On alien planet

Will sexbots be a curse, a blessing or both?

Submitted by Daryl Weade on Fri, 03/07/2014 - 10:41

Realdoll Star This picture isn't a woman, it's a Realdoll (NSFW) - a life-sized mannequin designed to feel and weigh like a real man or woman (over 4000 sold in case you're wondering) with all of the right parts in place.

Futurepath: 3D printing

Submitted by Daryl Weade on Tue, 03/04/2014 - 11:28

Updated 8-7-14 with new content

3d printer setup If you pay any attention to the tech world, you realize 3D printing, also called additive manufacturing, is the next big thing as dozens of startups are racing to get their product to market ahead of the competition. Everything from toys to guns, shoes to pizza - there are printers being developed to print anything we buy.

Will specialized artificial intelligence be kickstarted from a learning perspective?

Submitted by Daryl Weade on Fri, 02/28/2014 - 11:49

Robonaut Many highly intelligent humans predict highly intelligent robots as soon as researchers find the programming and/or hardware to make it work. Theories about the technological singularity, the point at which artificial intelligence surpasses human intelligence, are supported by notable figures such as Ray Kurzweil and Vernor Vinge. It's a very attractive advancement, one in which intelligent systems can help move humanity forward faster than we ourselves are capable of managing. Coupling artificial intelligence with robotics would provide devices capable of not only responding to human need, but identifying human need in real time or even in advance of the need - and not only based on human trends, but on the needs of an individual human.

As an aside, we should also note the Terminator series turns artificial intelligence into Skynet and nearly indestructible robots with time travel capabilities. A far cry from helpful butler-bots, life-saving surgical-bots, and wiggly sex-bots.

How will we practice our faith in space?

Submitted by Daryl Weade on Thu, 02/27/2014 - 11:14

Kelsey Atherton at Popular Science reports on the response a group of Islamic leaders had about the Mars One colony and their fatwa against making this trip as it is perceived as suicide. Robert Lamb at HowStuffWorks gives a quick overview of how religious leaders have viewed praying in space and how future advancements might impact our religions or create new ones. Part of his presentation explains how prior rulings from Islamic leaders have approved prayer away from Earth.

While much science fiction trends towards either flight from religious dominance or humanity shedding religion through social evolution, the reality is religion and spirituality will remain part of human cultures and evolve over time.

Will we allow automated robotic law enforcement?

Submitted by Daryl Weade on Mon, 02/24/2014 - 21:47

Knightscope K5 unit at a mall Automated law enforcement would offer a network of systems capable of identifying a crime and gathering enough information on the law-breaker for human officers to identify and consider charges. This is a hot topic issue that will become hotter as technologies merge towards the point where companies will attempt to retail robotic systems to augment human police forces.

What will it take for you to get a data chip embedded in your body?

Submitted by Daryl Weade on Mon, 02/17/2014 - 15:33

Data chip implants
What it is - Implants embedded in our bodies. They allow us to access current services such as GPS and RFID. In the future, they can be used to store medical device and other data, connect with cellphone systems and even connect with friends as a form of artificial telepathy.

Is the act of creating a remote-controlled roach an immoral act?

Submitted by Daryl Weade on Fri, 02/14/2014 - 14:08

Do-it-yourself cyborgs
What it is - Attaching a 'brain controlling' kit to a cockroach to turn it into a remote controlled organism.

Where you've seen it - Well, you can see a video about it here:

Will predictive policing be used to protect both victim and potential perpetrator?

Submitted by Daryl Weade on Fri, 02/14/2014 - 13:41

Predictive policing is the use of data to identify crimes before they happen. A system like this monitors all available data feeds watching for trends and triggers that might lead to crime. Once a trend is identified as reching a crisis point, an attempt can be made to halt a crime before it can occur.

Should we open the world to telepresence robots?

Submitted by Daryl Weade on Fri, 02/07/2014 - 16:04

Engadget reports the Tate Britain museum in London will begin offering remote controlled robotic night tours this summer. The idea is multilayered in that it presents the museum from a telepresence viewpoint and also while the museum is dark, so artwork is only viewable via light on the robot itself.

Can a flawed humanity create a future with a flawless government?

Submitted by Daryl Weade on Wed, 02/05/2014 - 14:41

Karl Marx Wars are fought over which flawed ideology works best and communism has turned out to be one of the most flawed, even if the original roots were designed to fix the flaws in the capitalist structures of 19th century Europe. Karl Marx's work developed into 1848's Communist Manifesto and later in Das Kapital in a response to conflict between the more wealthy ownership classes and the labour class that provides the man power for production. Marx viewed Capitalism as "the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie" and made many predictions on how this socioeconomic system would eventually fail due to the internal tension between these two classes. His work would later be used to overthrow nations in order to create failing economic states where the communist effort was misused to create more disproportionate social inequality than found in nearly any other form of representative government.