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RoboBonobo: A Project To Outfit Apes With Tablets and Telepresence Bots

Posted by samzenpus on from the planet-of-the-metal-apes dept.

MrSeb writes "Ken Schweller, a computer scientist and psychologist, and also the chairman of the Great Ape Trust in Des Moines, Iowa, has a vision: He wants to put wireless Android tablets in the hands of bonobo apes. The Great Ape Trust Sanctuary is home to seven bonobos, including the world-famous Kanzi, and two orangutans. So far the Sanctuary has focused almost exclusively on language, with the bonobos and their keepers communicating through lexigrams on a touch-screen TV. Now Schweller wants to go one step further and outfit the bonobos with wireless tablets running custom Bonobo Chat software, allowing the apes to communicate with their keepers (and other bonobos!) from anywhere in the Sanctuary, and to remotely control devices such as vending machines, doors, and the RoboBonobo. If all this wasn't weird (cool?) enough, the RoboBonobo is even outfitted with a water cannon (so the telepresent apes can play "chase games" with humans) and Schweller is trying to fund the whole thing with Kickstarter. If you're a big fan of apes (or Darwinism), be sure to donate."

11 of 68 comments (clear)

  1. Planet of the Apes coming soon by kawabago · · Score: 3, Funny

    They'll have the telepresence robot hacked into a human hunting drone in no time.

    1. Re:Planet of the Apes coming soon by durrr · · Score: 5, Funny

      More likely is that they'll learn to write and understand english and we'll see yet another wave of tech support outsourcing.

    2. Re:Planet of the Apes coming soon by Robert+Zenz · · Score: 3, Funny

      So Tech-Support quality will suddenly skyrocket?

    3. Re:Planet of the Apes coming soon by kahless62003 · · Score: 5, Funny

      After they learn to program they become...

      *sunglasses*

      ...code-monkeys.

      yeeaaahhh!

  2. iPad by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Apple already tried this in USA. Even got the monosyllabic monkeys to pay for their own hardware.

  3. Rise of the... by spxZA · · Score: 4, Funny

    Planet of the Bonobos. If they have wireless tabs, then one clever one will find a way to take control of a Predator. What then humans? It's going to be World War 3, between Bonobos and Robot Overlords with us stuck in the middle trying to stick flowers into their barrels. Wang Weilin will be squished.

    1. Re:Rise of the... by TapeCutter · · Score: 5, Informative

      Planet of the Bonobos.

      A female dominated polygamous society that spends most of the day eating fresh fruit and screwing? Count me in!

      However there's a flaw in your vision of paradise, bonobo's are the hippies of the ape world, they have a complex society that allows them to spend their days eating fresh fruit and fucking. They are not known to kill others of their species, territorial disputes, mating rights, etc, are settled via bonobo politics and diplomacy. So of the 3 species in your vision, I think they are the species most likely to be picking daisies.

      Now if a regular chimp got hold of a predator they wouldn't hesitate to shoot you in the face and rip your genitals off.

      --
      And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.
  4. Advances in science! by RenHoek · · Score: 4, Funny

    Knowing Bonobos, this project will also have to involve some kind of teledildonics, right?

    I'm all for this project.. you know.. for science!

  5. It's already this way all over the world by aglider · · Score: 2

    with Apple iPads. Android is just a runner up.
    Tablets to apes.

    --
    Sent as ripples into the electromagnetic field. No single photon has been harmed in the process.
  6. And so the Uplift begins. by UncleRage · · Score: 4, Funny

    David Brin must be openly grinning over this.

    --
    #SickNotWeak
  7. Weird by Lord+Grey · · Score: 4, Funny

    If you replace 'the bonobos' with 'management' and make other, similar simple changes to the summary, you'd get a fairly accurate description of the office where I work.

    "Ken Schweller, a computer scientist and psychologist, and also the chairman of the Business Trust in Des Moines, Iowa, has a vision: He wants to put wireless Android tablets in the hands of management. The Business Trust Sanctuary is home to seven managers, including the world-famous Kanzi, and two MBAs. So far the Sanctuary has focused almost exclusively on language, with management and the Board of Directors communicating through lexigrams on a touch-screen TV. Now Schweller wants to go one step further and outfit management with wireless tablets running custom Management Chat software, allowing the managers to communicate with their keepers (and other managers!) from anywhere in the Sanctuary, and to remotely control devices such as vending machines, doors, and the RoboManager. If all this wasn't weird (cool?) enough, the RoboManager is even outfitted with a water cannon (so the telepresent managers can play "chase games" with the staff) and Schweller is trying to fund the whole thing with Kickstarter. If you're a big fan of managers (or Darwinism), be sure to donate."

    It's uncanny, I tell you. I wonder if those security cameras are something other than what they seem?

    --
    // Beyond Here Lie Dragons