What is it about robots of any kind that simultaneously inspires fear and awe? While there is an understandable fear of the unknown, in the case of robots there’s the science-fiction-inspired fear of whether these mechanical monsters (marvels, anyone?) will take over the world.
Modern robots represent man’s highest achievements in invention, imagination, enterprise, and technological skills. Robots are presently being used in many applications, from surgery to arc welding to defusing of explosives. Individuals, companies and governments all over the world are working on various developing kinds of robots.
Honda has developed the ASIMO, which it states is an abbreviation of Advanced Step in Innovative MObility, and is not a reference to the science fiction writer Isaac Asimov.
I’m reminded here of “The Robots“, a single by the influential German electronic music pioneers, Kraftwerk, released in 1978.
In the article “Robo Spiders Are Multilegged Mechanical Marvels“, Wired magazine has included a gallery of images and videos of “the most amazing, mind-bending mechanical spiders ever to emerge from the fevered brains of roboticists”. In it you’ll find the 50-foot La Princesse (partly seen in the screenshot on top), the 10 cms Military Micro-Spider Bot, a tree climbing variety, and more.
Oh, here they come.
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Awesome and awe-inspiring. As you rightly pointed out, fear and awe are our instant response to such phenomenon. The pic is fabulous!
The Blue Brain Project was launched in 2005 at Swizerland’s École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), and the work has been performed in partnership with IBM. Project scientists have been using the IBM Blue Gene machine with 10,000 processors to create simulations of the neocortical column, which are repeating units in the mammalian neocortex. According to Henry Markram, director of the Blue Brain Project, a fully functional artificial brain can be built within the next ten years. Even more fascinating is his claim that this brain will either have consciousness, or prove that consciousness is more than just a pattern of neurons. Any such technology is bound to inspire fear – fear of misuse!