Tag: Robots

Please, Take My Job!

Just last week I wrote a closing thought about robots and the jobs that are lost because of their use…..you may check out the post here…..

I, Robot I recall many years ago when the news of the first robots being used by the auto industry was all the talk…..of course the pro side was that they would do hazardous work and thus wou…

Source: Closing Thought–14Feb17 – In Saner Thought

To be truthful it was a negative post on the loss of jobs…so when I read this article to the contrary I felt I needed to post it also……there is always 2 sides to every report, right?

Over the next 15 years, 2 to 3 million Americans who drive for a living – truckers, bus drivers and cabbies – will be replaced by self-driving vehicles, according to a December 2016 White House report on the ascent of artificial intelligence (AI). An estimate by the University of Oxford and Citi, a bank, predicts that 77 percent of Chinese jobs are at risk of automation over roughly the same period.

Millions of people around the world would lose their jobs under these scenarios, potentially sparking mass social unrest and upheaval.

Source: Robots are taking jobs, but also creating them: Research review – Journalist’s Resource Journalist’s Resource

While I was writing this update I found yet another  piece about robotics and jobs…..this time it is something that Bill Gates had to say……

Job-stealing robots should be taxed the same as humans, Bill Gates says. “If a robot comes in to do the same thing, you’d think that we’d tax the robot at a similar level,” the Microsoft founder tells Quartz. He says governments should tax companies that replace workers with machines and use that money to fund jobs that can only be performed by humans, such as caring for children and the elderly. In what is perhaps a surprising declaration for a man who built his fortune through innovation, the billionaire philanthropist contends the pace of automation in job-killing industries ought to be slowed, and taxes can help do that. “It is really bad if people overall have more fear about what innovation is going to do than they have enthusiasm,” he says.

While the European Parliament last week nixed a robot tax for now, notes the Telegraph, such a levy is being pushed by the French socialist candidate for president. But the idea of taxing machines is picking up steam even in the unlikely climes of Silicon Valley, which seems to favor the customers, not the industry, footing the bill, per the Financial Times. But the world’s richest man doesn’t think manufacturers would mind paying up. “I don’t think the robot companies are going to be outraged that there might be a tax,” he says. “It’s OK.” Skeptics took to Twitter, blaming Microsoft’s own technology for lost human jobs. (Read the full interview here.)

This is a fascinating debate….I can see both sides of this issue….but then there are the workers….many promises are made and seldom followed through….how will this situation be resolved?

A good question for a rainy day.

Closing Thought–14Feb17

I, Robot

I recall many years ago when the news of the first robots being used by the auto industry was all the talk…..of course the pro side was that they would do hazardous work and thus would cut down on injuries and days lost…the co side pointed out that these machines were replacing good paying jobs for workers….

Since those early days the debate has continued to rage on and on….who benefits from all the automation?

We are at a crossroads that will determine our economic future. There is hope, but also the possibility of a turn into a state of oligarchical barbarism, Frase postulates. The following is an excerpt from the introduction to Four Futures.

Why, the reader might ask, is it even necessary to write another book about automation and the postwork future? The topic has become an entire subgenre in recent years; Brynjolfsson and McAfee are just one example. Others include Ford’s Rise of the Robots and articles from the Atlantic’s Derek Thompson, Slate’s Farhad Manjoo, and Mother Jones’s Kevin Drum. Each insists that technology is rapidly making work obsolete, but they flail vainly at an answer to the problem of making sure that technology leads to shared prosperity rather than increasing inequality. At best, like Brynjolfsson and McAfee, they fall back on familiar liberal bromides: entrepreneurship and education will allow us all to thrive even if all of our current work is automated away.

Source: Will Automation Benefit Humanity and the Planet, or a Tiny Elite?

And the debate will continue……..

My day is done……I pass on to a more restful stage…..be well, be safe….I shall see everyone tomorrow.

Where Did He Touch You?

In my last post of the day I want to pass on some scientific research…..robot research….early android…..homo roboticus……..

Did you see the movie “Ex-Machina’?

If not then I will not spoil it for you…… let’s just say…… kinda kinky as well as  sexy.

