Weak Robots
We expect robots to work for us,/performing a range of services.// They are our servants.// After all,/the word robot  comes from robota,/a Slavic word meaning “slave” or “servant.”// But is it possible for us/to form a more cooperative relationship with robots?//
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　　When we think about robot technology,/we often think about autonomous robots/which can work independently of human beings.// Space probes which wander across the surface of Mars.// Delivery robots that drop packages right on our doorsteps.// Our vision of the future/is a vision of autonomous robots/driving our cars,/cleaning our houses,/cooking our meals.// They might be called “strong” robots,/in the sense that they can work without human help.//
　　While we wait for that future,/we make do with “weak” robots/like the cleaning robot that sweeps our floors.// The little guy is cute/but not very smart.// He’s always getting tangled up in electrical cords.// In order to help him clean the room/without getting into trouble,/you might start by picking up things/which could be in his way.//
　　The room gets cleaned up.// But when you ask:/“Who cleaned this room?”/you make an interesting discovery.// The little robot did not clean the room by itself.// You did not clean the room by yourself.// The two of you did it together.// The robot cleverly managed to get your cooperation/in cleaning the room.// What’s interesting about the little cleaning robot/is that, for all his weakness,/he has become part of your family.//