November 6th, 2009 ::
From "How to Survive a Robot Uprising" by Daniel Wilson
From Daniel H. Wilson, the writer of “How to Survive a Robot Uprising: Tips on Defending Yourself Against the Coming Rebellion” comes a new book, “Robopocalypse”. It is being published in 2011 by Doubleday, and the movie rights have already been secured by Dreamworks.
“Daniel H. Wilson’s cautionary tale of man vs. machine grabbed us from the very beginning,” said DreamWorks co-president of production Mark Sourian. “Wilson’s background in robotics and artificial intelligence grounds his story with a frightening level of realism.”
“Robopocalypse” deals with how humanity copes after a robot uprising. Wilson has a Ph.D. in robotics from Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute and has written numerous science fiction books, so he knows his robots.
I’m very excited for Robopocalypse, since robots taking over the world is obviously a topic I’m rather keen on. Hopefully the book and movie get the word out and make more people realize that robots really just want to kill humans.
:from Variety via BotJunkie::
November 2nd, 2009 ::
Is this the future of Detroit law enforcement?
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?
» Read the rest of this entry «
October 29th, 2009 ::
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?
» Read the rest of this entry «
October 16th, 2009 ::
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.
» Read the rest of this entry «
September 15th, 2009 ::
I’m posting this from my mobile phone so this will be short but sweet. Robotics company Boston Dynamics won funding from DARPA to build a “hopper” robot that is able to leap over obstacles in order to perform surveillance. A demonstration video can be seen here.
::from BBC via Viigo::
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