Pretty sure we'd start associating bleeping domed bipeds (and from time to time tripeds) with fear and death as soon as they arm them and start shooting people.
This post has a point. My gut reaction to the Boston Dynamics video at t=35s? Disguist. "Why would you treat a creature with such disrespect and hate?". Of course I know that was to demonstrate how dynamic stabilization of the robot works, but it really felt like he was kicking a dog.
Bah! I feel the extreme total opposite. When he kicks the robot, I'm deeply disturbed by the fact that the robot is undaunted.
I've always chalked it up to an uncanny valley reaction. The buzzing noise of the on-board 2-cycle engine (power generator?), combined with the freakish, threatening movements raises my hackles every time.
Every time I see robots like Big Dog, I feel a visceral instinct brewing within me, prompting me to find ways to annihilate them with rocket propelled grenades.
This reminds me of some of the tactics suggested by the First Earth Battalion (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Earth_Battalion) which was profiled in the book/movie "The Men Who Stare at Goats." The organizers of that suggested that soldiers should parachute into conflict zones carrying baby animals to disarm (figuratively and literally) enemies.
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[ 3.5 ms ] story [ 41.9 ms ] threadAnd teletubbies have always been terrifying.
I've always chalked it up to an uncanny valley reaction. The buzzing noise of the on-board 2-cycle engine (power generator?), combined with the freakish, threatening movements raises my hackles every time.
Every time I see robots like Big Dog, I feel a visceral instinct brewing within me, prompting me to find ways to annihilate them with rocket propelled grenades.
Obviously this is a sound we're programmed to respond sympathetically to, even after the processing.
How long before turning off and deleting an AI is murder?
This is all stuff that scifi has been considering for a long time.