• Replies 30 replies
  • Subscribers 33 subscribers
  • Views 571 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Options
Related
Hints and tips
  • To quote someone's message, first select/highlight the relevant text, and then use the Quote button that appears
  • To "mention" someone, type @ followed by the start of the forum name, and choose from the list; that person will get a notification of being mentioned

household robots latest - leading to utopia or Orwellian nightmare [Turing/Hawking/Musk]

Marianne72

There is a clumsy fascination about the latest household bots, Eggie, Neo, Isaac and Memo. Manufacturers claim 20 years will bring autonomous functioning [rather than 'direction' by humans]. Considering the Backshall/Strachan docu 'Ice Age; Apocolypse', is a future like the one in Silent Running inevitable/desirable/unthinkable? Do you want a mouthless meca washing your smalls, making your marmite sandwich, loading the dishwasher? Is this good use of technology in an age which has not eradicated want/isolation/poverty/war.

Parents

  • I think the main thing that feels weird is that they are trying to emulate humans, when you could probably design something that isn't like a human that does the job better.

    Like we have a robot hoover. My husband got it for his birthday, it looks like a chunky frisbee and the controls are on an app. To me, this is acceptable, but I wouldn't like a human size robot going round with the vacuum, that would be creepy.

    Although I read a lot of sci fi, the uncanny valley aspect of robots that are human-like is just too weird in real life.

    I think I'd prefer separate robots that were just good at one thing. Then if they break, it's just one thing broken rather than something that did all the jobs you didn't like going at once.

    I do worry about data collection though.

  • in reply to Cinnabar_wing
    Cinnabar_wing said:
    I think the main thing that feels weird is that they are trying to emulate humans, when you could probably design something that isn't like a human that does the job better.

    Yes, that would make sense. I might even be able to tolerate it near me, a bit like I can tolerate the big metal box that does the hardest part of the laundry process, it’s called a washing machine. Maybe a robot home worker should be called a ‘butler machine’ or a ‘housework machine’ and perhaps a design like an elongated octopus would work well. 

  • in reply to ArchaeC

    I just had a silly thought that the teletubbies used to have that giant vacuum animal thing. 

    Good idea, an animal design might work as we are used to creature companions anyway? It would feel less weird than a robot with no face like Neo et al.

Reply Children