This paper proposes that the field of AIED is now mature enough to break away from being delivered mainly through computers and pads so that it can engage with students in new ways and help teachers to teach more effectively. Mostly, the intelligent systems that AIED has delivered so far have used computers and other devices that were essentially…

This article describes the current capabilities and future potential of robots designed as supplements or replacements for human assistants or as tools for education and rehabilitation of people with disabilities. Review of robots providing educational, vocational, or independent living assistance concludes that eventually effective, reliable…

Reviews M.B. DeBevoise's "Conversations on Mind, Matter, and Mathematics," (a book of translated conversations between Jean-Pierre Changeux and Alain Connes), which explores the question of whether a machine could reproduce the activity of the human brain. Explains how mathematics might be able to mediate between mind and matter. (DDR)

Using welding as an example, this article describes how microelectronic devices, in conjunction with human supervision, help alleviate the problems of decreasing levels of productivity. (LRA)

Provides an in-depth introduction to the various technologies that are bringing intelligent agents into the forefront of information technology, explaining how such agents work, the standards involved, and how agent-based applications can be developed. (Author/AEF)

After surveying the history and current status of online database searching, this report offers a timeline describing four stages of possible developments for online systems. In the first stage, an expert interface assists CD-ROM-based searching by offering advice about search strategies. Advantages are that search logic can be refined with the…

A futurist addresses two questions concerning world peace and the implications of using robots. In the section on peace (part 1), recommendations for world peace include: (1) implementing peace education as a mandatory part of education; (2) establishing a Department of Peace in each country to create a societal infrastructure for implementing…

Noting that work is partly a social activity, and that workers' psychological and emotional needs influence their productivity, this paper explores avenues for improving human-robot cooperation and for enhancing worker satisfaction in the environment of flexible automation. The first section of the paper offers a brief overview of the…

This document attempts to identify and promote human factors research that would likely produce results applicable to the evolutionary design of a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) national space station to be launched in the 1990s. It reports on a symposium designed to yield information applicable to future space systems. The…

New technologies will produce a radical restructuring of work, including a devaluation of current work skills and the creation of new ones at an ever-increasing rate. The robotics industry provides a prototype for the impact of technology on society, and a context for examining the relevancy of schooling in preparing individuals to function within…

This discussion of the influence of robotics on the individual and society addresses three major topics: (1) the current employment picture and future expectations; (2) developments in the robotics industry and their impact on the changing character of work; and (3) the implications of these changes for both society and the individual worker. The…

Surveys the current status of artificial intelligence (AI) technology. Discusses intelligent tutoring systems, robotics, and applications for educators. Likens the status of AI at present to that of aviation in the very early 1900s. States that educators need to be involved in future debates concerning AI. (CW)