| Many Science Fiction authors have discussed | | | | flying I found myself bonding to a hunk of |
| in many works the issues with robotic | | | | precision machinery. Fighter pilots bond to |
| assistants and companions. Today we see DARPA | | | | their aircraft, often personifying the craft |
| awarding a contract to a group of artificial | | | | with their names on the side, nose art of |
| intelligence software gurus to put together a | | | | women or other meaningful significance. What |
| computer assistant, which can read any manual | | | | about a robot, which was so carefully created |
| and then explain in human terms what it says. | | | | that it looked and felt like a real human in |
| This assistant would be near a human during | | | | almost everyway? Can we bond a human to the |
| equipment repairs or preventative maintenance | | | | robotic android to such a degree that they |
| during operations. In the movie Artificial | | | | worked together with the full respect of a |
| Intelligence you will remember the boy robot | | | | team mate of a professional sports team or |
| was read certain words in a certain order to | | | | soldiers in the heat of battle? |
| activate a love program for bonding to the | | | | |
| human. In Isaac Asimov's novels he often had | | | | Can we design such a robot and promote that |
| long dialogues about the very subject of | | | | level of bonding thru a virtual reality |
| human bonding, love and companionship amongst | | | | setting or using contrived events to simulate |
| robots, androids and organically engineered | | | | natural human bonding in our culture. I |
| creatures with their human counter parts. | | | | believe we can. I also believe that the |
| | | | strongest bonds in nature of any species seem |
| Many questions arise when looking at these | | | | to be that between a mother and their |
| converging technologies of autonomous robots, | | | | offspring. To simulate this level of bonding |
| artificial intelligence and their future of | | | | for robotic companions and/or assistants we |
| cooperation with humans. It is safe to say | | | | must specifically program the robot to catch |
| that humans may get quite frustrated taking | | | | clues from the specific human's behavior and |
| orders from a robotic android and perhaps | | | | build upon those. But first we need an |
| even quite belligerent at times. Many of the | | | | initial bonding event that triggers chemical |
| human innate characteristics of our species | | | | reactions in the brain, which are as strong |
| may be quite disruptive to the teamwork | | | | as those early memories. I propose using a |
| process needed to work towards efficiency in | | | | picture of a person's mother in a family |
| business, military and things like first | | | | photo, which depicts a pre-memory time |
| responder rescues using robots. These uses | | | | period, the photo would contain the subject |
| are just a few of the hundreds of excellent | | | | and the mother. Such a photo would provide an |
| applications, which will be incorporate | | | | imprinted memory to work with, one which |
| robotic technologies. | | | | could be simulated with the robot. The robot |
| | | | would replicate the mother's position in the |
| How will we get humans to bond with their | | | | file photo whether sitting or standing. This |
| robotic assistants? I believe we should use | | | | would cause the human subject to move to put |
| the built in bonding methods of human nature | | | | themselves in the scene in their mind thru a |
| and nurturing which permeates the world of | | | | false memory and thus move closer to the |
| human behavior. First human memories at early | | | | robot while their chemicals in their brains |
| childhood seem to contain bonds. First love | | | | recorded over the old memory. A robotic |
| during puberty, seem to hold significance in | | | | android of the opposite sex may also be a |
| the human mind. Intense stress in a human | | | | worthy idea to increase bonding as small |
| endeavor, disaster or competition of will or | | | | amounts of casual flirting may add to the |
| strength of character in war or sport while | | | | chemical bonding of the brain. |
| in the company of team mates, friends, | | | | |
| associates, soldiers or simply bystanders | | | | In the event a robotic assistant is needed |
| appear to be high on the list of human | | | | for long-term space flight these things must |
| bonding. In fact, sports coaches, drill | | | | be considered. Likewise a robotic assistant |
| sergeants and leadership in training of their | | | | in a military situation, it would be |
| teams, soldiers and populations use these | | | | critical. For future companion robots, |
| techniques. Disasters, calamities, war and | | | | scientists and programmers will have to focus |
| extreme human stress whether induced, | | | | on these things in order to prevent hostility |
| imagined or real work in forming bonds of | | | | between human and machines and eventually |
| this type between humans. But can these | | | | between transhumans with robotic parts and |
| techniques work to bond human to robot? It | | | | full robotic androids. We must think on these |
| would stand to reason that they would in | | | | issues as the future is becoming closer at a |
| fact. In my days of motorcycle racing and | | | | much faster rate then ever before. |