Robots! These automated pieces of technology that will make
our lives easier are going to flourish within a world of bustling commerce and
rich culture!
Jk lolz. I feel like that
would be part of the ad culture behind actual household robots like in iRobot. When
I hear robots that’s what I think of. These robot Machines would be something that
shares human features but are only meant to serve the user of the machine. When
pondering about that definition I created, robots can mean many things in our
time. It does not need to be some furutistic android that can wash dishes and
cook meals in side of its body. These robots can be as a simple as a computer
or even Siri. Turkle attempts to seek
out the relationship we humans have with these machines. The ideas about what
separates us from these machines come to the forefront. Our nearest neighbor,
the computer, is merely separated by the fact that we have senses. Or so it
seems that way. It is crazy to thing that this inorganic object I am typing on
is so similar to my organic makeup. It has a brain, a heart and technically
even veins and blood within the battery. The damn thing can even be told to go
to sleep. The main difference is that while a computer can think, most of the
time faster than we can, it cannot feel. Our emotions separate us from what the
machine is and what the machine can be. But how alive are these objects. When looking
into children and comparing the way they feel about these robots, Turkle makes
some interesting points. One being that a child is sad when the actual robot
dies. We begin to become emotionally attached to the robot and when it does die
we are sad that it has dies. Thinking about this really made me look back into
my own past to wonder why and if I had done this with my robots. To my
knowledge I have been sad when my robots have dies. My Gameboy is a prime example
of that. It died and I think I cried for a whole day because I couldn't play Pokémon.
Even more recently, when my Xbox received a red ring of death I became angry
upset and frustrated. These emotions that I attached to the robots show how we
have humanized these machines and how close they are to truly becoming humans.
Robots are
being created every day to make our lives easier. Their functions are modeled
off of human functions in order for use and to understand them more fully. Robots
play an important role in our lives and can help us in many ways. Here is a way
robots help to save lives by performing a human task and replacing the human
put in danger. The bomb robot will take the risk of losing human life out of
the question here and put itself on the line. It is much easier to replace a 10
thousand dollar robot than it is a human being. They add human features such as an arm to simulate the human arm and a camera to simulate the human eye. it helps the user to understand the functionality of the object. This robot might not be able to feel but has the same dexterity as the human had and can function the same way. this brings robots even closer to being human. Although this device saves lives, it is scary to think how close it is to being human.
-Chris Santoro
Chris, I like this post because it aligns with something I have been thinking about a lot lately. Last week my roommate bought the xbox one. Now, when i walk into the room, it notices I am there, I can tell it to turn off or on and it will listen. It knows what shows I like on Netflix, and suggests new ones. In a way the Xbox is a super observant borderline creepy third roommate. Though I can't imagine having conversations with it, the capacity is there. As technology gets more and more advanced, robots will be able to cater to our needs more effectively. However, I'm glad you pointed out that these machines will never have the organic emotion we have. When I don't play the Xbox, it doesn't cry because it needs more attention. Though this machine can listen to me and recognize me, it can't empathize with me or comfort me (unless playing videogames is someones stress release). Maybe someday, innovators will create false emotions, but I would hate to see an angry Xbox shut off because its having a bad day.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your last statement. I think that it is wonderful that life-saving robots have been created to help in dangerous situations or in the medical field, however, I also agree that the human-like qualities of many of these robots are alarming. Scientists design robots to act like us and "think" but, as you said, emotion is the thing that separates man from machine. To me, the idea of computers being able to mimic human emotion is too similar to any of the terrifying, dystopian novels that I read. I believe that many robots and computers are amazingly helpful in our everyday lives and that, without them, our world would not be as medically or educationally advanced as it is. With that being said, however, I think that it is okay for a robot to act like a human and even talk like a human...but the moment a robot starts to feel like a human I will probably cut myself off from most technology and hide away. The only thing more terrifying than an impending zombie apocalypse is an impending robot apocalypse.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Chris, and I agree with the idea that robots are created by us for us. They really are there to make our lives better. Also, Mary you bring up a good point.Many people like the idea of robots because they're cool and because we can control them. They all have an off switch. But I think the main turn off of robots is the frightening potential that they have to become us. They already replace us in factories, in some homes as household cleaners, etc. I think that as long as robots are able to be easily controlled, there wont be many issues. But, the potential for robot autonomy is probably what frightens people more than the robots themselves.
ReplyDeleteChris, something I like about what you have written here is that you seem to almost not trust robots even though they do have some benefactors that are extremely vital. I think the exact same way. I personally believe robots are important but I also believe that humans do it better. Obviously if you are looking at speed of computers or dissecting information, computers can do so much quicker and efficient. I am talking about the construction of cars for example. I dont know if humans necessarily do it better but I believe I trust a car made by a human much more. I almost have a sense of pride in the human construction. I think this ties into similar emotions as we have when robots die. Its almost unexplainable but we know that human like work brings out some sort of human emotion. The more I think about humans getting upset when their robot dies, the more I feel like I don't want to see robots excel. Maybe its just me but it kind of freaks me out.
ReplyDeleteChris, your post is really thought provoking and provides great examples as to how "robots" even though they might not look like our movie definition of a robot are in our lives today. Very similar to you being visibly upset over your gameboy dying as a kid, I, although this is recently, was actually upset about the idea that i may have to give up my cell number. Now this is not a robot and is a little different, but it still speaks to the idea of how technology can become a part of us and almost human. Even though people do not remember other people's phone numbers anymore, I have had this number since I was 13 and the idea of giving it up makes me sad because it is almost "a part of me" because it has been a constant in my life full of growth and change. Now i know all of this sounds extremely ridiculous, but it relates to what you and Turkle are talking about that these robots are more human and how we can have emotional attachments to them.
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