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NYTimes Year in Ideas

Posted by michael on from the when-ratbots-attack-a-fox-special dept.

jonbrewer writes "The New York Times is back again with their "Year in Ideas" and one that Slashdot missed this year was the RatBot. As featured in the BBC and Business 2.0 earlier this year, these critters are trained to navigate mazes based on remote stimuli. Ethical? Doubtful. Cool? Yes."

2 of 167 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Missed?? by SteweyGriffin · · Score: 2, Informative

    It was covered here and entitled "Rat Mind Control".

  2. Re:Ethical? Doubtful. Cool? Speak for yourself. by Sanity · · Score: 2, Informative
    Uh, how does knowing the frontal lobe and motor cortex inside and out such that one could actually control someone via remote control not have realistic medical applications.
    That's a silly argument. Consider an analogy:

    Cosmetics manufacturers could argue that their experiments increase our knowledge of the skin and its reaction to various chemicals. Some time down the line this knowledge could help us cure all sorts of skin diseases.

    That argument wouldn't get them very far with most thinking people, and nor does yours.