SELF-PACED LEARNING MODULE

COLLEGE

MODULE 9
Subject:

SCINCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY (GE7-STS)

AISAT COLLEGE – DASMARIÑAS, INC.

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 Unit When Technology and Humanity Cross
Module Robotics and Humanity
GE7-STS Science, Technology and Society Units: 3 Page |2

INFORMATION SHEET MD-7.1.1

“Robotics and Humanity”

At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:

Know the different technological advancements in society;
Discuss the development of S&T in the Ph;
Discuss the effects of the interplay between technology and humanity through the dilemma(s)
they face.

Introduction
The ever- growing society has made people
see technology as some form of necessity. Tracing
back its origins, the word “technology” came from
the Greek words technē and logos which means art
and word, respectively. Taking the two words,
technology means a discourse on arts (Buchanan,
2010). It first appeared in the seventeenth century
where the concept was only used to talk about the
arts, specifically applied arts. Concept like machine
tools was also attached to the word “technology”
which is the more popular sense of the concept
nowadays.
The roles played by technology these days
are very crucial not only to a few but also to
everyone. In one way or another, each person in the
society is directly or indirectly affected by technology
whether he wills it or not. In fact, most people
survive their everyday lives with great reliance to the
different technological advancements already available
to the masses. While there may be some who would
claim that their lives are not greatly affected by
technology, the fact cannot be denied that technology
is already an inevitable part of the society.
It is with great effort that people were able to
achieve such great inventions. It makes life so much easier and more convenient than ever before. It can
SUBJECT TEACHER: APPROVED FOR IMPLEMENTATION:
th
WEEK 9
MIDTERMS
9 Meeting MR. WILBERT A. MAÑUSCA
Subject Teacher School Director
 Unit When Technology and Humanity Cross
Module Robotics and Humanity
GE7-STS Science, Technology and Society Units: 3 Page |3

clearly be seen from the simplest task at home to the most complicated ones inside the office or
laboratory. Technology these days enjoys such fame and glory because of the many different benefits it
brings to mankind. Some would even say that it does not only bring convenience but also pleasure and
happiness to people. This is because of the different leisure activities that technology can offer to
people.
In general, technology keeps on progressing due to not only the changing times and environment but
also to the ever – progressing mind of mankind. It would not be possible for all these technological
advancements to exist if it were not for the brilliance, creativeness and power of the mind. However, it
is also important to note that anything too much is bad. Various ethical dilemmas have been identified
throughout time involving the use of different technological devices and its effects to humanity. Usually,
different problems arise when either the technological device available is misused or if in the first place,
it was invented to produce bad results.

Robotics and Humanity

Another great product of the innovative
minds of the people is the robot. Robots are now
widely used. For example, there are so – called
service robots. These particular robots do specific
tasks but focus mainly in assisting their masters in
their everyday tasks. The International Federation of
Robotics (IFR) and United Nations Economic
Commission for Europe (UNECE) made it their task
to formulate a working definition for service robots.
A preliminary extract of the relevant definition is
(IFR, 2012):

1. A robot is an actuated mechanism programmable in two or more axes with a degree of

autonomy, moving within its environment, to perform intended tasks. Autonomy in this context
means the ability to perform intended tasks based on current state and sensing without human
intervention.

2. A service robot is a robot that performs useful tasks for

humans or equipment excluding industrial automatic
application. Note: A robot may be classified according to
its intended application as an industrial robot or a service
robot.

SUBJECT TEACHER: APPROVED FOR IMPLEMENTATION:

th
WEEK 9
MIDTERMS
9 Meeting MR. WILBERT A. MAÑUSCA
Subject Teacher School Director
 Unit When Technology and Humanity Cross
Module Robotics and Humanity
GE7-STS Science, Technology and Society Units: 3 Page |4

3. A personal service robot or a service robot for personal use is a service robot used for a
noncommercial task, usually by laypersons. Examples are domestic servant robot, automated
wheelchair, personal mobility assist robot, and pet exercising robot.

4. A professional service robot or a service robot for

professional use is a service robot used for a
commercial task, usually operated by a properly
trained operator. Examples are cleaning robot for
public places, delivery robot in offices or hospitals,
fire – fighting robot, rehabilitation robot, and surgery
robot in hospitals. In this context, an operator is a
person designated to start, monitor, and stop the
intended operation of a robot or a robot system.

Benefits of Professional Service Robots

a) Safety – instead of replacing the human workers, the robots take over all the dangerous
and repetitive tasks while humans shift their focus to cognitive-oriented tasks.
b) Productivity – once fully integrated into the production process, robots collect massive
amounts of data which when fully analyzed allow for optimization of operations. In turn,
that increases production and by extension productivity.
c) Efficiency – a business tends to achieve efficiency when operations costs are minimal. A
robot does not get tired, and its level of operation does not diminish. It can work for as
long as you need it to work while still producing high – quality and consistent products.

