Comments on: By 2020, Droids Could Explore Space For Us

By: JonClarke

JonClarke — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 08:59:45 +0000

It takes 10-20 years to get laboratory robotic technology certified for space. So the space robots of 2020 will have capabilities we are testing today.

At best they wil be able to do specified basic tasks like surveying, moving, drilling, loading samples into canisters for return to Earth. No true self awareness. No ability to guess what might be interesting.

Calling such machines "droids" evoking images of the self concious, self aware, and full autonomous entities of Star Wars is yet another example of the continously overhyped capabilities of robots. We have been are promised human or super human capabilities within 10-20 years for the past half century, and are no significantly closer to the goal than we were in 1958. "Droids" as explorers are fantasy, and are likely to remaind so for a long time to come.

By: Dipankar Bera

Dipankar Bera — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 04:10:47 +0000

It will start a new era of human beings.May be in universe Aline comes to know that the inteligent civilisetion is waiting for friendship with them.

By: Chuck Lam

Chuck Lam — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 12:48:04 +0000

Politicos and NASA aren't going to like this droid thing. Not enough "pork."

By: Yael Dragwyla

Yael Dragwyla — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 06:14:06 +0000

BTW, on a serious note, too many make the assumption that if we can *explore* space using intelligent robots, then we *must* eschew human colonization of other worlds. Why? If we follow that dictum, we close all doors to an unparalleled freedom, inconceivable mineral wealth, and, ultimately, a means for Earthly life — including human life, or rather, the lives of humanity's descendants — to survive whatever ugly misadventures Earth suffers in the future. Certainly, by doing so we would be avoiding putting ourselves at risk of the perils of the Great Unknown, at least that Unknown that begins where Earth's atmopshere stops, 400 miles above our heads. But we would also be turning our backs on all the wonder, wealth, and, yes, glory that awaits out there, beckoning — not to mention the possibility of a real future for Earthly life. Is *that* what people like Stephen Weinberg are so afraid of?

By: Yael Dragwyla

Yael Dragwyla — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 06:08:36 +0000

Roomba would love Mars — all that dust to sweep!

By: Frank Glover

Frank Glover — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 22:11:26 +0000

Of course, the Star Wars universe also has inexpensive, FTL interstellar travel and inexpensive, human-capable AI technology….

Their probes (which, somewhat like a Predator drone) were serching for rebel activity and with the express purpose of sending humans (or other biological species) in to follow up on any sightings.

I've always said that as long as we don't have advanced AI or FTL communications, thre will continue to be a place for humans in space exploration.

By: quantum_flux

quantum_flux — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 20:34:35 +0000

Hmmm, one more time….

"Nice! "

By: quantum_flux

quantum_flux — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 20:33:37 +0000

Nice (-:

Or should I say "Nice "

By: David R.

David R. — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 16:49:04 +0000

"The key attribute robots need to possess is the ability to recognize something of interest, such as a rock or crater, something that a human mind would see as a scientific opportunity."

Yes, but that could mean that the robot decides that its own rear end is something of interest, resulting in a mobius loop where the robot's viewer would be eternally stuck up its own rear end. What a shame that would be.

Once we get a lander's baking martian soil nailed down, I might be convinced that this sort of thing is "closer than we think."

'till then, the mobius event seems more probable…

By: Tech Roach

Tech Roach — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 14:06:09 +0000

But isn't it dangerous to give intelligence to robots ? I mean, Matrix totally freaked me out.

Someone explain pls.

By: Steve

Steve — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 13:52:59 +0000

Sending "just" a camera is the whole idea. Just think of it as sending different generations of cameras.

For instance. First you send a camera that takes a few pictures and sends them back. Then it waits for more commands on what to take a picture of next.

Next Generation may continually stream pictures back simultaneously listening for new commands.

Next Gen after that may be able to "guess" at what would be interesting to take a picture of.

Keep improving that simple "camera" and after many generations, you may "just" end up with C3PO (or possibly the Terminator)

By: oletonto

oletonto — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 13:19:19 +0000

LLDIAZ
NO WAY NEVER !!
nasa corporation Space ? i dont think so

By: LLDIAZ

LLDIAZ — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 13:04:19 +0000

anyone ever think of just sending a camera?.
I mean nothing else just a camera so that we could at least see whats going on out there….

By: Yoo

Yoo — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 12:52:39 +0000

It may turn out that instead of organic humans colonizing the Solar System and beyond, it will be robotic "humans" that do it, where robotic explorers become steadily more advanced until they're sentient enough to actually be considered humans (at least in the legal sense of possessing rights equivalent to those of humans). Or it could be actual humans that have been made inorganic through gradual replacement of organic brain tissue with cybernetic components.

Given how much easier it is to maintain robots in space compared to organic humans, it might even be more likely.

By: Ralph Rewes

Ralph Rewes — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 12:43:42 +0000

Fine, this is a good first step. I only hope these robots will be equipped with efficient stereoscopic cameras, not red and blue obsolete one, so they can take good quality color pictures for public distribution.

BTW, any one interested in converting all the red and blue junky pictures from NASA to stereoscopic pictures, I just posted the instructions at UTUBE, and there is a huge amount of these photos at their archives, some of them when you convert them to stereoscopic pictures will give you interesting pictures, not given in regular photos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOjncRzW7hY

By: Prathapan

Prathapan — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 10:24:55 +0000

What your are telling us is that we do not have
intelligent roborts.
my my my my

By: Hans Bausewein

Hans Bausewein — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 08:16:01 +0000

Using intelligent robots also makes it a lot easier to avoid contamination of the target environment with earth life.