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Honda's ASIMO A Few Steps Closer To Human
Rauchenator points to an article on Yahoo! about "the new enhanced Honda Asimo which now can gracefully walk down stairs, respond to human commands and even work like a receptionist (Sit there). The Honda site even has videos showcasing the robot doing its thing. The article points out that the robot makes celebrity-size salaries when put on display, too."
However the word "Robot" pre-dates Asimov.
Czech playwright Karol Capek wrote "Rossum's Universal Robots" in 1921, deriving the word 'robot' from a Czech word for forced labour.
This is where our current defintion of robot comes from, and all its derivations.
Incidentally, the first entertainment to feature 'robots' had them rebelling against their human masters.
"Information wants to be paid"
are the amusement companies going to just strut the robot around as is for that much money? or are they going to put their character costumes over it.
i can see it now, "Mickey, take a picture with me."
"What did you say?" while picking up it's arm and twiddling its fingers.
The flash goes off and it fritzes out circa Itchy and Scratchy land.
And are Asimov's laws really what the developers are going to follow presently or in the future? The major funding comes from the military and giant corporations, and we all know they want killing machines or mindless drones. So we have soldiers and slaves, it just doesn't seem like a good future.
also, a mini-discussion @ e2 about the laws: here
xavii aka bob