Editor's note: This story was produced by student reporters as part of the High School Journalism Institute, an annual collaboration among The Oregonian/OregonLive, Oregon State University and other Oregon media organizations. Read this post for more information about the training program.
Cassie, a silver robot with ostrich-like legs, lives at Oregon State University and demonstrates what technology might look like in the future.
Versions of the robot at Oregon State and a university spin-off company could eventually be used for delivery, military and rescue purposes.
The technology developed on the Oregon State campus could shape the future, but with that technology comes the need to explore issues surrounding its existence.
"There's already all kinds of legal and ethical questions every day somewhere in the world," said Julie Adams, associate director of the Collaborative Robotics and Intelligent Systems Institute.
During Adams' courses in robotics and computer science, students research ethical implications, she said.
Drones, for example, can be used for hobbies but can also cause dangerous situations, she said.
"Every day, somewhere in the world, if not in this country, there is a small hobby drone that is almost flying into a commercial aircraft," she said.
Airplane pilots reported about 1,800 unmanned drone sightings in 2016, 600 more than in 2015, according to Avionics, an aviation industry magazine.
Drones are only one example of ethical dilemmas facing the robotics and intelligent systems field of study.
"A single individual is not going to come up with all the ethical questions," Adams said.
The institute Adams helps lead will bring together projects in artificial intelligence and robotics under one roof, she said. It could put the university in a position to have more influence on policy, Adams said.
Faculty and researchers like Andy Abate, a fourth-year robotics doctoral student, have worked on Cassie the robot.
The U.S. Department of Defense awarded a $1 million grant to build earlier versions of the robot, according to a university website.
Abate calls Cassie a dynamic robot, meaning it's controlled by a series of complex computer instructions. It also can remain stable while walking in different environments.
Abate and his peers are building versions to sell to other research universities, he said.
The graduate robotics program at Oregon State is ranked No. 4 in the nation, according to Grad School Hub, a website that evaluates university programs.
Jonathan Nutter, a fourth-year mechanical engineering undergraduate, remembers seeing a soccer-kicking robot at a high school exhibition. In college, he joined the OSU Robotics Club. Today, he works with the club's underwater team.
"I was certainly very mesmerized by the underwater robotics," Nutter said.
Students are also working to develop technologies for monitoring ocean currents and chemicals in water. They also have a robotic hand that picks fruit, Adams said.
"The intent is to bring together all of these disciplines and create something larger than the individuals, where we are really focused on how (to) develop technologies for the real world," Adams said.
-- Sierra Carroll, Roosevelt High School
-- Enrique Zegarra-Bravo, Lincoln High School