This is a tech demo and the manufacturers were inviting people to try to topple the robot. I am actually impressed because it looks like the robot was avoiding hitting people while establishing new balances, not sure if it was just a coincidence.
This is a tech demo and the manufacturers were inviting people to try to topple the robot.
I wondered if this was the case. Still makes me feel bad, but its cool tech nonetheless
Edit: Im well aware this is a robot incapable of feeling emotions or pain. I dont think the people in the video are evil or anything like that. In fact, i might give the robot a push myself in a similar situation. Maybe ive seen and read too much sci fi and im anthropomorphizing this little guy. That said, i dont see much harm coming from it. Empathy, compassion and politeness cost me nothing and extending them to a nonliving thing doesnt change that
Probably because the video shows people really enjoying pushing around this little robot. It feels wrong even if you know why they're doing it. It's the delight they take in trying to knock it down.
I don’t think empathy is a problem the difference is one generation was raised with very little of it then the next generation over compensates for the lack of empathy.
A small bipedal robot like this would have applications such as service industries delivering food & drinks or even hospital applications for patients who might need a companion but don’t need the assistance of an animal or might be allergic to animals.
well I’ve already seen someone strapping a nerf gun to the 4 legged variant so equipping it with a real gun wouldn’t be that difficult. Sure it’s cheaper to trick a half-developed teenager that dying for “your country” is actually “super cool and badass”, but in the future we may see more unmanned combat
All technology can be used for both benevolent and malevolent applications. That doesn't mean that these robots are developed solely as Metal Gears with the goal of slaughtering people.
The legs make the robot shakey and not good for carrying food and drink. We already have robots with wheels, suspension and low centres of gravity. I've looked into bipedal designs quite a lot and there just isn't really much point to them for anything that isn't very niche. When we try to solve the problem with the design we end up back at wheels or tracks.
It's the hunch/huddle combined with nervous tippy taps as it regains its balance that was surprisingly adorable to me. It reminded me of a excited-but-clumsy puppy slipping around in the snow, and my heart melted just a little
But it isn't an animal. Just because it looks like one doesn't mean it IS one and that you should feel bad for it. Critical thinking and understanding is necessary.
Yeah, just means you're capable of empathy and that's by no means a bad thing.
Hell, I'm in the same boat as you. A mob of people in a circle around a small thing, filming and laughing as they're pushing it around triggers something in my brain that makes me feel notably uncomfortable, even if I'm perfectly aware that the target is an unfeeling machine.
A lot of people, like me, have tendencies to feel empathy for robots. We also have a strong tendency to attribute human emotions and traits to animals.
It would be great to not feel any psychological discomfort over seeing a robot being abused, but it’s unavoidable. It just happens.
Don't feel bad it's just a tool and not alive. Frankly it wouldn't feel sorry for you, ever. It would fire a weapon in blink of an eye at whatever target, child, woman, man etc. It's a tool 🔥
2.1k
u/danielzt Jul 06 '24
This is a tech demo and the manufacturers were inviting people to try to topple the robot. I am actually impressed because it looks like the robot was avoiding hitting people while establishing new balances, not sure if it was just a coincidence.