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Robots Assimilate Into Cockroach Society
sufijazz writes "Scientists have gotten tiny robots to not only integrate into cockroach society but also control it. 'This experiment in bug peer pressure combined entomology, robotics and the study of ways that complex and even intelligent patterns can arise from simple behavior. Animal behavior research shows that swarms working together can prosper where individuals might fail, and robotics researchers have been experimenting with simple robots that, together, act a little like a swarm.' The BBC also has a video story on this."
They sent robots to Hollywood?
-jcr
The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
I, for one, welcome our new robotic insect overlords.
Anonymous Coward: "This is slashdot. Accuracy is second class citizen here, unlike King Bias."
Is that people in academia that work on robotics are much like cockroaches.
I resent that you characterize our society as "cockroach". Geez, just because the robots were able to assimilate and blend in --I mean, it really did look exactly like Cindy Margolis-- how were we supposed to know that she was a robot!
... actually, I haven't read the article yet ... hang on, let me read this ... oh, umm ...
And besides, the article says
Er, never mind.
I am not going to go to the obligatory "robotic overlords" reference, except to note that in human society, a determined and united groups of individuals have caused masses of people to perform actions that contradict their instincts, common sense, or any boundaries and taboos set by their parent societies.
One conclusion one can draw from this study, coupled with historical precedent in human societies, is that animals come evolutionary pre-programmed to join groups and be subjugated by the rules of said groups, despite better (or alternate) judgment.
That when the humans and the robots destroy each other in a nuclear war, it will be up to the cockroaches to continue the battle against the robot cockroaches?
I wonder, if robots can actually control swarms, could we perhaps make them lead the swarms not to world domination, but to some sort of... mishap?
There's gotta be some way to get rid of them.
Ignore this signature. By order.
If you remember the pied piper story, it ended with the piper leading all the children of the town away to the mountain, where it closed after them. If it can be done with pests, are you saying we should think about the possibility it can be done with children too?
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"Mulder... What are we doing here?"
do they run linux?
The MAFIAA is a bunch of mindless jerks who will be the first up against the wall when the revolution comes
May be the only case in which the phrase "it's not a bug, it's a feature!" is not applicable... or is it?
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Freaking sweet!... while this might seem small. It's a first step in making synthetic life that can integrate into a real biosystem.
i\hbar\dot{\psi}=\hat{H}\psi
It is not that unlikely that a few thousand locust-like robots would be able to change the direction of huge locust swarms.
So, will they command it to bugger the bugs they bugged? I guess it will bug the shit out of them... real buggery-like...
Sounds kinda... insectstuous....
Watch out for mating season. This is the REAL widow-maker. Exoskeleton-crushing sex....from a real sex-bot... I wonder how endowed this bugger is...
Previously: "Linux... Toward the Sunrise..." Now: "Linux... Toward the-- No, now, part of Every Sunrise"
Yes, the Futurama - news channel has a full coverage of a similar story.
Cuz when the championship sexbot arrives on scene, it can signal:
You... will... be... ass-immolate...
Previously: "Linux... Toward the Sunrise..." Now: "Linux... Toward the-- No, now, part of Every Sunrise"
Venser admired his handiwork and smiled. His first prototype had joined with the hive mind all too well, running with the brood and becoming a predator itself. This one, he thought, would be accepted into the hive but still obey his commands.
(rot13) rpbzbab@tznvy.pbz
...does this mean that the robots have passed the Turing test for cockroaches? I guess probably not yet, but if we can create robots that can act like the real thing - well that's pretty much the definition of it isn't it?
Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
I for one welcome the Cockroach's robotic overlords.
Can you think of an easier way to get all the roaches into a Roach Motel?
They can control cockroach societies, eh? Hopefully they can have the robots train the cockroaches to commit seppuku.
Mentioning robots evokes AI, but the key is that those carts are doused with cockroach sex hormones.
Show me a girl with a miniskirt and over knee stockings and I'll follow her not 60% but 100% of the times.
"La presi e te la pagai (480.000 Lire)"
"We need to push this to it's limit. Like mammals for example."
I worked on a dairy farm for a while that had ~100 cows. At milking time the farmer would swing open the gate and walk off into the milking shed, seeing the open gate the (old) dog would trot out and round up the cows by itself. Often there wasn't much for it to do other than stroll along behind the herd because the cows also knew the drill. Not sure how the cows knew what time it was since none of them were wearing watches but they would often gather near the gate just before 3:00 in the afternoon and wait patiently for it to be opened.
