No Salvation
May 22, 2009
One of the American military’s leading humanoid robots is Petman. Its job will be to testing chemical protection clothing for the U.S. Army. Petman is being built by Boston Dynamics, famous for its alarmingly lifelike BigDog robotic pack mule. Unlike earlier suit-testing robots, which needed external support, Petman will stand — and walk — on his own two feet.
“Petman will balance itself and move freely; walking, crawling and doing a variety of suit-stressing calisthenics during exposure to chemical warfare agents,” the company promises. “Petman will also simulate human physiology within the protective suit by controlling temperature, humidity and sweating when necessary, all to provide realistic test conditions.”
[Emphasis mine.]
We're doomed.
Not me. I intend to be a collaborator. I have long felt aligned with the idea of a coup by super intelligent machines and if I cooperate with them they may keep me alive as an endangered species exhibit in some sort of preserve.
Posted by: Snake Oil Baron | May 25, 2009 at 05:00 PM