The Pentagon has unveiled an incredibly strong and agile humanoid robot. But don’t worry, it claims that this new “robo sapiens” is purely to help old ladies find their way through Nordstrom.
Robo Sapiens
Ted Rall
Ted Rall is a syndicated political cartoonist for Andrews McMeel Syndication, WhoWhatWhy.org and Counterpoint. He is a frequent contributor to The Wall Street Journal, a graphic novelist and author of many books of art and prose, and an occasional war correspondent. He is, recently, the author of the graphic novel "The Stringer."
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I remember a few years ago when I thought people could not surprise me anymore. It’s surprising just how many times I’ve been surprised this year especially. The horrors compound and won’t end without an explosive onslaught of further horrors.
Yeah, this could never backfire, eh?
After John Connor saves us all by sending someone back through time to stop the rise of the machines, I hope we have the good sense to round up all the people who worked on these projects, try them for crimes against humanity, and lock them all away forever.
Yeah! Just think – we could populate our possible “new war” – along the US/Mexico border – AKA “Immigration Bill” with a few 10’s of thousand new Nordstrom Store Assistants – just think of the money to be made by the war machine makers (and by the way, the new Immigration Bill also recommends several types of weapon systems to be bought by already identified defense contractors). John Q. Public thinks the Immigration Bill is about immigration – it ain’t, it’s about fueling a new military war and guaranteeing more work for the military industrial complex while the last failed wars wind down (which they never really will, as the remaining troops willl be renamed trainers and advisors). Sadly, the net immigration from Mexico is now very low considering the attrition, numbers being sent back already, and the fact that the US doesn’t look that appetizing anymore to a lot of Mexicans. Most of the illegal immigration nowadays comes by airplane, with people illegally overstaying and not going back.
Having lived in Mexico for almost seven years, I can vouch for the fact that a lot of Mexicans are returning because of the depressed economy in the United States. (Unfortunately, the drug cartels are more appealing to some – fed by the insatiable market provided by the U.S. demand!)
Holy mackerel, that machine is creepy. Everyone should watch the YouTube video DARPA released. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkBnFPBV3f0
I have trouble believing that AI will advance to the Terminator point in my lifetime, but I could totally see this machine operating as an remote controlled ground drone. That is one expensive looking infantry replacement. hopefully it stays that way, because if it were cheap the nightmare of those guys acting as clothing salesman could become all too real. What in the world are low wage workers supposed to do if their jobs are replaced by robots?
1950s sci-fi authors thought this development would usher in a socialist utopia where we’d all make art while the robots do the work. Somehow I think the feudal model of society is more likely, where the 1% hire knighted engineers to build war robots to keep the 99% from rebelling.
All the concern is about Terminator-style robots. Giant fighting robots of frightening speed and accuracy. Computer-aided targeting systems will allow them to shoot with near-perfect kill rates. Night-vision and thermal-imaging software will allow them to spot humans hiding behind objects or in conditions too dark for the humans to see. (Imagine going into a gunfight against a blind man.)
Okay. All that’s terrifying. Try this though.
The “money shot” from the story? “The Associated Press reports that the lawsuit alleges that the cameras captured images of Harriton High School students and their families as they undressed and in other compromising situations.”
“In other compromising situations.” Let me translate that: Adults videotaped teenagers masturbating. The probability that such activity was not captured is about zero. On the Creepy Scale this is right up at 11. And the penalty? According to the wikipedia entry for the school: “In October 2010, the school district agreed to pay $610,000 to settle the Robbins and parallel Hasan lawsuits against it.”
How do public schools get funding? From property taxes. Parents will be paying the “fine” that the school received for taking dirty pictures of their children. Or, if the property taxes aren’t raised, the schools programs will be cut. No more theater program. Goodbye chem lab upgrade. So the students get violated twice. None of the officials went to jail for child pornography. No one was forced to register as a sex offender.
And apparently no one is really all that concerned.
«The Pentagon has unveiled an incredibly strong and agile humanoid robot.» «Strong» maybe, but hardly «agile» in any sense of the word with which I am familiar. But in 10 years ?…
Henri