5.31.2006

 

Airbus heading straight for robotic pilots

Airbus Planes to Use Computers
In Crash-Avoidance Maneuvers


From the article: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.

5.30.2006

 

History of ASIMO

History of ASIMO

See also this post (with video)

 

750 GB hard drive

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

One terabyte by next year?

5.25.2006

 

Ground radar robot

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."

5.21.2006

 

Robot surgeon performs world's first unassisted operation



Robot carries out operation by itself

Robot surgeon performs world's first unassisted operation

From the article: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.

5.18.2006

 

India's robot army


India to embark upon robotics, remote tech weapons


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

5.11.2006

 

Gas tax could fuel robotic freedom

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: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 female robot

Korean Scientists Develop Female Android

From the article:

5.08.2006

 

Robot attack unstoppable

Flying robot attack 'unstoppable': experts

From the article:

 

License plate tracking device

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."

 

Gang member tracking device

See this CNN video:

Gang member tracking device

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

5.03.2006

 

DARPA Grand Challenge 3

Feds ready to send robotic car army to the streets

From the article:

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