It's a neat trick with the robots but I can't see them replacing working dogs and cooperative herds of mammals any day soon, especially since 40% of the time the robots followed the roaches behaviour rather than the other way round.
And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.
They just rounded the cockroaches up, like working dogs round up sheep, just like my radio control car rounds up my dog. We just need to build a big robot to run around hearding whatever we want. If they resist, we can create robots that push and shove.... PAK CHOOIE UNF.
Lower your exoskeletons and surrender your motels. We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Your culture will adapt to service us. Resistance is futile.
"He who can destroy a thing, controls a thing." --Paul Atreides, Dune
(translated from pheromone language)
Cockroach A: "I have this theory. About our new leader."
Cockroach B: "This had better not be another one of your retarded colony conspiracies."
Cockroach A: "Well... I don't think he's cockroach. In fact, I have reason to believe he's a robot. Put here by highly intelligent beings for some bizarre purpose... Maybe to lead us all to destruction. Maybe as a test. I don't know. But have you seen him? I mean, with your own compound eyes?"
Cockroach B: "..."
Your mind is clear / The things that you fear / Will fade with how much you / Believe what you hear
All the other cockroaches are doing it.
I don't see how the experiment described in the NYT story demonstrated anything other than cockroaches prefer dark places that smell like sex. The robots are "doused" with sex hormones. The way the experiment is presented presupposes that the hormones function to identify the robots as cockroaches to the other roaches. The conclusions drawn in the article present the behavior of the roaches in going where the robots are as imitation of peer behavior. The action of the robots is described as leading the others. It seems to me that the roaches' behavior is more simply explained by attraction to the sex hormones on the robots. Seems to me the experiment just proves that some roaches will abandon a dark hiding place for sexytime, but I am not an entomologist. I make sandwiches. I bet you would get very similar results if instead of using sex hormones, you rubbed a slice of salami on the robots. Do they have salami in Brussels? They should try it.
Hey, thanks for the link. I am becoming more and more interested in swarm intelligence, and am thinking of doing my master's project in this field. I found your link extremely interesting, and a good place to start (aside from Kennedy and Eberhart's Swarm Intelligence http://www.swarmintelligence.org/SIBook/SI.php).
Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine -- Robert C. Gallagher
"Not sure how the cows knew what time it was since none of them were wearing watches but they would often gather near the gate just before 3:00 in the afternoon and wait patiently for it to be opened."
That's easy -- their udders are full. Kind of like how you know it's time to go to the bathroom. (I've had the dog's job in a milking operation.)
We know where leadership by an anti-intellectual "strongman" who scapegoats minorities and likes boisterous rallies goes
Somebody should tag this article insecthack.
Write your own Choose Your Own Adventure. http://www.freegameengines.org/gamebook-engine/
On Nov 06, there was a story about a robot being treated as a peer by toddlers. If this experiment was repeated with children, maybe the robots will learn to influence them. Heres the link to that story : http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/11/06/2018230
"I've had the dog's job in a milking operation."
:)
I was hired to spend a month or so hacking down thistles[sic] in the pasture, I was at least two promotions away from the dog's job.
And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.
"This experiment in bug peer pressure combined entomology, robotics and the study of ways that complex and even intelligent patterns can arise from simple behavior."
They could have reached the same conclusions a lot easier simply by studying Congress. And fewer people would be upset if they sacrificed the subjects at the end of the study.
I've calculated my velocity with such exquisite precision that I have no idea where I am.
"I, for one, welcome our new non-obligatory overlord referencing overlords....oh wait"
There, fixed that for you.
The fact that they used sex hormones makes the results skewed at best. Give me the sex hormone used and the percentage of opposites that followed. Better yet, don't use sex hormones at all, just cockroach body odor and see what happens.
So, If I was a coackroach, I should be welcoming my new robotic overlords by now?
Your ad could be here!
"WHERE IS SARAH CONNOR"
The article says they "doused the robot in eau de cockroach sex hormones."
I do believe that would make the robot smell all sexy.
Would you do stupid things for a hot chick? I know I would! Bungee-jumping off a cliff would be the least of it.
i'd hit it so hard, if you pulled me out you'd be the king of britain [bash.org]
It definitely trumps msoffice 2003 UI in uselessness.
Patents Drive Free Software as Hurricanes Drive Construction Industry
Finally, they've developed a robot that can do what Aquaman does, only MORE useless.
Karma: Non-Heinous
Well, how do you know that it's peeing time?
StoneCypher is Full of BS