Can robots ever behave like humans?

By Praveen and Ananthan

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We often hear ourselves saying that robots are devoid of feelings and incapable of experiencing emotions.

But with the passage of time and progress in society, haven’t things changed and improved? Innovations have changed the society. Technology has improved SO much and made lives infinitely better.

Isn’t it often said that the early human which existed about two million years ago didn’t have feelings and as the time passed by they were exposed to different situations and in trying to adapt to them they developed the feelings like hunger, pain, fear, love and so on ?

So eventually shouldn’t that happen with robots too ? Maybe if 100 years from now, robots would have feelings and emotions like us?

Today, Robotics is a budding field.

People are making different robots for different tasks and needs.

Modern scientists are trying to bond human DNA to the coding in its central operating device which is said to be,”The brain of the robot”, but many vital information is yet to be gathered, conclusions are yet to be made. Many other biological process can be followed up in robots but someday in the future wouldn’t it be possible ?

The creators are trying their level best to make robot’s sensors and actuators as precise as the neuron in human body.

We can see Andro-humanoid like Sophia is a major success in this trails and modern science is at its peak. Cutting edge technology is changing the world.

In the future, Epidemic and Pandemic situations could be handled in much appropriate and easy way with the help of robots. But we need to be careful too. To not overuse and misuse technology.

Aritificial Intelligence, and research in fields like Machine learning, and neutral networks is helping scientists discover new things .

Through techniques like machine learning and neural networks, firms across the globe are investing in teaching machines to ‘think’ more like humans.

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E-commerce

By Nanditha Krishna and Harinandana

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What is ‘e-commerce’ ?

Electronic commerce is better known to us as ‘e-commerce’. It is one of the largest sectors of the electronics industry. It essentially involves the purchase-both buying and selling of products via electronic means such as internet or other e-services. It will be an understatement to say that e-services are simplifying our lives in a trillion ways. Technology has changed our lives in unimaginable ways. Need to buy grocery? Or stationary? Or order food ? Or books? or shop clothes ? We have numerous applications available to us on our phones(and other electronic gadgets) and products are just a click away away from being available to us.  Add to this, Cash/Card on delivery has changed the way we purchase products online.

Thus, the e-commerce industry is a rapidly growing one.

E-commerce actively utlilizes mobile commerce, e-fund transfer, internet marketing and transaction processing.

We get to choose from a very broad range of products online. Online shopping has given us more choices in purchasing products. It can provide flexible personalized product and customer customization. It can also help organizations save a lot of time and help them expand business, ensuring access of products to the whole world, not limiting it to a specific area. Geographical constraints are overcome.

Online stores like Amazon, Flipkart and Myntra are examples of Ecommerce websites. Various discount vouchers available on their websites have helped encourage online shopping.

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Brief History of E-commerce :
( The source for the tidbits of history of e-commerce we’ve collected and mentioned below is Wikipedia).

The venture was started in 1971 or 1972 when the ARPANET used to arrange a cannabis sale between students at the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. This initiative was later called as “the seminal act of e-commerce” by John Markoff in his book ‘ What the Dormouse Said’ . In 1972, Mohammed M. Atalla filed a patent for a secure transaction system over telecommunications networks, utilizing encryption techniques to assure telephone link security. This is considered as a precursor to Internet-based e-commerce. In 1979, Michael Aldrich demonstrated the first online shopping system and in 1981,the first business-to- business (B2B) online shopping system was installed by Thomson Holidays UK.  In 1982,’Mintel’ was introduced nationwide in France by France Telecom and was used for online ordering.

Gateshead SIS/Tesco is the first B2C online shopping  system and Mrs Snowball is the first online home shopper . This was in 1984. In April 1984, CompuServe launches the Electronic Mall in the US and Canada. It is the first comprehensive electronic commerce service. The first internet based system for e-commerce ,Compumarket was introduced by Sequola  Data Corp in May 1989. Here, sellers and buyers could post items for sale and buyers could search the data base and make purchases with a credit card .

In 1995 , Amazon.com was launched by Jeff Bezos which inturn became a revolution in the field of e-commerce. E-bay was founded by computer programmer Purre Omidyar as an Auction Web. It is the first online auction site supporting person-to-person transactions. By 1999, Global e-commerce reached $150 billion and by 2001 had the largest userbase of any e-commerce site. In 2003, Amazon.com posted it’s first yearly profit and by 2015, Amazon accounts for more than half of all e-commerce growth , selling almost 500 millions SKU’s in  the US. The Global e-commerce transactions generate $29.267 trillion including $35.516 trillion B2B transactions and $3.851 trillion for B2C sales by the end of 2017.

