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