The future of Robotics??

[BerberElla]

When you see the advances humanity has been making in the robotics field, do you feel a bit of fear?

Have movies made it impossible for you to eagerly usher in the new era, or are you looking and thinking "woah, soon robots will take over the world"?

Are you somewhere inbetween, slight fear because you've seen the movies and believe in the possibility, and yet eager because it's the future, and it's amazing?

I'm just wondering because a fair few people, myself included although I fall in the mild fear but major anticipation field, take these advances and think of scifi nightmares, so I was wondering how many others do?

[The_Liquid_Laser]

The only type of robotics that I'd be scared of is the kind that is developed by the military. However that doesn't have much to do with robotics itself. Technologies developed by the military are scary in general (at least they are scary to me).

I'm not afraid of any robotics developed by a business. Businesses want to make money and they don't do it by making products that are scary.

[highlander]

I'm more worried about biotechnology, petrochemicals, and nuclear weapons probably.

[StrappingYoungLad]

I'm no robotics geek but frankly I don't see that much advances in robotics. It seems to me that the only advances related to robotics are computing power, sensors and glorified toys, but there is a lack of convincing artificial intelligence advancement that would make me fear the future of mankind.

I think though that in the future there could be some interesting out of control military autonomous spy cyber-insects accidents.

[Sniffles]

Yes there's been plenty of critical assestments of the more outlandish claims made by AI proponents over the past few years I've noticed.

Here's one by Peter Kassan for example:
A.I. Gone Awry : The Futile Quest for Artificial Intelligence

[Lateralus]

I'm more worried about genetic engineering (non-human species) than I am robotics. Science fiction is so far from reality when it comes to robotics, it has no effect on me.

[Magic Poriferan]

Hmmm.

You might want to read Digital Soul: Intelligent Machines and Human Values, by Thomas Georges.

If you get me started, I can rant about a handful of things in that book that really annoyed me, but I never the less think it's a recommendable read.

[Timeless]

Come on, it'd be cool.

What's the worst that could happen?





Seriously though, I'm neutral right now and anything can happen. I think one of the greatest thing robotics and AI can do for us is (from a space exploration article I've read) help mankind "spread life" across the universe.

[entropie]

From a more technical standpoint there isnt much as neat as the roboters one may know from movies yet.

Creating artificial intelligence would still be the biggest challenge of them all.

I think the next thing that will invade daily lifes are household service roboters. That of course will destroy some jobs, but from a purely technical standpoint something more intelligent than a service roboter playing a routine on loop aint possible yet.

The biggest challenge is still to generate reasoning skills or problem solving skills for the robots (what prolly will result in them taking over).

I am not versed with all of the latest breakthroughs so far, but from what I know there isnt something yet, better than a service roboter playing a program on playback.