Though India has the second most user base in the world , the growth of e-commerce is comparatively low in our country . This is because, Indians prefer ‘cash-on- delivery’ system as the most efficient payment method.

E-commerce in India

The e-commerce market in India is estimated to grow from $10 billion every year to between $ 70 – 260 billion every year by 2025* .

In 2017, the largest e-commerce companies in India were Flipkart, Amazon,Myntra, Paytm and Snapdeal.

In 2018, Amazon beat Flipkart and was recorded as the biggest e-commerce in India in terms of revenue.

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Impacts on customers

 E-commerce is in simple words convenient to customers. It can also grand you with international market and quality products which may not be available in the retailer shops nearby. The detailed information of a particular product is gained by the customer and it also cuts the transaction costs which is made possible by the lack of intermediates.
However it also has certain demerits which include the assurance about the quality of the product or- in the case of clothes wrong size chosen is a big problem. The returning of products and the refunding of money spent is also another threat in this  field.

Impacts on environment
  The use of cardboards is a major issue in the case of e-commerce. In 2018, they generated 1.3 million tons of container cardboards in North America which was 1.1 million in 2017**.
 This shows that as the use of e-commerce increases, the use of cardboard containers also increases and only 35 percent of North American cardboard manufacturing is from recycled content. In Europe, the recycling rate is 80 percent and in Asia ,it is 93 percent. Amazon has reduced usage of packaging material by 19 percent by 2016 since they are the largest users of cardboard boxes.

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Impacts on Traditional retail
 The frequently referred trend “retail apocalypse” is a major impact caused by e-commerce to the traditional retailer . The rise of e-commerce outlets like Amazon*** , has made the traditional retailing community’s efforts to attract the consumers harder. They are now forced to change their sales strategies. They also use the internet for promotions and advertisements.

Impact on markets and retailers

E-commerce markets are growing at noticeable rates. The online market is expected to grow by 56% in 2015–2020****.
In 2017, retail e-commerce sales worldwide amounted to 2.3 trillion US dollars and e-retail revenues are projected to grow to 4.88 trillion US dollars in 2021*****.

Impact on supply chain management

The emergence of e-commerce has provided an efficient way of delivering the benefits of the new supply chain technologies.

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Impact on employment

E-commerce has helped generate new job opportunities due to information related services, software app and digital products-to manage large amounts of information, customer demands, and production processes. Warehouse require more staff to be managed, supervised and organized.


Sources :
* https://retail.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/industry/indian-e-commerce-market-to-touch-200-bn-gmv-by-2025-bofa-ml/49735275

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/services/retail/amazon-pips-snapdeal-to-become-indias-2nd-largest-online-marketplace-after-flipkart/articleshow/52017176.cms?from=mdr

https://m.economictimes.com/small-biz/startups/battle-for-top-slot-flipkart-continues-to-nudge-ahead-of-amazon-in-terms-of-gross-sales/articleshow/58388338.cms

** http://lite.cnn.com/en/article/h_bad505d11b50114d6a78bc4f7a40f4ce?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Issue:%202019-07-16%20Supply%20Chain%20Dive:%20Operations%20%5Bissue:21926%5D&utm_term=Supply%20Chain%20Dive:%20Operations

***
https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/04/retail-meltdown-of-2017/522384/

****
https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/2016/01/29/online-sales-will-reach-523-billion-2020-us/

*****
https://www.statista.com/topics/871/online-shopping/

General other sources :
Wikipedia
Economic Times
CNN News
Business Standard

FASHION TRENDS

By Chandana Nair and Krishna Manila

Regardless of whether it’s a move in social standards, legislative issues, culture, or innovation, design has consistently demonstrated the present time ever. Through the span of the only remaining century or thereabouts, design has moved from tidy and-appropriate dresses to father tennis shoes and suit sets. Navigate to investigate the absolute most unmistakable style staples from consistently from the twentieth century ahead.

1900S: BUSTLE DRESS

Clamors were added to ladies’ dresses as a cushioned underwear beginning in the late nineteenth century and into the mid twentieth century. They were principally used to include completion and bolster the drapery of the real dress, considering huge numbers of them were made with overwhelming texture. Clamors were worn under the skirt in the rear of the dress, set just beneath the midriff so as to keep the skirt from delaying the floor. Now and again, clamors were worn related to crinolines, which were steel outlines situated under the skirt to help clamors and widen the back area.


