Robots

In our last class, we spent some time discussing robots; robot dogs, robot people and some other weird creatures that acted as dogs or horses and other animals. It was amazing how these "animals and humans" could do so many human like motions and actions. These robots looked as if they walked, moved, ran and talked just as a human would. I remember watching one video of a man sitting on a couch in a public area, if you would look at him he looked completely real. His skin looked so real and the small details on his body, the way he sat and looked like he was just relaxing like a human. The other video was the one of the dog and how it's a companion with a man, but it's a robot... how could it be a companion. It walked just like a dog would and even picked a bone and played with it just like my real dog at home does! It's kinda crazy, but in the end I still have mixed feelings about robots in general. I don't think that they should be considered companions in anyway, I believe that they are neat and a way to show science off but I do not believe that people should get an emotional attachment to these "human like" objects. I do have to say though they are a neat and possibly revolutionary technological invention.

Robots

In class on Tuesday we spent most of our time viewing different types of robots via YouTube. The one that intrigued me most was the one constructed for military forces. The capabilities and the way it was able to adapt was really impressive. Some of the other videos we watched did not seem very realistic, but I guess could still be used for some sort of benefit. Although I am not a huge fan, the advances in technology are mind boggling and could be used to help our society.

Robot dog

In class, we spent some time looking up different robot dogs on the computer. I found these kind of weird. I think when people treat a robot dog like a real dog, it can be confusing to the psyche, especially for children. People seem to treat these dogs like real ones in the sense that they walk them, feed them, cuddle them, teach them, etc. Dogs are special creatures and I do not think that they could ever be replaced by the robot dog.

I see robot dogs as a toy and nothing more, but on the other hand I have never owned one. I did however own a dog that I guess could be considered a robot. It barked and did flips but it was nothing like the one we were looking up.

We also looked at a military dog. It could carry a bunch of weight and walk on many different terrains. This could be of very good use, although slightly creepy. I see this being more prominent in the future, more so then the pet robot dog.

Companionship with robotics

In Class on the 29th we discussed the role of robots and weather or not they can be seen as companions. Turkle also addressed this subject in her book when in comes to AIBO, This robotic dog is seen by some people as very real and as a close companion which is the issue Turkle wants to address, when is it ok and not ok to grow so close to robotics that we see it as a "friend" or something like that?? i think this is is extremely fascinating and i hope to learn more about it this semester because i don't have an opinion on this yet at least not a well developed one. i just like this issue i think it is thought provoking.

Robots

Last class we spent some time looking up robots on youtube.  I was intrigued by the "dog" and all of the actions it could do.  We then looked up some other robots that were of the futuristic type, meaning they did not look like humans.  These were easy for me to be impressed by, but no real reaction came from them.  Then we looked up robots that were more human-like.  The last one we looked at moved so fluently that it was almost as if a person was inside.  This one made me stop and think that if all robots are eventually like this, I can see how humans will be able to relate with them. 
I had no idea that robotics were this sophisticated.  Honestly, I had never really talked about it until this class.  I still have mixed feelings about robots and what they will do to human interactions, but they are a remarkable technological invention.

Robots

In both Robot Stories and Alone Together the idea of robots replacing humans is present. In the first vignette a robot stands in for a baby for a couple; in Alone Together Turkle begins to talk about care robots for children and the elderly. One thing that really struck me in the book was children's responses to the idea of a robotic babysitter. Their concerns were practical and many of them concluded that if a robot was more efficient than a human babysitter it would be a better babysitter. I also noticed when the subject came up in class that Dr. Langguth's primary objection (not to put you on the spot) was that it would respond with in-ordinary or inappropriate responses like the chat bots we talked to during the Turing test. I also noticed that some people's objection to the robot baby in Robot Stories was that it did not look like a real baby. While these are valid concerns regarding robots, I think they exemplify Turkle's concern expressed in the preface that we no longer care if there is something real, alive, or human behind the illusion as long as it is a good one.

Robot Stories

It appears to me there is one common theme among people and robots. It is the fact that people seem to personify them and give them human qualities. In the film we watched about robots, the baby is a prime example. They have to use the robot as a test baby for them. The problem I have with this experiment is that robots are programmed to act to a certain way. They do not feed off of human emotions the way a human baby would. Also, it was like the baby was almost programmed to cause trouble.

