Matty caught Coop looking at him and felt his cheeks get red. To divert attention away from his face, he ran over to Imelda. He got a pinch in his stomach when he remembered that day in class.
“Imelda is a haptic robot. She can perceive things that she touches. It’s calledtactilefeedback.”
Coop gave her a bow like he was Leonardo DiCaprio inTitanic. “Pleasure to meet you, m’lady.”
That was incredibly nerdy, and now Coop was the one with the red cheeks.
“Call out a number between one and thirty-six.”
“One.”
Matty found that to be an interesting choice. Nobody ever chose one when they had to pick a number. He didn’t know what it meant, if anything. He directed Imelda to touch the first sample, a piece of a sweater wrapped around a piece of cardboard.
“Cotton,” Imelda said.
“That’s so cool.” Coop watched with the same amazed look Matty had in class. “Twenty-nine.”
Matty programmed Imelda to touch the corresponding sample, which was plain cardboard.
“Cardboard.”
“That’s amazing!
“See, scientists can be fun.”
Coop scoped out the lab as if it were a toy store. “So this is what you want to do? Build robots like these guys?”
“I do. Robotic technology has advanced so much in the past five years. There are so many things we can get them to do. Dr. Kobayashi at the University of Pennsylvania is working on robots that can build houses. Architects will be able to program in blueprints.”
“And your professor is making bartending robots.”
“That’s just an example. It seems a lot simpler than it is. I mean, Smitty can process human language and perform a variety of complex tasks based on verbal commands.”
Coop sat on the bar. Smitty reacted for a second before going back to sleep. “And what about you? What robots do you want to invent?”
Matty looked at the robots around him. “I want to make robotic service dogs.”
“I’m going to need an explanation.”
Matty studied Imelda, and his mind swirled with possibilities. “What if a paralyzed person could live fully on her own? Right now, people who have severe injuries have to have aides live with them to help around the house. That’s if they can afford them. And there are people with Alzheimer’s who want to stay in their house because it helps them keep their memory, but they can’t live alone. A robot service dog would be able to clean for them, or move things out of their way when they walk, or help them out of the shower, or even turn on the lights if it’s too dark.
“My mom had a stroke last year. She can’t talk or take care of herself. We have an aide, and my dad and sister are taking care of her, too. I’m there in spirit. Recovery will take a long time, and I don’t want Aditi giving up her future to care for her. She’s like that, and I guess being the daughter, my parents expect that of her more than me. My parents wanted me to go to college, but this is my way of being able to help out. Showing them that I haven’t forgotten about them, you know? And I just believe that there are plenty of families around the world having this same problem, and with a robot service dog, people like my mom can have a chance to live her life.”
Matty couldn’t believe he just blabbered on like that, and about something so personal. Coop was the first person he’d ever told this to. That was becoming a recurring theme for them. Something about Coop made Matty talk without worrying what was coming out of his mouth. Only now Coop wasn’t saying anything. Not with his mouth anyway.
“So that’s what I mean by robot service dog. They wouldn’t be actual robotic dogs, just serve a similar purpose.”
“That was beautiful,” Coop said. “I’m sorry about your mom.”
“The worst part is that her mind is still there. I see it in her eyes, like she’s stuck in this stroke and can’t escape. What are your parents like?”
“Mine? Normal. I don’t know. Pretty boring.”
“Has it been rough with your dad being out of work?”
“Yes,” he said softly. “He’s really bitter about what happened. He worked for his company for twenty years, and one morning, he got tapped on the shoulder. They brought him to a conference room, told him he was being let go, and escorted him out of the building. He wasn’t even allowed to return to his desk. They boxed up and mailed his stuff to him. I feel what you’re saying, that you feel bad about being here when your family needs you. I’m doing what I can to help out in my own way.”
“We’re trying.”
