There's a lot of effort and money going into producing 'bots that will do more than skim swimming pools or vacuum floors. In Japan, for example, they're already beginning to deploy robots in assisted-care and nursing homes. Of course, the US military is hoping to replace a third of our fighting machines with robotics during the next 20 years.
The war effort may have some great benefits, although tasking robots to care for the elderly and disabled is somewhat disquieting - could we end up in a situation in which some of our most helpless humans are relegated to machine-provided care?
For many, the idealized application of robotics comes from the old television cartoon, "The Jetsons" - in which a more or less humanoid robotic maid handles the mundane household chores. This has been deemed unlikely to come to pass anytime soon, however, as robotics specialists don't seem too keen on the idea.
As one expert, based in the U.S., told me: "If you just want a servant to cook and look after the garden, there are plenty of Mexicans. Why buy a hugely expensive machine?"
On the other hand, there is an abundance of evidence that indicates that humanoid robots have not only been developed, but extensively deployed. Unlike the cartoon scenario, these are not domestic servants - but something more. They've been programmed to know what's best for you, and to ensure that the program is followed. Resistance is futile.
These 'bots are widely distributed across America, and while the distribution was undertaken clandestinely, they can be recognized - despite their humanoid attributes - by virtue of the fact that they all follow the same programming. So sophisticated are the machines, however, that they don't lend themselves to the generally-accepted identification standards, so the Mark One and the HAL9000 aren't employed. Instead, they've been given unique mnemonic identifiers which greatly improve the ordinarily difficult task of human-to-machine acceptance and assignment.
David Bragdon.
Bill Bradbury.
Ted Kulongoski.
AlGore.
And the list goes on, ad infinitum, ad nauseum.