When it comes to the other stories and all of the youtube videos we watched it seemed like there were a couple of common problems with the robots. The first one obviously being the fact that they have no human emotion. They cannot look at other people and understand how they are feeling and i don't think they ever will be able to. There is a lot of talk that robots will replace people in certain occupations and jobs but I think that would be a huge mistake. Emotion are an important part of everyday life including in the workplace. For example, if they replaced a pilot with a computer, or robot for that matter, it would not be able to weigh different options based on emotions. It would only be able to calculate based purely on numbers and data and that can not be the only factor in a decision.

Basically what it comes down to is that robots are great to do small things. I don't think it would be a good idea one bit to rely on a computer because if the program is even slightly off it could cause a whole bunch of problems that no one needs to deal with.

Robot Dog

During class, we watched some YouTube videos about robot dogs. One of them was for entertainment, advertised as a companion that matches up to the companionship of a real dog. It can be fed, it can walk, it can do tricks, etc. It is programmed to respond to outside stimuli, which makes it seem more life-like, or rather, more dog-like. However, I do not think this pet robot would ever be able to match the reality of a real dog, just as robots designed to interact with people may seem real, but don't quite match the dynamic relationship possible between real people or people and animals.

Another robot dog we watched has more of a military purpose. It seems this robot could be helpful in the future, but it still seems extremely awkward and gangly. I feel that robots, as a result of technology, are more useful as tools rather than companions.

Robot Stories

I thought that the videos were very interesting as well a a bit disturbing. The first video we watched about the woman who was trying to get a baby was very odd to me. The husband seemed to not have a problem with having an emotional attachment to the machine but the wife obviously saw the machine for exactly what it is: a robot. Personally i would have a problem with creating an emotional relationship with a piece of metal even if it meant possibly gaining a real life child as a result.
Humans have a natural emotion towards children. When we see a small child we have an inherent trait for nurture. Testing a humans maternity with a robot is not exactly fair since we don't have an inherent desire to nurture that "child". Especially since the practice bot was so inhuman in appearance.
I see the point the movie made about testing your maternity levels in the future before having a child. I do not however agree with the creepy example the used to practice. IT is impossible for a human to have a real emotion to such a creepy little robot.

The World of Alan Turing

From the website of Piero Scaruffi:

Alan Turing and the Programmable Universe (lite version) from piero scaruffi

The Magic Pill

Read another article about some technological advancements that they're making in the medical field. There's now a new way for doctors to check for Barrett's esophagus, which is a precancerous condition usually caused by constant exposure to stomach acid (gastroesophageal reflux disease).  Researchers at the Wellman Center for Photomedicine at Massachusetts General Hospital have developed an imaging system enclosed in a capsule about the size of a multivitamin pill that creates detailed, microscopic images of the esophageal wall. The system has several advantages over traditional endoscopy. The tiny pill gives doctors the opportunity to image the walls of a patients esophagus with out the use of sedation or need for a specific setting and equipment. They don't even require a specialized doctor in endoscopy to perform the procedure! The 3D imaging it produces gives better resolution results than traditional endoscopy in a less amount of time. The way the pill works is fascinating as well, the pill itself contains optical frequency domain imaging technology, a rapidly rotating laser tip emitting a beam of near-infrared light and sensors that record light reflected back from the esophageal lining. The capsule is attached to a string-like tether that connects to the imaging console and allows a physician or other health professional to control the system. After the capsule is swallowed by a patient, it is carried down the esophagus by normal contraction of the surrounding muscles. When the capsule reaches the entrance to the stomach, it can be pulled back up by the tether. Below is a picture of what one of these capsules look like.



It's only about an inch long, about the size of a regular multi-vitamin. Doctors are raving over this new device because it's a unexpensive, low risk way to screen a larger group of patients more quickly and efficiently. The hope is that by using this device they can better detect early signs of esophogeal cancer and treat it while it's in its early stage in order to help more patients recover faster.

