RICHARD WORZEL
Six Things to Know About the Robots in Your Future
We grew up with robots. There was Rosie the Robot from the Jetsons, the “I, Robot†science fiction series from Isaac Asimov (which later became a movie with Will Smith), the model B9 robot from the “Lost in Space†television series, R2D2 and C3PO from the Star Wars space operas, and the Terminator from the governor’s mansion in California. In the real world, there were robots in car factories, which were big, bulky pieces of machinery bolted to the floor that moved pieces of cars into place, welded seams, and painted car bodies. More recently, we’ve had cute little toys that roll around holding trays on which you can place drinks or snacks, replicas of R2D2 that were either remote control operated or voice-activated, and Roomba and Scooba floor-cleaning robots. And because the real-world robots seemed to fall far short of the fictional robots, and because we’ve been disappointed by real robots for decades we’ve concluded that robots will always be fictional, and will always be disappointing. (For instance, I have a wind up robot in my office that walks and shots sparks, but sadly, refuses to exterminate the people I don’t like.)
Accordingly, we’re about to be surprised, for real robots and their non-physical counterparts, computer intelligences, are about to enter our lives in a very real way. And initially at least, our reactions to them are likely to be that they are either creepy, or infuriating. Let’s start with the ways in which we are likely to encounter robots and computer intelligences, and then let me move on to where the evolution of robots is headed.
LINDA EDGECOMBE