Why the US Consumer Doesn't Deserve A Decent Robot

SkinnyGuy writes "PC Magazine has up a lengthy look at how differing cultural approaches and expectations for robots are setting the stage for Amercian consumers to miss out on the best robots have to offer. The first paragraph is kind of funny: 'Someday the robots will rise up and kill us all. They'll record our lives, obliterate our privacy, set off nuclear war, and eventually turn on us and eat our brains. If any of this ever did happen, it would serve us right. We, at least American consumers, don't deserve the future that robots really have to offer.'"

Killbot

[Migylesa Rex]

I consider android-esque robots to be both fascinating and utterly terrifying. It's an impressive technology, and the uses for it are nigh endless. However, putting robots into the hands of the average american? America has been a DIY nation from the start, so it's feasable that the technically savvy/wealthy crazies out there would be able to modify or buy modified robots. They could make armed robots with a skin (ever seen those "real dolls"?)that could resemble a human from a distance or to a glancing eye, or who knows what else. I don't think they'll rise against us, I just don't want people to have them.

Re:So what?

[Rakishi]

Would you rather have your house cleaned by some cold, metal machine, or by some sexy, 20 year old, Russian girl?

At least the robot won't be robbing me blind and will actually clean a disorganized house in detail (house cleaners generally don't as they doubt you'd notice).

human-form robots

[Anonymous Coward]

And here I was thinking that the ends of anthropomorphic robots, are nigh useless.

Really, the point of robots is that they are modular and versatile. The human-form is only optimal if you're constrained to a one-size-fits-all spec, as genetics and natural selection are implicitly in the notion of species.

And as far as dangers from wealthy crazies with malicious intent, just think a bit about bioweapons and you'll find much more pressing worries than these far-off Philip Dick-novel wannabes. Hell, if I were a rich maniac I would just pay the homeless and bored suburbanites in weapons, cash, whores, drugs, and/or promises of revolution, to go on a kill rampage. Much more effective than a replicant.

Stupid article

[Reality Master 101]

Show me some evidence that Americans have an aversion to robots. You can't, because it doesn't exist. What it really proves is that Americans don't have a particular cultural desire for "robot buddies" as the Japanese seem to.

But the bigger issue is that we don't have any real robot technology that can do anything useful. And we won't have that until we have a real science of Artificial Intelligence, which doesn't exist right now.

Create a consumer a humanoid robot maid that can do all household chores, and Americans would buy millions of them without a qualm. Of course, the next step would be sex robots disguised as maid robots because of the social stigma of sexbots. When we have *that*, we'll have robots everywhere.

Re:So what?

[Anonymous Coward]

IMO a house built by a robot would probably be significantly better than one built by humans. After all what items are better constructed by people than robots? Most US houses are building from low quality materials in a haphazard fashion by cheep semi skilled labor. A robot construction crew could probably build a house in 1/10th the time and make 1/50th the mistakes so what's not to like?

Re:So what? That's wha!

[jgarra23]

Going on what you said, I don't believe that we as humans will see robots move out of the realm of managing and executing repetitious and/or dangerous tasks for several generations. This will be for a couple reasons. First, everything you said. Second, the general public will look at robots with general fear and uncertainty much like they do with the idea of cloning.

This isn't necessarily a bad thing- the wisdom of ignorant crowds is often underrated- they KNOW they are not ready for robots or androids yet thus they look at them with fear. Sort of like giving a kid a gun and telling them to do what they please without any training, this is the general public and whether they know this or not, they effectively are "dumb" enough to intervene.

Re:umm

[east coast]

The article has little or no point. We are, again, a victim of the firehose.

An article is submitted to the firehose that mentions "cool cutting edge technology" and is American bashing. What do you think the outcome will be?

The articles voted up due to the firehose are probably as well examined as most others are by posters who lead their posts with "I did not RTFA".

IHBT

[sm62704]

Deserve?

I have robots. My car has robotics (cruise control, temperature control), my VCR has robotics, my former boss has a robot vaccuum cleaner and a robot lawnmower. Hell, I built a robot from my erector set when I was in 6th grade (yes, I'm a nerd and no apologies for it).

The fact that South Korea has an "ethical treatment of robots" mentality and the Japanese build robots to look like us and be our pals shows me that they, not we, are the ones who "don't deserve robots."

AFAIC those who see robots for what they are - unfeeling, unthinking tools - are the ones who deserve robots. Those who anthropomorphise [wikipedia.org] these creations of human diligence are the ones who don't deserve them.

-mcgrew

No animals were harmed in the creation of this comment. Except for lunch, of course.

uncanny valley

[sonoronos]

One of the conclusions drawn from this article is that the "Uncanny Valley" is a culturally dependant phenomenon. Then is the "Uncanny Valley" similar to the characteristics of beauty, which are known to differ by culture? If so, then can it be considered a matter of aesthetics? Is it purely individual? Are there certain robot characteristics that are "universally" uncanny or...canny?

One of these days, someone is going to start a web site called, "RobotOrNot", allowing people to rate robots from 1 to 10, with 1 being obviously machine (like a toaster) and 10 being a picture of Kristanna Loken.