Dynamic Relationships, Turkle, and Robot Stories

In our reading, Turkle explores the effects of relational technologies that range from Furbies, to Nexi, and on to robots as romantic partners. One would think that the reaction to these robots would be negative, especially in terms of a romantic partner. However, it seems that humans are eager to find a partner to relate to, perhaps beginning with the innocent toy for a child. She explores how the Furby appears to be like a doll, except that instead of attaching through the psychology of projection, there is a “give-and-take” relationship. It is in this way that we as relational creatures form “relationships” with our machines. This is similar to the story in Robot Stories where a couple must learn to take care of a robot child before they are allowed to have a real one. The purpose of this is to practice parenting in order to prevent dysfunctional families. However, it is not the same as a real child. In contrast to Turkle, the message in “My Robot Baby” says that a mother would not be able to care for a robot child the way she would for a real one. Not only is there a biological bond missing, but it is not made of real flesh and blood. The robot's favoritism towards the father is quite an exaggeration; usually an infant would more readily attach to its mother, and therefore, a mother to her child. It is impossible for a woman to attach to a robot in the same way that she would attach to her own baby. Even though people may seem very eager to attach to their machines, I do not think that it is the same dynamic relationship which is possible between two human beings.

Robot Stories and Alone Together

After watching all of the Robot Stories and reading some of Turkle's Alone Together it is amazing to me that people could develop such a real relationship with a robot. Maybe this is the problem in our world today. With so much pressure to be accepted into todays society people who feel they have lost connection with real human beings, have now decided to become companions with robots and technology.

I thought that the clip in Robot Stories about the very busy couple who had to bring home a robot baby before they could bring home their real adopted baby was absolutely ridiculous. Personally, I think it is impossible and seems pointless to try to determine how good of parents a couple would be based on their treatment of a robot baby for a set period of time. To me, it is impossible to have the necessary emotional attachment that is needed to be a parent, or just to have any type of relationship. Turkle talks about the problems with cutting out human interaction and replacing it with some sort of technology.

The problem with this obsession with fulfilling emotional discrepancies or emptiness with technology is that once a time comes along where actually interacting with real people is necessary we don't have any idea what to do. I think there are way more people today than in the past who are either socially awkward or people who become anxious when in a social setting. The reason for the drastic increase I'd say is due our society and its surge of technology and artificial intelligence allowing it.

Cody Makin

Robots and Alone together

The movies we watched in class  were very similar to some of the concepts covered in Turkle's book "Alone Together" in several ways.

Mainly, idea of robots being used as companions was covered in some of the movies. One, where peoples' consciences is uploaded to a mega databases after their death, and another, where a couple applying for adoption had to train with a robotic baby. The other movie that really struck me was the one where robot "people" were made to do work in office  buildings and it touched on the idea of artificial intelligence.
Yes, it seems like a good idea to train people who want kids on a robotic child first, however, what if people eventually decide they don't want kids, and only have robots as "pets" or even full fledged family members? It would be very convenient. You don't have to pay for them to go to school or college, and they can do work around the house, such as cooking, cleaning, and maintenance. You won't even have to deal with emotional maturation, as they can simply be programmed to be whatever you want. Something about that just doesn't  sit right with me.
The idea of a synthetic afterlife MAY seem like a good idea at first, as you can do whatever you want, whenever you want, and lead whatever sort of life you wish you could have in the first place. HOWEVER. If everyone's conscience is uploaded to this mega database, then there wont be any need for more humans, as the collective knowledge will keep growing as the next couple generations will eventually be uploaded onto it anyway. Why create more people when all the jobs that need doing can be done by people in a synthetic afterlife? The only living people needed alive would simply be people to maintain the machines themselves.
The idea of robots gaining artificial intelligence and emotions seems kind've wild, but its not too far off. Robots will eventually "learn" in some sense to adapt to their environment based on their experiences, maybe learning vocabulary, or through facial recognition. Eventually, they may even start to mimic other human activity. Again, although it sounds crazy, its a very interesting and equally scary thought.

Robots and Alone Together

I find myself slightly disturbed while watching the movies. I really hope that the world does not turn into what is being portrayed, but I feel like we are definitely headed in that direction. I definitely see similarities in what Turkle said and with the movies that we watched. The movies, i think, portrayed an extreme version of what might possibly be right around the corner. 

