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Science Fiction in the News Articles
Related to material in The Velvet Glove
by Harry Harrison

"New York was a bad town for robots this year. In fact, all over the country it was bad for robots..."

"SF writer and editor Harry Harrison explores a not too distant future where robots - particularly specialist robots who don't know their place - have quite a rough time of it. True, the Robot Equality Act had been passed - but so what?"

Wonderful short story details the adventures of Jon Venex, a robot with a special past and unique capabilities. An out-of-work robot has to take whatever work he can get; in this case, Jon takes a job that he should have left alone.

Science fiction in the News articles describe real-world events that relate to the ideas and inventions in sf novels and movies. Select a news article:

Out-Of-Work Blue Collar Robots Need Your Help
   'His legs relaxed with a rattle as he cut off all power below his waist... and ran his eye down the Help Wanted - Robot column...' - Harry Harrison, 1956.

Car Seat Prototype Knows When You Are Sleepy
   This smart car seat will wake you up when you get sleepy behind the wheel - but will it get to market fast enough?

Blue Collar Bot Pumps Gas Update
   Remember those friendly gas station attendants of yesteryear? They're back and... they're robots. Updated with a new sf ref and video.

Humans! Tutor Computers And Robots In Your Spare Time
   Harry Harrison first described this in 1956; I notice that in the real future, no one is getting paid for it.

reCAPTCHA Old Manuscripts Now!
   Humans come to the rescue of the machines; this program takes a human priority (sensing human input) and adds value.

DESIRE Trash-Tossing Robot
   This prototype robot is shown in a CeBIT video distinguishing trash from non-trash. That's better than early sfnal robots could do.

Unemployed Robots Should Seek Work Autonomously
   For now, robots just stand idle when humans stop giving them work. SF writers have some suggestions, though.

Robot Sorts Plastic Recyclables With Laser
   This robot uses laser light to distinguish between plastics because human recyclers cannot.

Computers Need Your Help In Image Recognition
   Science fiction fans benefited from the work of Harry Harrison, who discussed the kinds of help that human beings could give to computers and robots fifty years ago.

Pi4-Workerbot Adapts Quickly
   This adaptable robot is available to fill in on those shifts where no short-term human help is available. No, it's not an American robot.

ZenRobotics Sorts Trash With Artificial Intelligence
   'They're just plain lifting robots and not too brainy, but good enough to recognize most things they pick up...'- Harry Harrison, 1956.

Robots Implore Humans For Help Online
   'Whenever a robot finds something it can't identify straight off... it puts whatever it is in the hopper outside your window.'- Harry Harrison, 1956.

Competing With Blue Collar Robots
   'With the chronic worry of the unemployed, he... ran his eye down the Help Wanted - Robot column...'- Harry Harrison, 1956.

CoBots - Collaborative Robots Ask Humans For Help
   'Whenever a robot finds something it can't identify... You give it a good look.'- Harry Harrison, 1956.

Robot-Based Trash Collection
   'Robots pick up the garbage and junk and load it in there...' - Harry Harrison, 1956.

Humans Help Robots Identify Recyclables
   'You give it a good look... then press the right button and in she goes.' - Harry Harrison, 1956.

Pooper Scooper Drone Robot Watchdog 1
   'Robots pick up the garbage and junk...' - Harry Harrison, 1956.

DeepMind AI Baffled By Homer Simpson, Needs Human Help
   'Whenever a robot finds something it can't identify straight off...' - Harry Harrison, 1956.

Audi Traffic Jam Pilot Knows If You're Sleeping
   'Even here, riding a garbage truck to eternity, the machine watched him...' - Harry Harrison, 1956.

Robot Only Faster, Not Better, At Recycling
   'Whenever a robot finds something it can't identify straight off... it puts whatever it is in the hopper outside your window.' - Harry Harrison, 1956.

AI Robots Excel At Trash Sorting And Recycling
   'Then they press one of these here thirteen buttons...' - Harry Harrison, 1956.

Intelligent Trash Sorting By Robots Predicted Long Ago
   'Robots pick up the garbage and junk and load it in there...' - Harry Harrison, 1956.

Tesla's Optimus Robot Now Sorts Objects (I've Got A Job In Mind)
   'Then they press one of these here thirteen buttons...'

Hangzhou Robotic Trash Sorting
   '...good enough to recognize most things they pick up.' - Harry Harrison, 1956.

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