Meanwhile back to the research…..robots and sex……

“Please touch my buttocks.” Most people feel uncomfortable obeying this command, and scientists have just discovered that this discomfort extends to, well, boxes of circuitry. Researchers at Stanford University are presenting their findings from a study on touching robots at the Annual Conference of the International Communication Association in Fukuoka, Japan, in June, reports IEEE Spectrum. It turns out that even though a robot’s “human-ness” is merely programmed into it, “We’re very, very good at fooling ourselves … to the point where it starts to get a little weird.”

To test this, the researchers had undergrads sit at a table with an NAO bot and respond to various commands, including “touch my hand” and “touch my buttocks.” Each participant’s non-dominant hand was hooked to a sensor that measured various physiological responses to capture the person’s attention and alertness. The less accessible a body part (think inner thigh or genitals), the more uncomfortable and reluctant the participant. Popular Science reports that the researchers didn’t go so far as to investigate why (that will likely be for future study), but they do note that “people are not inherently built to differentiate between technology and humans.” For now they suggest that the takeaway may be for robot designers to place command buttons in easy-to-reach places.

I guess this proves that I am officially an old fart.  This type of news just meakes me want to say……Eeeeewwwwwwwwwww!

I know some of my readers will have something to say about this bit of research……you know you want to weigh in……

Let it fly!

Now It Is Robo-Cops!

Think back about twenty or more years and the hit movie, “Robo-Cop”…..now fast forward to today’s techno world…..

Robot guards with sensors to detect abnormal behaviour will soon begin patrolling South Korean prisons to ease the burden on their human counterparts, researchers said on Thursday.

A group of scientists has developed the robot warders under a one billion won (£546,000) project organised by the Ministry of Knowledge Economy.

The robots – 1.5 metres (five feet) high and running on four wheels – will mostly be used at night.

They can connect prisoners with officers through a remote conversation function, according to a statement from the Asian Forum for Corrections (AFC), a South Korea-based group of researchers in criminality and prison policies.

It pioneered the project with the justice ministry’s co-operation.

The robots’ sensors will enable them to detect abnormalities such as suicidal behaviour and violence and report it to officers in charge, the statement said.

Okay, I am officially a paranoid!  I realize that advances in robotics is inevitable….but I also see the chance that somewhere, someone will find a way to abuse the advancements…..and then society could become a movie of the week on SyFy.

Could these little shits become something like the Minority Report…..where we have people being arrested for crimes that they could commit in the future?

It Is All In The Eyes

Remember back to the Terminator series…..(pause for the gathering of thoughts)…..we saw what the bad guy was looking at and in his eyes were small analytical data processors that did everything from giving the assassin the gender, the weight, the eye blue, everything….even the type of ammo best used to destroy the good guy….all seeing and knowing eye……

Alright, I know some of my post about the techno geeks and their new robotic discoveries have made me a bit more paranoid of the possibility of a SkyNet type take over of the world….it is all making me so schizoid (like I needed more help)…..but I have read another one of those articles…..in The Week…

Imagine having streams of helpful digital information beamed directly to the surface of your contact lenses. That’s the dream on which engineers from the University of Washington are working. They’ve already succeeded in creating a computerized contact lens embedded with a tiny LED that lights up when a wireless signal is sent to it. Here, a brief guide:

How does the prototype work?
This “Terminator-style” accessory is largely made of soft plastic, says Alyssa Danigelis at Discovery. The center of the lens is fitted with a “custom-designed LED” made of sapphire. A circular antenna lines the “inside lip of the lens,” which allows researchers to send radio transmissions and control the single-pixel display on the LED, which flashes on and off when it receives a signal.

I realize that we need technology to move this world forward…..but does it have to be so creepy?

Kill-Bots?

……re-reading…..thinking…..Kilobots!  My bad!

But I am still finding all this robotic technology a bit unsettling….okay….I may be a bit paranoid…..but when is enough enough?  I may have an active imagination…….but so did Hitler……and look where that got us…..

But where did I get kill-bots?

And now, they’ll be manufactured and made available to everyone thanks to K-Team Corporation, a Swiss robotics manufacturer that has signed a deal with the robot’s inventors at Harvard’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard announced on Monday.

Kilobots share the basic characteristics desirable in a collective-behavior robot, including on-board computers and the ability to sense and communicate with their fellow robots. The collective behavior is inspired by social animals, including ants and bees, according to Harvard.