Each of the four movies were extreme in their own way, but the robot baby one and the robot love one struck me as most odd. The robot baby one I think has potential in real life situations. The way it was portrayed was crazy, but I could see this as a real life thing. I could see them being given to teens possibly t keep them from wanting to have children. The other one, Robot Love, was very extreme and I do not see this happening in the near future. The idea of robots falling in love is so far fetched to me, it makes it hard t imagine this. 

The mom who thought that if she finished her son's robot collection would bring him back was kind of weird, but I could easily see a mom do this. They might think that it would strengthen her child to see his collection completed. Or the mom might use it as a coping mechanism. This one did not strike me as to far fetched for these days. 

Robot Stories and Alone Together

The video seemed to portray what Turkle's message is in her book. Some of the short clips were over dramatic such as the mom trying to get every action figure thinking that would bring her son back. However, that did portray the disconnect between the parent and child with technology being a crucial reason why.
The video also had robots that fixed computers but then wanted love with each other. This goes along with Turkle saying some humans will rely on technology for their sexual life as well.
All in all the video showed up where we could be headed as a society, I mean robots as babies to see if adults are truly ready for parenthood would be a scary sight.

In conclusion, I feel like the characters in the four stories failed to connect in a world of robot babies and robot office workers. Maybe this is foreshadowing to us as a society in the future.

Ryan Hamm

Robots

While reading chapters one and two of Turkle I found myself agreeing with many things that she was implying throughout the reading.  How was a child able to be so attached to a robot, such as a furbie that is not even alive? When you are reading, you begin thinking that these ideas and creations are ridiculous and that the way children and grown adults are getting so emotionally and physically attached to these “things” is just unbelievable. Then, by the end of the videos, I actually began to feel sympathy for the robots that were falling in love, with everyone around watching as they had their first encounter with “love”.

In the world we are living in today, children do not get the attention that they need from their parents and turn to robots for attention or even toys.  People in general turn to objects for emotion and love. For example, the little girl in the first video was sitting in the closet and her mother said to her “don’t ever get married and don’t ever have kids” to her own daughter. When that little girl grew up, she did not even know how to show the robot baby real attention and the fact that it was a robot gave her a false idea of what a real baby is. The children turned to the furbies for attention and affection, but the children get a false idea of real feelings and real emotion. I believe that it is not okay to give these people and children that false hope, it just pushes them away from showing their true feeling to real people and not objects. People are beginning to turn to robots or objects and hide their true feeling, which is very unhealthy. For example, the man in the video had a hologram of his wife who passed because let go of his past and face his feelings.

In conclusion, I would have to agree with Turkle. I believe that our society is becoming technological and that it’s causing a false sense of people feelings and who people really are. In the end it’s something else for people to hide behind.

Robots

While I was watching the movie and reading Turkle, I was shocked and disturbed the entire time. I kept saying to myself, “People can’t really feel this way towards roots!” But then towards the end of the film, I found myself saying, “Aw, the robots love each other,” knowing that they don’t have true emotions. This just proves that in only a short amount of time we can become attached.

In our society today we are so scared to accept our true feelings and share them with anyone due to rejection or humiliation. So instead we latch on to inanimate objects that will never judge us or let us down. In the reading, the children relied on the Furbies to understand their feelings because they might not get enough attention from their parents. In the film, the woman who adopted the baby robot did so because she was afraid to fail and disappoint her husband. The elderly man relied on a hologram because he could not let go of his past. All of these feelings are unhealthy, in my opinion. Life is not always going to be perfect. Things happen that we cannot change, but that is not a reason to not face our emotions. Relying on a robot to help us heal will never really help us get over the hard times. People have real emotions and life experiences that robots can never have.

In conclusion, I am on Turkles side in the fact that our society is becoming consumed with inanimate objects and we need to turn away from them. I do believe that technology does have its benefits, but empathy and emotional simulation is not one of them. We need to leave that to human beings.

