xiaojun as saying.

Experts also believe that such experiments could cause unease among journalists as they might lose their jobs in the long run.

According to Xiaojun, present day robots can’t conduct face-to-face interviews or respond intuitively with follow-up questions. Moreover, they don’t yet have abilities to select the news angle from a conversation or interview.

“But robots will be able to act as a supplement, helping newspapers and related media, as well as editors and reporters,” he said.

Robotics technology is now advancing at a very fast pace, and researchers are coming up with robots that can perform a variety of tasks and find their use in different applications.

Last June, scientists at the Harvard Microrobotics Lab developed a tiny robot – dubbed RoboBee – that can fly and stick to surface using static electricity.

Weighing just 0.08 grams, the RoboBee is equipped with a pair of tiny wings that can beat up to 120 times in one second. The first model of the tiny flying robot was unveiled by Harvard researchers in 2013, and that version featured a miniature tripod on its base for landings. However, the latest version has been provided with abilities to fix itself onto the underside of almost any material, including glass, leaves, wood, and brick.

In September 2016, Ghost Robotics, LLC, launched its first direct-drive legged robot platform, named Ghost Minitaur that can easily move across difficult terrains and is designed for highly-precise force feedback applications.

Ghost Minitaur is a legged robot that can perceive tactile sensations. It features high torque motors, motor controllers, and a special leg design that helps it run and jump over rough terrain. This medium-sized robot can easily climb fences, while seeing and feeling the surface using its high-resolution encoders. This machine, according to its makers, can be used in a variety of situations including public safety, mining, exploration, military, field survey, and agricultural operations.