Comments on: Sizing up the coming robotics revolution

Rodney Brooks, director of MIT's CSAIL and CTO of iRobot, discusses AI, robots and the coming bicentennial man.
Photos: Humanoid robots come to life at MIT

[wildchild_plasma_gyro]

Ok what about robotics for more harder ventures.

It's all fine and well that robotic are fun with our consumer live but i feel robot have and even greater need for global problems.
1) robots for monitoring rainforest areas.
2) robot setups alongside humans for building advanced structures that make use of the underground and such in there building capabilities alonside humans.
3) Also looking at how robots can build and work with things more organic like a pratical total organic vertical mushroom farm of building a far more curvy build that we tend to build these days alongside humans.
4) Using robotics and electronics to help issues in extreme climates like the congo or cybiria.

Year at the moment i'd have to say the passions for robots is a tad unimaginitive and short sighted and probably no way near funded well enough.
Another point i'd like to make is that a lot of it it replaces thing humans do today instead of allowing us to really acieve more.
I do understand that robotics need quite a lot of time to better itself but it also need imagination and resources, this development could really benifit our current level of civilisation and instead it's a bit gimmiky for now.
Oh well take heed and i hope for far more imaginationa and support to come from the side of technology.

[Dingbattie]

Lifelike androids for sex.

'Nuff said.

[C.Schroeder]

Eh?

"'Nuff said" about what? Science Fiction has already explored many of the social aspects of this, and it's a minefield. Also, if the robot is cognitive enough to be an interesting/entertaining partner, the issue of robot rights enters the picture.

Then there are the physical issues. A few obvious ones are:
1. sterilization between users to prevent STDs,
2. the sexbot must be light weight enough so it doesn't accidentally crush the user if something unforeseen happens,
3. liability of the operator/manufacturer if anything bad happens to a user.

Dream all you like, but it ain't going to happen anytime soon.