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Sony's Robot Attends Pre-School

Posted by timothy on from the plenty-of-robots-went-to-school-with-me dept.

Darren writes "Sony's Qrio humanoid robot has been attending a Californian pre school to play with children under the age of 2 since March to test if robots can live harmoniously with humans. I wonder if the testing includes monitoring the 'nightmare status' of the pre-schoolers?"

3 of 228 comments (clear)

  1. "Nightmare Status" by LewsTherinKinslayer · · Score: 5, Interesting

    IANACP*, but it seems to me that nightmares or general fear or anxiety over an object or person is due to infamiliarity. If you are exposed to something regularly for a long period of time, you simply become accustomed to its pressence. This can be said of both children and adults, but even more so of children.

    * I am not a child pyschologist.

  2. Motivation? by lottameez · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I always wondered what motivation robots have for "learning". Humans are driven by various needs (e.g. shelter/sex/food/beer) - what needs do the robots have? Why should they try to improve upon themselves? I'm doubtful that programming alone will ever make robots anything more than overglorified "hello world" programs.

    --
    Yeah? Well I think you're overrated too.
  3. effects on the children? by vivIsel · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I'd bet these children grow up with a radically liberal--not in the political sense--definition of legitimate consciousness and thought. What's more difficult to say, though, is whether that means they'll be pro-life nuts or scientific crusaders.