Robotic Nation Evidence

Airbus Planes to Use Computers
In Crash-Avoidance Maneuvers

From the article:

European jet maker Airbus is taking an unprecedented step to expand cockpit automation: onboard computers that will automatically maneuver jetliners to avoid midair collisions, without any pilot input.

Known for its pioneering use of computers and software to push the automation envelope, this time Airbus has decided to cross a new threshold in replacing pilot decisions with computer commands. For the first time, flight crews of Airbus planes will be instructed and trained to rely on autopilots in most cases to escape an impending crash with another airborne aircraft. Currently, all commercial pilots are required to instantly disconnect the autopilot when they get an alert of such an emergency, and manually put their plane into a climb or descent to avoid the other aircraft.

The change, which hasn't been announced yet, comes after lengthy internal Airbus debates and despite skepticism from pilot groups and even some aircraft-equipment suppliers.

In spite of significant pilot opposition, the proposed shift sets the stage for broader use of computerized safety systems down the road to protect commercial planes, business jets and other aircraft from other hazards, including flying into natural or man-made obstacles.

Besides the fact that it "sets the stage for broader use of computerized safety systems down the road," it obviously sets the stage for completely eliminating pilots from the cockpit. See Robotic Nation for details.

The last paragraph of the article is also interesting. A reader sent in an excellent point: imagine the day that a Boeing plane causes a major accident because the human pilot cannot react fast enough. Boeing gets sued for not using robots. It is known that robotic pilots will soon surpass human ones in every way, because robots will have far more specialized computing power and sensor access than human pilots. Ignoring this will be a liability that either forces a reversal by Boeing, or opens it to liability.

History of ASIMO

See also this post (with video)

Seagate's Barracuda 7200.10 hard drive - 750 GB hard drive

One terabyte by next year?

Mystery Robot Said to Solve Crimes, Find Mines in Chile: "In less than a year, Salinas says, he has helped solve two of the highest profile criminal cases in this South American country. And now that university lab tests seem to confirm that his robot works, mining and oil corporations are flooding him with business plans, Salinas says."

Robot carries out operation by itself

Robot surgeon performs world's first unassisted operation

From the article:

The 50-minute surgery, which took place in a Milan hospital, was carried out on a 34-year-old patient suffering from atrial fibrillation. Dozens of heart specialists attending an international congress on arrhythmia in Boston also watched.

Pappone has used the robot surgeon in at least 40 operations.

"It has learned to do the job thanks to experience gathered from operations on 10,000 patients," Pappone said, pointing out that the robot carries the expertise of several human surgeons used to boost its software.

This is a perfect illustration of how the Robotic Nation will work. The robot gets better and better through practice. Also, the robot becomes able to do things that humans could never do (for example, a robot surgeon might have six hands). Eventually the robot completely eclipses human abilities. Once that happens, human surgeons are no longer needed and they become unemployed. Why would you want your surgery done by a fallible human when a much better robot is available to do the work? This same process will happen to any job category that involves manual skill: pilots, truck drivers, construction workers, etc. Then it will begin to spread to knowledge skills like lawyers, stock brokers, etc. As mentioned in Manna, mid-level management is an easy target.

The question is, as robots eclipse humans in so many different areas, what will humans do to earn a living? And what will happen to all of the people who are unemployed in the process? See Robotic Nation and Robotic Freedom for details.

India to embark upon robotics, remote tech weapons

From the article:

Observing that India`s indigenous defence research was "gaining in confidence", Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said the country would soon embark upon production of cutting edge technology weapons in sensors, robotics, propulsion systems, stealth and fighting wars through use of remote technology.

"We also plan to go in for precision guided munitions as well as unmanned vehicle technologies in the 11th and 12th Plan Period," Singh said.

20 years from now, who do you think would win a robotic war between China, India, the EU and the USA?

In the May 15 issue of Time Magazine, columnist Joe Klein takes an interesting stance. The article is called A Fair Trade for Lower Gas Prices and his suggestion is simple: raise the gasoline tax to discourage consumption, and then give the money collected back to people:

Gasoline at $4 per gal. might get the job done, but that could have a very disruptive effect on the economy. How to minimize the disruption? By sending every last penny raised through new energy taxes right back to the public.

His idea for giving the money back, however, is convoluted.

The simple way to give the money back is through a central account that distributes money to all citizens, an idea first proposed in the article Robotic Freedom. If Klien's tax were distributed through the central account proposed in Robotic Freedom, it would be a great way to get the program started.

Americans consume something like 150 billion gallons of gasoline per year. So a tax of $1 per gallon would yield about $150 billion for distribution. $2 per gallon would yield $300 billion for distribution. The tax could be phased in over a 2 year period to minimize impact. The great thing is that people would be getting the money right back through the central account, so the net effect on the economy would be zero.

See Robotic Freedom for details on the central account, and a dozen other ways to provide additional funding for it.

Korean Scientists Develop Female Android

From the article:

"Standing 1.6 meters tall and weighing about 50 kilograms, she can understand others, speak, blink with her eyes and makes several facial expressions. But she is not human, rather an android developed by a team of South Korean scientists. It is only the second time in the world that an android has been developed - Japan made the first one."

Flying robot attack 'unstoppable': experts

From the article:

The technology for remote-controlled light aircraft is now highly advanced, widely available -- and, experts say, virtually unstoppable.

Models with a wingspan of five metres (16 feet), capable of carrying up to 50 kilograms (110 pounds), remain undetectable by radar.

And thanks to satellite positioning systems, they can now be programmed to hit targets some distance away with just a few metres (yards) short of pinpoint accuracy.

Security services the world over have been considering the problem for several years, but no one has yet come up with a solution.

Automated License Plate Recognition System Gains Traction: "The system works by scanning every plate that comes in the path of the sensor. Every time it reads a plate, the computer inside the patrol car dings and both a picture of the actual plate as well as the plate number the computer reads appear on the screen. The plate number is then run through a database, which has highlighted plates that fall in the category of lost or stolen, and drivers who are wanted for a felony."

See this CNN video:

Gang member tracking device

It will probably be available for 3 or 4 days before becoming "for pay".

Feds ready to send robotic car army to the streets

From the article:

We may all soon long for the days when a driver distracted by a cell phone or even a few pints was the most dangerous thing on the road. That's because the US government plans to let an army of unmanned vehicles loose in a city next year.

Last year's successful run of the $2m Grand Challenge robotic race has DARPA wanting more. The US research agency has offered up another $2m prize for the first robotic vehicle that can traverse a 60-mile urban course in less than six hours. The city test will take place in November 2007 and marks the third time DARPA has held such a race.