BBC News – Fast Track – Why are humans scared of robots?

“If popular culture has taught us anything, it is that someday mankind must face and destroy the growing robot menace.” Author and robotic engineer Daniel H Wilson’s description of How to Survive a Robot Uprising seems like it is straight out of a robot disaster movie.From Terminator and Blade Runner to Transformers and Star Trek, robots are coming and the impending apocalypse is almost upon us.

At least that’s what Hollywood would have you believe.

And theme parks around the world are spending billions of dollars hoping that the thrill of robots can entice tourists.”The problem with tools – which is what robots are – is that we become dependent on them,” says Wilson, whose new novel Robopocalypse is being made into a film directed by Steven Spielberg.

“That’s scary, so we contemplate the disaster scenarios that could come from being over-dependent on tools.

“It’s true – our tools could fail someday – but it doesn’t mean they’re malevolent or immoral or have an ethical bias.”

While he writes about it, he does not really believe the end of the world is coming.

And developers are trying to turn the tide of robotic prejudice with a $1.3bn project in South Korea for Robot Land – a theme park and research institute not only using robots for ride technology but using them as waiters and ticket inspectors.

via BBC News – Fast Track – Why are humans scared of robots?.

Strange Random Robot Quote:

Making realistic robots is going to polarize the market, if you will. You will have some people who love it and some people who will really be disturbed. – David Hanson

Related articles

• This Is What DARPA’s Robot Ostrich Will Look Like (spectrum.ieee.org)
• Rise of the Ping Pong Robots (hardware.slashdot.org)
• Actual robot sportscaster could replace robot-like human sportscasters [Video] (io9.com)
• Robopocalypse: Daniel H. Wilson’s Novel To Become Steven Spielberg’s Film (singularityweblog.com)
• Miniature robot rides bicycle like a pro – Gizmag (gizmag.com)
• Robotic Walking Aids – Toyota Health Robots Help the Eldery and the Incapacitated Move Easily (TrendHunter.com) (trendhunter.com)
• Japan’s “Miim” robot get a new walk [Video] (inquisitr.com)