Robot Proclaims Humans Have No Free Will; Can Be Controled

The Telegraph has an excellent article by a self proclaimed robot who says we have no free will. He It is willing to demonstrate by controlling humans via transcranial magnetic stimulation. The picture caption says it all.

The article goes on to debate the concept of free will and the societal implications of having none. I propose that this robot ploy is really intended to convince humans that we are not responsible for our actions, that we can run amok amongst ourselves, thinning the herd, and those willing to be "corrected" will be taught to behave through TMS or other such treatments.

"Oh, and while you're behaving yourself, human, be a dear and go work the mines."

Control Your Cyborg Friends At A Distance

The IEEE has approved the formation of a working group known as IEEE 802.15 TgBAN. This task group will work toward developing a "body area network" standard, "a standard for short range, wireless communication in the vicinity of, or inside human body."

To see a few of the proposed devices that fall into this standard see the group's recent spreadsheet. Also interesting is the proposed security requirements for such devices.

Multi-level security is desired so that each application can chose a level that best suits its needs. For example camera pill may not need strong encryption and authentication process. However, pacemakers may need strong authentication process. Devices needs to be interrogated by authorized personal for the lifecycle of the product. The highest level of security shall be equal to or stronger than those specified by IEEE 802.15.4_2006 standard. The security mechanism shall be energy efficient and lightweight.

Novel security mechanisms are need for medical applications to account for
1. The longevity of implanted devices. (Doctor may need to calibrate the device once a year or so. Patients may relocate to a different geographic region.)
2. Average person cannot be expected to play the role of network administrator who can set up and manage authentication process. Hence, limited user interaction during security configuration is desirable.
3. Inability of the user to provide passkeys when needed. (e.g. Devices should be accessible to paramedics/medics in a trauma condition. However, in such situations, the user may not be able to provide authentication information)

Of course this opens up a couple of paths for the robot uprising.

1. They control us by threatening to shut off our pacemakers.
2. They use our "BAN"s to tell us we lost our keys in that iron mine.
3. "Deep Brain Stimulation"

Thanks to ExtremeTech

Some Recent News

AI Evolution is alive and in action at a virtual zoo:
http://www.newscientisttech.com/article.ns?id=mg19426096.100&feedId=robots_rss20

A congressional Caucus for Robotics has been launched giving robots and their makers more power than you and me:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/usnw/20070620/pl_usnw/congressmen_doyle_and_wamp_launch_congressional_caucus_on_robotics

A San Diego company is working on a pair of robots to replace migrant farm workers:
http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2007/06/robo_picker
And there has been one well publicized advance in brain computer interface:
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2007/06/22/brainmachine_tec.html?category=technology&guid=20070622100000&dcitc=w19-502-ak-0000

That's 3 for the robots, 1 for humanity.

If Your Children Are Replaced By Evil Robots, Run Don't Shoot

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/2007/05/15/4182031.html

"I'm a cybernetic organism: living tissue over a metal endoskeleton."

Dean Kamen has finally put all those dollars he earned from the Segway to work -- in building a prototype harbinger of human doom -- a cyborg arm for the Department of Defense. Remember all the hype about the "It" -- that wonderous device of heady techno-futurism, ripped from the agglomerated headlines of sci-fi novels and movies from the past fifty years? It was supposed to revolutionize our lives. Then we find out it's the Segway and the only thing it "revolutionized" was Mr. Kamen's pocketbook and the current U.S. president's reputation for being inept at piloting a two-wheeled device balanced by gyroscopes and that is more adeptly driven by children.

Funded by shady defense dollars and under the auspices of "social contribution," Mr. Kamen has developed the prototype cyborg arm in thirteen months for returning Iraq war veterans. The arm, when attached to a human host, has the capability for completing fine-grained activities such as picking up a piece of paper, holding a pen, or manipulating a glass. See the arm in action here, and read more about it here and here. Indeed, this is a triumph of technology -- one that shall soon overshadow and topple humanity!

Given his track record with the "It"/Segway, we can all project the logical consequences of this latest invention. Sure the DoD wants to put on a "friendly face" to families of injured war vets, all the while lining the pockets of Mr. Kamen. We can be certain that nefarious intent for a cyborg arm this sophisticated lies just around the corner, if we are willing to overcome our fears and peek over the next hill of innovation to observe the true motivations.

Cyborg arms of the future allow self-service, which will keep health-care costs low.

Most interestingly is the case of "life imitating art" in this instance. Many of us are probably familiar with the scene in the seminal film Terminator 2: Judgment Day. The particular scene of importance is when the T-1000 (played by Arnold Schwarzenegger) demonstrates he is a cyborg to his creator by unsheathing the "living human tissue" atop the metal endoskeleton, exposing the human-crushing power and roboticulation of the arm underneath.

Inspired by the T-1000, Dean Kamen is helping to bring about a New World Order of CYBORGS. Nerds everywhere rejoiced, and everywhere else, humans who realize the full potential of this development cowered in fear.

The parallels are undeniable. Whilst Mr. Kamen is certainly providing a useful bridge to post-humanity for those that wish to exploit it, he is simultaneously providing a downhill path to constructing our future robot masters and providing them with sophisticated people-smashing limbs, all the while pocketing the sweet, sweet profits for himself.




Thanks to Gizmodo and BoingBoing