Artificial Life

British Scientist Warns We Must Protect The Vulnerable From Robots

Greg Schnippel — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 18:25:44 -0800

Top robotics expert Professor Noel Sharkey, of the University of Sheffield, has called for international guidelines to be set for the ethical and safe application of robots before it is too late.

A Soldier, Taking Orders From Its Ethical Judgment Center

Greg Schnippel — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 13:00:44 -0800

In the heat of battle, their minds clouded by fear, anger or vengefulness, even the best-trained soldiers can act in ways that violate the Geneva Conventions or battlefield rules of engagement. Now some researchers suggest that robots could do better.

Are Pentagon Nerds Developing Packs of Man-Hunting Killer Robots?

Greg Schnippel — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 12:48:45 -0800

The Pentagon's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program recently sent out a call for contractors to design a pack of robots whose main purpose would be to track down what the SBIR ominously referred to as "noncooperative human subject[s]."

How does the robot pack decide which human is cooperative and which is not? Welcome to the wonderful, dystopian world of defense pork.

Six Ways to Build Robots that do Humans no Harm

Greg Schnippel — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 20:34:48 -0800

Authors Wendell Wallach and Colin Allen argue that we need to work out how to make robots into responsible and moral machines. It is just a matter of time until a computer or robot takes a decision that will cause a human disaster, they say.

Brainy Robots To Lead To Longer Unemployment Lines?

Greg Schnippel — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 13:35:58 -0700

Robot lovers and outsourcing opponents could soon have something in common: the fear that their jobs are at stake. In the future robots will take over many tasks performed by American workers today potentially leading to increased unemployment, says Marshall Brain, founder of How Stuff Works.

Packs of Robots will Hunt Down Uncooperative Humans

Greg Schnippel — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 09:08:05 -0700

The Pentagon is looking for contractors to provide a "Multi-Robot
Pursuit System" that will let packs of robots "search for and detect a
non-cooperative human" invoking ethical concerns about roving packs of
robots with tasers chasing down demonstrators.

Toy Robot Intended to Save Humans From Evil, Future Bots

Greg Schnippel — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 09:02:03 -0700

When roboticist David Hanson thinks of the future, he fears that man will accidentally create a super-sentient artificial intelligence that is heartless and clinically insane.

So to save the world, he formed Hanson Robotics and built Zeno, a 17-inch robot boy, who smiles, laughs, recognizes your face and remembers your name.

Fending off the end of the world may be a heavy mantle to hang on the shoulders of a 17-inch robot that's still in prototype stage, but Hanson does call Zeno the superhero of the singularity.

WarBots: Latest in Military Strategy

Greg Schnippel — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 13:19:57 -0700

Imagine a scenario in which one of the world's largest oil pipelines could be guarded from attack without deploying any sort of large military force or private security personnel. Imagine if hundreds of makeshift explosives could be detected, extracted or even diffused before endangering the lives of a surrounding civilian presence. Imagine if a government could launch a full-scale military attack with only a handful of mechanical engineers and a fleet of 30,000 robots equipped with automatic firing and rocket launching abilities for land, air and sea.

Wunderkind Starts Robot-Buster Weapons Firm

Greg Schnippel — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 17:39:49 -0700

Famed dotcom 1.0 teen millionaire Ben Way has started a company specialising in anti-robot weaponry. Way foresees lucrative business opportunities in suppressing the inevitable rogue killbots and machine rebellions to be expected in coming years.

The new company, WAR Defence (Weapons Against Robots) was launched this week.

"The use of robotics in the military is on the up," said Way in a statement.

"Although the decision to take human life is currently still taken by another human, before long such decisions will be made ... within a robot.

Swarms of Robots Join the Army

Greg Schnippel — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 08:46:41 -0700

Small robots working in swarms have finally moved out of the laboratory and into the real world. That was the most significant feature of the Ministry of Defence's Grand Challenge competition, held over the weekend. It's an idea that is also being pursued by the US military.

The advantages of a decentralised swarm have long been apparent to researchers. After all, it's a strategy that has proven effective for ants, bees and other social insects for millions of years. However, until now, robot swarms have been experimental rather than practical.

Flying robots