Google's drive into robotics should concern us all

The Guardian ^ | December 28, 2013 | John Naughton

[SamAdams76]

You may not have noticed it, but over the past year Google has bought eight robotics companies. Its most recent acquisition is an outfit called Boston Dynamics, which makes the nearest thing to a mechanical mule that you are ever likely to see. It's called Big Dog and it walks, runs, climbs and carries heavy loads. It's the size of a large dog or small mule – about 3ft long, 2ft 6in tall, weighs 240lbs, has four legs that are articulated like an animal's, runs at 4mph, climbs slopes up to 35 degrees, walks across rubble, climbs muddy hiking trails, walks in snow and water, carries a 340lb load, can toss breeze blocks and can recover its balance when walking on ice after absorbing a hefty sideways kick.

You don't believe me? Well, just head over to YouTube and search for "Boston Dynamics". There, you will find not only a fascinating video of Big Dog in action, but also confirmation that its maker has a menagerie of mechanical beasts, some of them humanoid in form, others resembling predatory animals. And you will not be surprised to learn that most have been developed on military contracts, including some issued by Darpa, the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency, the outfit that originally funded the development of the internet.

Should we be concerned about this? Yes, but not in the way you might first think.

[TomServo]

I’ll step out next time and bare it for ‘em.

[wally_bert]

I think in the past couple of years cleared about $100 in youtube ads but most of what I do goes to stock video agencies. Sometimes I put some things together and send it up to youtube.

Congratulations on the $299.

[rockrr]

Anything that Gargoyle considers a success I consider a concern. I view them as my mortal enemies.

[Baynative]

The videos of these things creep me out!

[driftdiver]

The govt was paying for fuel for the google jet

[Nuc 1.1]

Ah yes, Red Planet. AMEE if I recall correctly.

[Chickensoup]

Some financial analysts say that the Fb and Google financial models did not support their level of spending and growth and that only through back door government support did the growth happen.

[Lurkina.n.Learnin]

A person would be wise to look into investing in automation/robotics. It is the wave of the future.

[driftdiver]

I would not doubt it. Ideal tools for a police state

[mrsmith]

They have to do something with their money.
Like all rich people, they have to invest it (don’t let the voters know this or the media will fall on you like a ton of bricks).
They are investing their capital wisely in risky ‘high-reward’ investments.

The government should have long ago forced competition upon them IMO, but I’m glad to see capitalism at work.
This author trying to scare people is a sad example of the kind of sheep we are educating these days.

[Dallas59]

Thanks and congrats to you too. Pulling in 1.44 every week.

[SamAdams76]

I can't find the article but I recently read that if computing power advances at the same rate it has for the past 30 years, computer intelligence and human intelligence will merge around the year 2045. Many of us will still be alive then. That should prove to be very interesting.

At any rate, if I was a young man entering college this year, I would definitely choose engineering/robotics as my field of study. Within the next 10-15 years, I expect that robots will perform most of the manufacturing. That's why I'm not as concerned about others about manufacturing jobs going overseas. It's only a matter of time before those overseas people lose their jobs as well.

Robots will work for free 24/7. No human can possibly compete with that.

[HangnJudge]

They’re trying to build Cyberdyne Systems...

Or Maybe Yoyodyne..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adventures_of_Buckaroo_Banzai_Across_the_8th_Dimension

[JouleZ]

Google has invested in three huge barges off both coasts so they are doing well but just what those barges are really for is still a mystery. Maybe a robotic T-Rex is born there or another Jurassic Park on the sea.

[phalynx]

So, they buy up every robot company with anything that interests the government. Then, continue to develop until all of their robots are in major positions in defense. Once you are well entrenched in the military and other defense department groups, just start twisting the wrench. Google could demand whatever they want from the government. It would be hard to reverse the robot decisions then.

The government should just avoid doing business with Google. But, alas, I believe that ship sailed long ago.

[basil]

I’ve known practically forever that google is a very left wing/communist operation, and never use it as a search engine.

I’ve had good luck with GoodSearch.com, and the really nice thing about it is that when you first use it, you are asked to select a “charity”...and each time you use it to do a search, they donate a few pennies to your “charity”.

You can choose FR as your charity.....You’d be surprised how quickly it adds up, especially if a lot of Freepers would start using it.

[qwertyz]

Ray Kurzweil, Google’s Director of Engineering, is right on schedule—2029 reverse engineering of human brain will be completed, and in 2049, Ray downloads himself into a robot — eternal life, materialist version!

[Vendome]

“This is the police! You are under arrest....”

[Vendome]

“This is the police! You are under arrest....”

[Vendome]

Link?

And what’s that on your home page?

America the Beautiful?