Many Science Fiction authors have discussed in many works the issues with robotic assistants and companions. Today we see DARPA awarding a contract to a group of artificial intelligence software gurus to put together a computer assistant, which can read any manual and then explain in human terms what it says. This assistant would be near a human during equipment repairs or preventative maintenance during operations. In the movie Artificial Intelligence you will remember the boy robot was read certain words in a certain order to activate a love program for bonding to the human. In Isaac Asimov's novels he often had long dialogues about the very subject of human bonding, love and companionship amongst robots, androids and organically engineered creatures with their human counter parts.
Many questions arise when looking at these converging technologies of autonomous robots, artificial intelligence and their future of cooperation with humans. It is safe to say that humans may get quite frustrated taking orders from a robotic android and perhaps even quite belligerent at times. Many of the human innate characteristics of our species may be quite disruptive to the teamwork process needed to work towards efficiency in business, military and things like first responder rescues using robots. These uses are just a few of the hundreds of excellent applications, which will be incorporate robotic technologies.
How will we get humans to bond with their robotic assistants? I believe we should use the built in bonding methods of human nature and nurturing which permeates the world of human behavior. First human memories at early childhood seem to contain bonds. First love during puberty, seem to hold significance in the human mind. Intense stress in a human endeavor, disaster or competition of will or strength of character in war or sport while in the company of team mates, friends, associates, soldiers or simply bystanders appear to be high on the list of human bonding. In fact, sports coaches, drill sergeants and leadership in training of their teams, soldiers and populations use these techniques. Disasters, calamities, war and extreme human stress whether induced, imagined or real work in forming bonds of this type between humans. But can these techniques work to bond human to robot? It would stand to reason that they would in fact. In my days of motorcycle racing and flying I found myself bonding to a hunk of precision machinery. Fighter pilots bond to their aircraft, often personifying the craft with their names on the side, nose art of women or other meaningful significance. What about a robot, which was so carefully created that it looked and felt like a real human in almost everyway? Can we bond a human to the robotic android to such a degree that they worked together with the full respect of a team mate of a professional sports team or soldiers in the heat of battle?
Can we design such a robot and promote that level of bonding thru a virtual reality setting or using contrived events to simulate natural human bonding in our culture. I believe we can. I also believe that the strongest bonds in nature of any species seem to be that between a mother and their offspring. To simulate this level of bonding for robotic companions and/or assistants we must specifically program the robot to catch clues from the specific human's behavior and build upon those. But first we need an initial bonding event that triggers chemical reactions in the brain, which are as strong as those early memories. I propose using a picture of a person's mother in a family photo, which depicts a pre-memory time period, the photo would contain the subject and the mother. Such a photo would provide an imprinted memory to work with, one which could be simulated with the robot. The robot would replicate the mother's position in the file photo whether sitting or standing. This would cause the human subject to move to put themselves in the scene in their mind thru a false memory and thus move closer to the robot while their chemicals in their brains recorded over the old memory. A robotic android of the opposite sex may also be a worthy idea to increase bonding as small amounts of casual flirting may add to the chemical bonding of the brain.
In the event a robotic assistant is needed for long-term space flight these things must be considered. Likewise a robotic assistant in a military situation, it would be critical. For future companion robots, scientists and programmers will have to focus on these things in order to prevent hostility between human and machines and eventually between transhumans with robotic parts and full robotic androids. We must think on these issues as the future is becoming closer at a much faster rate then ever before.
"Lance Winslow" - If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|


At around 3.40am on August 31st 1888, a carter named... Read More
Sometimes I think that I have a mental health problem... Read More
("He" in this text - to mean "He" or "She").We... Read More
History lends us an ideal of ambidexterity: Leonardo da Vinci,... Read More
Upon being diagnosed with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, I saw the reality... Read More
What does it mean to be Human? Well if you... Read More
From the viewpoint of a modern microbiologist, we hear the... Read More
There has been much study on Telepathy in the animal... Read More
Feelings and emotions are nerve impulses.The feel of paper and... Read More
First of all, a bit of background: A high school... Read More
To seek and find truth requires that we communicate within... Read More
Again, many of us think we listen, yet we don't... Read More
Self hypnosis is usually thought of as a person listening... Read More
Random thought Sequence in the Human Mind. I want to... Read More
Most narcissists (75%) are men.NPD is one of a "family"... Read More
Let us first consider the role of time in our... Read More
Every police officer will tell you that when there is... Read More
In the manifestation of their narcissism, female and male narcissists,... Read More
It is crucial that interviewing with helpee progress toward solutions.... Read More
Sarah is a 28 y/o accountant who had a traumatic... Read More
STUDY STRATEGIES* Revise regularly- Revision should be continuous if you... Read More
Gay men are said to be usually third or further... Read More
In my fifteen years of private practice working with children... Read More
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder - "ADD" or "ADHD" - affects... Read More
During the late '80s and early '90s, I had the... Read More
Each one of us is linked to the emotions whether... Read More
The Olympic Contests for Synchronized Swimming are a testament to... Read More
Storytelling has been with us since the days of campfire... Read More
FIVE DON'T DO'SHow to Avoid the Wrath of the NarcissistNever... Read More
The brain (and, by implication, the Mind) has been compared... Read More
We are all terminally ill. It is a matter of... Read More
Dogs picture in their minds an event of an activity... Read More
Repeated research studies have revealed that secular efforts at rehabilitation... Read More


"You can know the name of a bird in all... Read More
The word "cognition" is defined as "the act of knowing"... Read More
It's important to know that Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and... Read More
Repeated research studies have revealed that secular efforts at rehabilitation... Read More
Every police officer will tell you that when there is... Read More
The right brain controls the left side of the body... Read More
The most recent models that attempt to describe what is... Read More
As I climbed 15-feet on a wooden ladder to the... Read More
Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences developed as he worked... Read More
When the brain is asleep and in REM dream mode... Read More
Storytelling has been with us since the days of campfire... Read More
In my fifteen years of private practice working with children... Read More
Again, many of us think we listen, yet we don't... Read More
Over the past 10 years I have helped individuals who... Read More
What makes a common person a Serial Killer? According to... Read More
During the late '80s and early '90s, I had the... Read More
First of all, a bit of background: A high school... Read More
To seek and find truth requires that we communicate within... Read More
Are you a Hypomaniac? If you are you have some... Read More
Even though hypnosis has been around officially since the 1700s... Read More
QUESTION Number 1 - Who is a Narcissist?Dear Dr. Vaknin,I... Read More
There is one place in which one's privacy, intimacy, integrity... Read More
In the manifestation of their narcissism, female and male narcissists,... Read More
Pathological narcissism is an addiction to Narcissistic Supply, the narcissist's... Read More
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder - "ADD" or "ADHD" - affects... Read More
Ever felt urged to steal a piece of bubblegum from... Read More
Countess Erszebet Bathory was a breathtakingly beautiful, unusually well-educated woman,... Read More
The bodies natural clock or circadian rhythm seems to have... Read More
Although many high school age students tend to think and... Read More
All of us suffer from some form of emotional distress... Read More
The Encyclopaedia Britannica (1999 edition) defines empathy as:"The ability to... Read More
The issue of self-esteem is perhaps one of the greatest... Read More
Feelings and emotions are nerve impulses.The feel of paper and... Read More
Psychology |