Does the robot to the left invoke fear in you? It should, and officials at the University of Reading thought so too. Its name is Morgui, and it was deemed to frightening to let anyone under the age of 18 view it.
Now imagine the future, where an army of these terrifying robots are hunting you down. You think you find a good hiding spot, but think again. If scientists at City University of London finish a new project, the robot army will be able to detect your fear in order to find you.
The project is in a preliminary stage, but the British scientists working on the “Fear Detector” hope to have it finished before the 2012 London Olympics. There are two parts to the system; the first works with laser absorption and the other is a portable fiber optic sensor. The scientists hope that by using the two parts simultaneously they will be able to detect fear pheromones emitted by terrorists, drug smugglers and other criminals. What happens if robots get this technology and view all humans as criminals?
Below is a video of a robot demonstration to what looks like an elementary school class. When I was in elementary school we never got cool robot shows, just Number Munchers.
In the video, a robot navigates an obstacle course until it comes upon a wooden statue of a human. The robot then proceeds to give it a big robo-hug and carries it a short distance. I can’t imagine a robo-hug would be very comfortable, and personally I would be terrified as to where it was taking me.
I’m writing this assuming everybody has either seen the movie RoboCop, or at least has a slight understanding of the premise of the movie. If you have no idea, click here for a summary. In short, the movie takes place in the future Detroit, where the city is a dilapidated mess and crime has run rampant (sound familiar?). A private security firm, Omni Consumer Products (OCP), buys the Detroit police department since the government can no longer afford it. After a failed robotics demonstration, RoboCop is created after the death of a police officer.
So what does this have to do with current day Detroit? A Time.com article showcases how private security is a growth industry in Detroit, due to cuts to an already depleted police force that the government cannot pay for. These private security contractors are paid by homeowners associations, and they patrol a specific area looking for anything out of the ordinary and respond to calls from residents.
So how does this lead to RoboCop spitting witty one liners at criminals?
Early generation military robots are already in trouble.
The first blow to robotic military systems has come at the hands of the UN. UN human rights investigator Philip Alston wants the US to explain how they decide who and what to attack with their unmanned drones. The concern is that these drone attacks lead to arbitrary executions, which are banned under international law. Drone attacks have so far been highly successful in remotely attacking targets that cannot be reached with traditional military systems, but they have also been criticized due to loss of innocent lives in their attacks and the possible violation of other nation’s sovereignty when used. The drone attacks have not stopped though, mainly due to their undisputed effectiveness. Despite that fact, is this a sign that attacks by military robots are viewed differently than attacks by human soldiers? And if so, what effect will this have towards the future of robotic warfare?
Remember the robot Toyota is developing that seemed to be the next step in robots moving similar to humans? Well, they have already been trumped. Boston Dynamics, the company that has introduced the BigDog rough terrain locomotion robot (video) and a robot able to jump 25 feet in the air (video), have now introduced the Petman. Petman was developed to test military clothing, but since it walks just like a human, it is just another step in making robots that will be able to chase you. At this pace, robots will be able to run at 50 mph at peak efficiency in just a few years.
Hate washing dishes? This could soon be a thing of the past.
Do you hate washing dishes? Of course you do, unless you are some kind of cleaning masochist. Hopefully your kitchen has never looked as bad as the picture on the left, and even if you own a dishwasher, the daily chore of loading and unloading dishes can be very annoying. Luckily the folks at Panasonic are developing a robot that is able to do the dishes for us. The robot consists of an arm that is able to grab and move dishware without breaking anything, plus a camera to observe the arm and make sure it doesn’t become confused. Before putting the dish into a dishwasher, the arm will first empty any remaining contents into a sink. The robotic arm is also capable of simple serving techniques, such as scooping food out of a serving dish and placing it in a bowl.
As with any robot, there is a dark side to go along with all of the potential benefits. In the case of Panasonic’s robotics division, they are reluctant to make a strong push into consumer robotics due to the fact that there are no safety standards or liability laws concerning robots that interact with humans. Panasonic is projecting sales of $1.1 billion of home use robots by 2015, so it is surprising that they are hesitant when such a large amount of sales and money could be on the horizon. The video below states this same fact, and also gives a short explanation of the robot, as well as a few other robots that Panasonic is developing for consumer and commercial use.
In a world that appears to become more obsessed with sex by the day, it seems inevitable that robots would eventually be made specifically to satisfy a person’s sexual desires. Robots have already been made that look more human than anything seen before, even though they are still very creepy.
Robots LOVE Hello Kitty.
So what is the future of sexbotics, and what are the consequences if robotic sex becomes morally and socially acceptable?
Lieutenant General Rick Lynch, commander of the US Army’s 3rd Armor Corps, has repeated his request for robots to be added to the military operating in the Middle East. According to Lynch, of the 155 loses the 3rd Army Corps has suffered, 122 could have been prevented by the use of autonomous robots. That’s right, autonomous. He doesn’t believe drones like the Predator or Reaper or other unmanned but human controlled robotic systems will get the job done. He is a very fervent believer that a robotic army should add to or replace portions of the current military system, and he has 4 specific uses where he believes robots should be used.
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