RE: Recreating the human form, and completely rejecting it - robots are formless

Former Member — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 01:16:13 GMT

I think there's a lot of millage in the idea that it makes sense for robots working in human environments to be designed after the human form; afterall it is what that environment is set up to accept since it is where humans live. Particularly for general-purpose (IE; domestic) robots. Making specialised-purpose robots humanoid however would be very uneconomical unless general-purpose ones were already so numerous it was cheaper to just buy some and only run one routine on them. And even then I doubt it would happen much outside of production industries with short runs.

Humanoid robotics serves several purposes though. As stated by Cabe it's a supportive field of prosthetics, but in a wider sense it's a mirror for ourselves to learn about our own functions by trying to replicate them. (Indeed it may be that humanoid robotics is even nessesary for AI research, if a humanlike mind needs to be shaped by posessing a humanlike body.)

So on a technical level, you design to need. But with humanlike robots there is a philisophical and psychological level to keep in mind too, regarding the intent of the designers and future owners.

Basically I feel humanoid robots are a wonderful thing, not so much for the direct products of it but it's associated influences. However I also fear that the primary psychological motivation for humanoid robots comes from slavery; people still want disposable "people" to do everything for them and to feel superior to by owning them.

And I hope that if economical humanlike AI becomes available that it will be at a time where more people want humanoids for what I feel is currently a secondary motivation; to make children of our species. Simply to create life.

RE: Recreating the human form, and completely rejecting it - robots are formless

DAB — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 23:01:33 GMT

I agree that by building robots in human form, we artificially impose human limitations on them.

As a systems engineer, you always work from your requirements and come up with the most efficient solution. In short, there is absolutely no reason to make a robot look like a human.

Depending upon what you want to do, there are a near infinite variety of shapes and forms to chose from. Let function determine the form.

I can see some very disturbing issues that will evolve if we keep trying to make robots look like humans. It invokes an anti-slavery response for some reason. I think robots are far safer and more acceptable if they are uniquely robotic in form.

Just my opinion,

DAB