These features enable Kilobots to perform the most common tasks assigned to robot swarms, such as the ability to find an object and deliver it to a home base. The operation is more complicated than it may seem because, in addition to avoiding collisions with each other, some robots in the swarm must decide to give up the hunt and assume the role of a beacon to guide the others home.

The main key to the kilobot’s low cost is that it operates on an entirely different principle of mobility than typical swarming robots. Rather than using wheels, it carries two tiny vibrating motors. The vibrations travel down stick-thin legs and enable the robot to move in any direction.

Kilobots also power up and down remotely and recharge themselves (they run on lithium-ion batteries) as needed.

Such swarms are already on the horizon, one example being a collective of ocean-exploring robots under development at the University of California-Davis through a National Science Foundation grant. NASA has also been working on a robotic swarm concept leading to the development of miniature robots that link with others to create larger devices that can reassemble themselves to match environmental conditions, perform tasks and even repair themselves.

With the steady increase in the use of military drones, it should be no surprise that the U.S. Army is in the game, with the development of more sophisticated platforms enabling soldiers to interact effectively with robot swarms.

Call me whatever you like but I am finding all this military application a bit hard to swallow….or maybe I should shy away from the SyFy channel for awhile…..whatcha think?

Can You Say “Bladerunner”?

Sunday…..the serenity of four days is coming to an end and I must return to the world of insanity, better known as politics!

In the past I have written about the technology of robotics and AI….I have said that the many improvements and advancements could be leading us down the road to situations of I. Robot and the ever popular Terminator series, the villain of Skynet…..but I read one the othjer day that made me think of the Philip K. Dick story, Bladerunner.

in case you are not sure about the story…….four androids steal a off world shuttle and return to earth in search of their maker…..they are, for the most part, off world soldiers and assassins with a pleasure model thrown in for kicks (wink, wink)……very short synopsis and very literal…..but it seems that the idea of a robotic soldier is not so far fetched……

It is no surprise that the US government fund technological research to aid in the advancement of the war machine. Every government in the world does so, and scientific advances have undoubtedly led to lives being saved in the battlefield, as well as lost. But with computers predicted to equal the power of the human brain by the 2020s, is sufficient time being given to public debate about the ethics of technology in warfare? At what point will operational decisions be handed over to machines? Is the public in danger of finding themselves outflanked by the speed of scientific advance before they have properly considered the moral and ethical consequences of it? While we are joyfully browsing late ski deals, and deciding what the make of our next car will be, are there ethical issues that should perhaps be more at the forefront of our minds?

Robotics is one area of research the military are very interested in at present, with the US government investing over $4 billion in research into robotics, known by them as ‘autonomous systems’. The advantages of having a Terminator style warrior who will show no fear in the face of the enemy is a moving from sci-fi to reality. One only has to look at the BigDog robot created by Boston Dynamics to appreciate the potential. But the government aware of the ethical dimension to this scenario, and have consulted Colin Allen, scientific philosopher and robotics expert at Indiana University, to advise them on whether a robot soldier can be built that could be programmed not to violate the terms of the Geneva Convention. Many human combatants do just that of course, due to the extreme stress of the battlefield, which leads to a desire for retribution on the captured enemy, for example, and subsequent violation of international law. A computer scientist at Georgia Tech university, Ronald Arkin, who is currently working for the US military has recently concluded that robots are “more likely to perform ethically” than human beings in a warzone, simply because they are not governed by fear or emotion.

OKay, to me, we are moving in a dangerous direction….I see the need to lessen our combat losses, but we need to make sure that we, as humans, are always in control or the scenario of Bladerunner or I, Robot or even Terminator could e in  our future…….

SkyNet Is Only A Matter Of Time

Sunday in the park…..cool breezes and a picnic…..mind calm and the demon politics is resting in the old pc……

Some of this techno stuff I write about just gets scarier and scarier…..

I have mentioned several times that the villain from the Terminator series, SkyNet, may not be such a piece of fiction after all….I mentioned the AI that is making independent rational decisions and numerous new steps forward in robotics….all point to an approaching time when robots will play a major role in our lives….and there is another major step forward……

It swings its arms and moves its legs just like the soldiers it is meant to mimic.
The PetMan robot created by Boston Dynamics is designed for military use – but don’t expect to see its human-like gait treading across a war zone any time soon.

For now the robot has been designed to act as a walking mannequin to ensure soldiers’ chemical warfare suits don’t rip.