1900S: GLOVES

In the mid twentieth century, gloves were worn essentially wherever paying little mind to the event. They were viewed as ordinary in numerous ladies’ lives and inside their particular closets. During the day, calfskin and softened cowhide gloves were commonly worn around the house. During the night and on exceptional events, ribbon or silk-lined gloves were worn, and they were generally longer long. In the wintertime, gloves were fixed with fleece or hide to keep warm.

1910S: JUPE CULOTTE

As amazing French originator Paul Poiret went to the tallness of notoriety in Paris as one of the most renowned couture houses pre-World War I, he made the ageless jupe culotte. Poiret was the primary couturier to split away from the Edwardian style in both shading and outline by utilizing a lively shading palette and looser shapes in his plans. His new tasteful was first presented in 1911 and took overwhelming motivation from the group of concubines gasp style predominant in many Middle Eastern societies.

1910S: LAMPSHADE TUNIC

Poiret additionally created another imaginative outline during the 1910s, known as the lampshade tunic. This projecting outline was finished with a wire band, making the roundabout shape at the base, thus the comparing lampshade name. This was one of Poiret’s contemporary plans that was intended to be worn without an undergarment. His fun-loving way to deal with design drove the path for comparative styles to occur in the next decade.

1920S: FLAPPER DRESS

The flapper dress rose to prominence during the 1920s. The drop abdomen move style joined by the enhancing globules, periphery, and different embellishments added lively components to the dress that mirrored the extravagance of the decade. Enormous social change present WWI caused ladies on feel engaged due to picking up the option to cast a ballot in 1920. The overwhelming pervasiveness of Jazz music and disallowance likewise propelled carelessness among the young. This cultural move made for ideal planning for the flapper dress to offer an unpredictably upscale expression, alongside the short bounce haircut that was regularly worn related to the dress.

1920S: CLOCHE HAT

The cap is one frill that each lady had in her closet. The cloche cap specifically came into prevalence during the 1920s because of its remarkable ringer shape. Its round crown and little overflow was complemented by a shortsighted embellishment like a bow, bloom, or workmanship deco-enlivened shape. As a rule, ladies needed to tilt their head back while they were wearing it in light of the fact that the low-overflow made it somewhat hard to see.

1930S: EVENING GOWNS

Many consider the 1930s the “Brilliant Age of Glamor.” Given the financial setting in the years following the Great Depression, this decade was about available lavishness which made the prepared wear market to detonate inside the U.S. Old Hollywood stars would be imagined on the cinema wearing long, risqué evening outfits made of silk, velvet, or chiffon and would copy an attractive dream that numerous American ladies needed to impersonate in their own lives.

1930S: FUR STOLE

By the 1930s, hide in style had gotten increasingly ordinary in regular society. The cost of hide started to climb, and it was viewed as an extravagance to claim a bit of hide in your closet. While fur garments were progressively famous towards the start of the twentieth century, styles started to contract and abbreviate as they turned out to be increasingly worthy to wear during the daytime.

1940S: BOILER SUITS

In December 1941, the U.S. authoritatively entered WWII. A huge number of men were drafted into the war, in this way leaving a tremendous requirement for more ladies to enter the workforce. From office to processing plant occupations, ladies started assuming control over the positions recently involved by men. These new positions required workwear dress that was explicitly intended for ladies’ bodies. They started wearing heater suits, or coveralls in occupations that necessary all the more genuinely requesting work. These evaporator suits were regularly made of denim or heavyweight cotton canvas, included fastens down the front, and were commonly baggy all through, making them simple to get in and out of. The modern look of these suits changed the course of womenswear throughout the following quite a few years. Not exclusively were ladies demonstrating that they could do regularly male overwhelmed employments, however that their closet didn’t need to be so limiting either. Rosie the Riveter, who wore a blue evaporator suit, turned into a social image of this development.

1940S: CHRISTIAN DIOR’S NEW LOOK

Christian Dior’s New Look assortment that appeared in 1947 presented another outline that would before long assume control over the style world. The organized shoulders, highlighted waistline, and voluminous layered skirt showed a particular visual complexity to pre-war styles. A large number of the articles of clothing right now the course that style took, and soon Dior’s female New Look was imitated in boutiques everywhere throughout the world.

1950S: PEARL JEWELRY

The ’50s realized a period of local refinement for ladies in Western culture because of the time of increased birth rates age post-WWII. Ladies were relied upon to remain at home, and look great while doing family errands. This June Cleaver-eque way of life mirrored the TV character’s style, also, with the promotion of pearl adornments. Pearl pieces of jewelry specifically are most firmly connected with ladies’ polish during this time.