Germany was one of the first countries to develop service robots. As part of the German Federal
Ministry of Education and Research’s “Service Robotics Innovation Lead Initiative,” it sponsored a
collaborative project called DESIRE (Deutsche Servicerobotik Initiative – Germany Service Robotics
Initiative) which was launched on October 1, 2005. DESIRE has the following individual objectives
(DESIRE, 2009):
To achieve a technological edge toward attaining key functions and components that is
suited for everyday use.
To create a reference architecture for mobile manipulation.
To promote the convergence of technologies through integration into a common technology
platform.
To conduct pre – competition research and development activities for new products and
technology transfer in start –up enterprises in the field of service robotics.

SUBJECT TEACHER: APPROVED FOR IMPLEMENTATION:

th
WEEK 9
MIDTERMS
9 Meeting MR. WILBERT A. MAÑUSCA
Subject Teacher School Director
 Unit When Technology and Humanity Cross
Module Robotics and Humanity
GE7-STS Science, Technology and Society Units: 3 Page |5

Some of the expected works to be performed by DESIRE are the following:

(1) “Clear up the kitchen table” – all objects on top of the kitchen table will be moved to where they
belong;
(2) “Fill the dishwasher” – the dirty dishes will be sorted correctly into the dishwasher, and
(3) “Clean up this room” – all objects that are not in their proper places will be moved to where they
belong (Mock, n.d.).

The earliest robots as people know them were created in the early 1950s by George
Devol.”Unimate was his first invention from the words “Universal Automation.” Unfortunately, his
attempt to sell his product to the industry did not succeed. After Unimate, several robots were also
invented which were better versions of the previous ones (Stanford, n.d.). Ever since, people never
stopped their quest in the field of robotics.

Resources:
Science, Technology And Society (Gec Series), Rex Bookstore, First Edition. Serafica, Pawilen,
Caslib, Alata, 2018.
SELF-CHECK MD-9.1.1

A. Fill in the blanks with the correct answer.

1. _________________“techne” and “logos”.
2. _________________ is an actuated mechanism programmable in two or more axes with
a degree of autonomy.

SUBJECT TEACHER: APPROVED FOR IMPLEMENTATION:

th
WEEK 9
MIDTERMS
9 Meeting MR. WILBERT A. MAÑUSCA
Subject Teacher School Director
 Unit When Technology and Humanity Cross
Module Robotics and Humanity
GE7-STS Science, Technology and Society Units: 3 Page |6

3. _________________ is a robot that performs useful tasks for humans or equipment

excluding industrial automatic application.
4. _________________ is a service robot used for a noncommercial task, usually by
laypersons.
5. _________________ is a service robot used for a commercial task, usually operated by a
properly trained operator.

SELF-CHECK ANSWER KEY MD-9.1.1

1. Technology
2. Robot
3. Service Robot
4. Personal service robot or a service robot
5. Professional service robot or a service robot for professional use

SUBJECT TEACHER: APPROVED FOR IMPLEMENTATION:

th
WEEK 9
MIDTERMS
9 Meeting MR. WILBERT A. MAÑUSCA
Subject Teacher School Director
 Unit When Technology and Humanity Cross
Module Robotics and Humanity
GE7-STS Science, Technology and Society Units: 3 Page |7

STUDENT NAME: ________________ SECTION: _____________________

WRITTEN WORK MD - 9.2.1

WRITTEN WORK TITLE: Essay on Robotics and Humanity.

WRITTEN TASK OBJECTIVE: To enable to understand the Science and Technology.

Please read carefully and answer the following questions.

Question:

Are there any disadvantages of using robots? Explain.

What jobs do robots do now that humans used to do? Explain.
Would you like to have a robot pet? Explain.
Some restaurants have started using robot servers. Would you go to this type of restaurant?
Explain.
Could robots ever be smarter than humans? Explain.

ASSESSMENT METHOD: WRITTEN WORK CRITERIA CHECKLIST

SUBJECT TEACHER: APPROVED FOR IMPLEMENTATION:

th
WEEK 9
MIDTERMS
9 Meeting MR. WILBERT A. MAÑUSCA
Subject Teacher School Director
 Unit When Technology and Humanity Cross
Module Robotics and Humanity
GE7-STS Science, Technology and Society Units: 3 Page |8

STUDENT NAME: __________________ SECTION: _______________

WRITTEN OUTPUT CRITERIA CHECK LIST MD - 9.2.1

SCORING
CRITERIA
Did I . . .
1 2 3 4 5

1. Focus - The single controlling point made with an awareness of task

about a specific topic.
2. Content - The presentation of ideas developed through facts, examples,
anecdotes, details, opinions, statistics, reasons and/or opinions
3. Organization – The order developed and sustained within and across
paragraphs using transitional devices and including introduction and
conclusion.
4. Style – The choice, use and arrangement of words and sentence
structures that create tone and voice.
5. Conventions – Grammar, mechanics, spelling, usage and sentence
formation.
TEACHER’S REMARKS:  QUIZ  RECITATION  PROJECT

GRADE:

5 - Excellently Performed
1 - Very Satisfactorily Performed
1 - Satisfactorily Performed
1 - Fairly Performed
1 - Poorly Performed

_______________________________

TEACHER

Date: ______________________

SUBJECT TEACHER: APPROVED FOR IMPLEMENTATION:

th
WEEK 9
MIDTERMS
9 Meeting MR. WILBERT A. MAÑUSCA
Subject Teacher School Director