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DECEMBER 2020 I PCB007 MAGAZINE 79 they have a better understanding of human and social be- havior. Consider a delivery robot on a busy sidewalk: The robot may be programmed to give a standard berth to obstacles in its path. But what if the robot meets a person wheeling a stroller while balancing a cup of coffee? Could a robot read the social cues and step aside to let the stroller by? Shah believes the answer is yes. She's implemented tools in robots that can recognize and collaborate with humans in environments such as the factory floor and the hospital ward. She is hoping that robots trained to read social cues can more safely be deployed in more unstruc- tured public spaces. (MIT News) As COVID-19 has made it necessary for people to keep their distance from each other, robots are stepping in to fill essential roles. People may be increasingly receptive to robotic help to reduce their risk of catching the virus. As more intelligent, independent machines make their way into the public sphere, engineers Julie Shah and Lau- ra Major are urging designers to rethink how robots fit in with society. Shah and Major have written "What to Expect When You're Expecting Robots: The Future of Human-Robot Col- laboration," published by Basic Books. What we can expect, they write, is that robots of the future will no longer work for us, but with us. Shah and Major say that robots and humans will have to establish a mutual un- derstanding. "Part of the book is about design- ing robotic systems to understand the very subtle social signals that we provide to each other," Shah says. "But equal emphasis in the book is on how we have to structure the way we live our lives, from our crosswalks to our social norms, so that robots can more effectively live in our world." Getting to know you As robots increasingly enter pub- lic spaces, they may do so safely if 'What to Expect When You're Expecting Robots' 2. Karl H. Dietz, Fine Lines in High Yields, (Part XXIX): Ad- vances in Hot Roll Lamination of Dry Film Photoresist (Part B)," CircuiTree Magazine, January 1998, p. 18. Michael Carano is VP of technology and business development for RBP Chemical Technology. To read past columns or contact Carano, click here. nation speed and of the roll/film "footprint" in the lamination roll nip. The lamination speed is set by the hot roll rpm and diameter of the rolls, while the "footprint" (i.e., the width of the hot roll/board contact zone in the nip) is de- termined by the durometer and thickness of the roll material, as well as the roll pressure and the "foot" that the rollers create. PCB007 References 1. Karl H. Dietz, "Fine Lines in High Yields, (Part XXVIII): Advances in Hot Roll Lamination of Dry Film Photoresist (Part A)," CircuiTree Magazine, December 1997, p. 60.