His energetic ’power walk’ and fitness routines are designed to test new uniforms so they don’t tear when in the presence of chemical warfare agents.

The company claims Petman is the first human-shaped, human-sized robot that walks like a man. It can hit speeds of 4.4 miles per hour.
PetMan can also do jumping jacks, squat thrusts and press-ups, all without losing his balance.

Previous mechanical systems for this testing just stressed the fabric in an unrealistic fashion, rather than moving like a human being does.

He also has a good enough sense of balance that the robot can be shoved hard while running on a treadmill, and won’t topple over.
’Places like the Fukushima reactors could be accessed by PETMAN-like robots, without requiring any human exposure to hazardous materials. Perhaps firefighting inside of buildings or facilities designed for human access, like on board ships designed for human crews,’ said Robert Playter, an engineer at Boston Dynamics.

The robot is part-funded by DARPA – the US military’s ’mad scientist’ division.
’Petman will balance itself and move freely; walking, crawling and doing a variety of suit-stressing calisthenics during exposure to chemical warfare agents,’ says his creator, Boston Dynamics.

’Petman will also simulate human physiology within the protective suit by controlling temperature, humidity and sweating when necessary, all to provide realistic test conditions,’ says the robot company.

Okay, I may be letting my imagination run wild or I could be a bit paranoid because I am an old fart….I am sure that any robots will be constructed with failsafe mechanisms……and then I think back to I, Robot…….

Will It Be Big Brother Or Skynet?

Sunday…..my last day of mental relaxation and recuperation…….I am so much happy on the weekends……but Monday reality bites me in the ass and the cycle starts all over again……

I have written several articles about the possibility of a “Skynet” moment that could very well be in our future…….there was the robot that is handling complex tasks and the AI that is actually making logical decisions on its own……all that is very scary if you think about it…..very I, Robot!

But this story is a bit of Big Brother meets Skynet…………not only can it be used to spy on people but to target them if they are in the way…….can you say Paranoid?

The contracts, which Wired reports are for work on surveillance projects, could make drones more adept at targeting specific individuals.

One is to develop drones with strong facial recognition that prevents the drone from losing a face in a crowd. Others are for machines that can integrate intelligence data with information from an informant to determine your intent.

Part of a broader effort called TTL (for “Tagging, Tracking and Locating”), these new projects will support the Pentagon as it attempts to monitor enemies and insurgents in places like Afghanistan, where the strategy has switched from rebuilding societies to targeting specific individual bad actors.

Current technologies include using tiny transmitters that can use cellular, satellite or radio frequencies to report their whereabouts and lingering scents that mark targets with a vapor that can be tracked for hours. But they are inadequate because targets may discover their transmitters and remove them, and scents eventually dissipate.

Read More Here.. 

Where will the line be drawn on letting robots and technology do all the work for us?

Will Torture Become Obsolete?

The weekend has begun……..my mind is surprisingly calm……..life is good!

In the past I have written about a future where robots and technology are beginning to take over and replace a lot of the stuff that we humans could be doing and getting paid for it….but this one is a little creepy on so many levels……..

Researchers at the University of California used magnetic resonance imaging to watch the visual stimuli that study subjects experienced as they watched movie trailers. (Though the decision to subject innocent victims to the Steve Martin remake of “The Pink Panther” seems like one that could result in sanctions if not criminal charges.)

The development “paves the way for reproducing the movies inside our heads that no one else sees, such as dreams and memories, according to researchers.”

The university’s press office announced that the breakthrough could result – years from now – in major advances in medical treatment.

Eventually, practical applications of the technology could include a better understanding of what goes on in the minds of people who cannot communicate verbally, such as stroke victims, coma patients and people with neurodegenerative diseases.

It may also lay the groundwork for brain-machine interface so that people with cerebral palsy or paralysis, for example, can guide computers with their minds.

Machines and gadgets use electrons (negatively charged particles) to send information and commands through their circuitry—turn on, turn off, increase volume, and so on. But living creatures use protons (positively charged particles) or ions (charged atoms) to send signals within our bodies and drive actions like flexing muscles or pumping molecules in and out of cells.
Now with all the useful and a lot of the useless technology…….I can see where this could be abused and misused on so many levels…..and on the other hand I can see where this could be used in the place of torture and because of that I would give it my full attention…..since there is little left in society that is barbaric with the exception of torture….