Slashdot Mirror
Mood-Sensing Computer
handy_vandal writes "'A team at Vanderbilt University is ... developing a robotic assistant whose goal is .. [to] respond to the moods of its human master.' For use on the battlefield -- e.g. when a soldier is overcome with anxiety."
Sir, it seems the entire 3rd Division is feeling a little anxious.
You will also note that most of the Marines in the 187th Expeditionary Force are also nervous about their impending landing.
Lastly sir, the pilots have... the heebee jeebies.
Impending War/Risk of painful death == anxiety
ZOMG I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR FEELINGS ON MACINTOSH VERSUS WINDOWS, VI VERSUS EMACS, AND HOW YOU'RE NOT A DORK
I don't know about you guys but if I am having a panic attack the last thing I want to do is talk to anyone. You just want to get out of where you are, fight or flight. Having a robot asking me questions about how I feel really wouldn't ease any of my anxiety. Although a nice feature would be for the robot to dispense some xanax.
"The human commander may get into trouble but be unable to ask for help," said Nilanjan Sarkar, team member and assistant professor of Vanderbilt University's Department of Mechanical Engineering.
"In cases like these his robot assistant will be able to detect his stress and either communicate the need for assistance or assist in some way itself."
So, if the machine can do that, what's to stop some meathead Pentagon desk-bound General from deciding that having a fallable commander on the field is worth it?
I know it's a stretch, but not that much of one...
Of course, I don't think we will ever get rid of the human equation in the battlefield, and nor should we.
I have the part in Ender's Game in my head where Razor Mackham talks to Ender about the importance of having individual command, instead of one central brain...
IN SOVIET RUSSIA, sig changes you!
If I think I am going to die in a battlefield and I am shitting in my pants, a robot will do nothing to ease my anxiety or fear. What is it going to do, smile at me when I am freaking out and just trying to survive?
Maybe it could inject some really good drugs? Hyperprozac plus adrenalin?
SO YOU'RE GOING TO DIE: The Comic for Dealing with Death
The government will buy ANYTHING that sounds cool, whether or not they need it.
You can't judge a book by the way it wears its hair.
Whenever I read about projects that will alter the way my computer works to better fit what it thinks it needs, I pray that it will never grace my computer. I use my computer as a very, very powerful tool, and, like any good tool, I want it to do exactly what I say, even if it may seem that I am making a mistake. Don't do anything I didn't tell you to do.
The 'mood' sensing properties of a computer system would be the worst kind of unwanted adaptation. It would change the way my computer works according to something I cannot always control fully. I want to be in control of my computer, so to do that, everything my computer does must be based on things in my control.
-twb
I imagine a couple of white-coated lab workers dressing up some volunteer with probes, then standing back while Igor gets to work inducing anxiety in the subject...
A)bort, R)etry or S)elf-destruct?
You make a good number of points here. But I'd say there is plenty of combat experience which includes interaction with computers with which to train/simulate combat experience with a computer.
:)
For example computers have been in aircraft since at least Vietnam. Then there's the computers which infantary soldiers have had since at least Somalia (that's the one I picked up on from the Discovery channel...certain units had backpacks with camera's and more usefull stuff), and who knows if there haven't been earlier instances.
Computers have been going into battle for a long time; I'd say there's plenty of data to implement certain systems. I wouldn't want a computer to calm me down in combat either though.
All I'd need are some 'danger' sunglasses: whenever I'm in danger, they'd turn black to make me feel safe
-- Waht? Tehr's a preveiw buottn?