Robot Stories and Alone Together

    After reading the first chapter of Alone Together and then watching the videos in class, I can see some definite similarities. One is that the both of them, although they made their points clear, were very disturbing. Both the author of Alone Together and the people making the videos took a look around them, realized the changes in society due to technological advancements, and decided they need to try to open the eyes of the people around them. I feel like both approached this goal knowing that the only way to accomplish it was to use a scare tactic on their audience, using the strangest case scenarios possible. Another definite similarity between the two is the expressions of concern that technology is being used as an emotional crutch, being used to transform, control, and/or replace aspects of human relationships. This is shown very clearly in the videos, especially with the adoption of the robot child, as it is clearly mentioned multiple times throughout the introduction of Alone Together, providing the sense that this will not only be an important topic but will also be one of the central themes of the book.

    Although I do believe both the videos and Sherry Turkle go to extreme case scenarios, I do not deny that the issues exist, nor do I deny the fact that technology is having such a profound effect on society. I agree that technology has been weakening relationships and communities for quite a while now, and I fear that if people do not start to realize what is happening and take control it will only get worse from here on out.

Robot Stories

Out of all four of those videos i really liked the one about the young man who was in the hospital and his hard shelled mother who was in hot pursuit to repair and complete his childhood robot collection. I feel like this movie was not only relevant and true to today's medical technology but this video was two fold, the childhood toys had different meaning to the mother at the beginning of the video versus what it meant to her in the end. At the beginning the toys were primitive transformers that allowed the mother to go back to when her son was a child and still her baby boy versus in the end when the toys were just toys. they only had the painful memory of the death of her son and when she gave them away this symbolized her letting her son go after his death. The transformer toys symbolized the sons youth and innocence but the medical equipment were not the important robots in his life now as they sustained his life. I wrote about this story because it has a deeper meaning then what it may have just appeared to be as well as i feel it was not nearly as hokey as some of the other stories.

Robots and Emotions

http://now.msn.com/robot-restaurant-in-harbin-china-has-mechanical-servers-and-chefs <-- Here's the link to the all Robot cafe!

The Robot stories video maintained what I would consider to be a unique element--robots having emotions. The baby robot displayed rebellious behavior--typically enacted out of anger--and fear. The robots that appeared to be human and worked constantly developed feelings of isolation. Upon discovering that they were the only robots, their isolation turned into a desire for "like-minded" companionship. In "Clay", the simulation of the man's wife portrayed emotions, yet the question remains regarding her existence and ability to react to real life situations. The video presents the question of whether or not these robotic emotions are equatable to human emotions. Robots can be programmed to react in certain ways once presented with specific stimuli. Similarly, humans are conditioned to have specific responses to certain situations. It is not in question whether or not robots can have emotions. The question is whether or not these emotions can develop outside of a programmed algorithm--developing into something more like human emotions.

Where are we going

The Human race is at such a fast pace that we feel bored or like we haven't anything to do for the day.  We take take advantage of the technology we have, like the Robot Stories.  We see a machine, and see that it isn't real, but what declares something real? A heartbeat, coordination, intelligence? Before we give robots to the human race, like in Robot Stories, assure ourselves that this is for the best.  I couldn't imagine putting my conscious into an artificial object after my death.  I was born with a choice, and judging by these stories, I will die without that choice.

Robot Stories

     I could see many connections between the video and the readings. Human and robot interactions can be confusing for many people. I was particularly interested in the scene from "My Robot Baby" where Marcia's father was making a program to take care of the baby. It reminded me of part of the readings in which Turkle describes a Furby surgery. The children try to help Furby by preforming surgery, but they become uncomfortable with the remains of the Furby. It is somewhat similar to what Marcia's father says about not being able to do that with a real baby. It is only possible because it is a robot, a cross between a doll and a living creature. Likewise, the scenario with the children is only possible because Furby is a robot, neither a doll nor a living creature. If it was a doll, the children would most likely not feel as uncomfortable as they did with the two parts of the Furby. However, if it was a living being, they would have likely tried to have an adult help for fear of killing it. With Furby, they knew that it wouldn't "die" unless its batteries were removed. Therefore, they could try to fix Furby with the knowledge that they would not be killing it. 

     Unless robots become a common thing in our daily lives, human and robot interactions will always be awkward. We cannot really decide what they are. They are not inanimate objects, rather, they can seem to be human at times. That being so, it is difficult to figure out how we should interact with them. They aren't human, but they seem close enough to being human that we have to second guess our actions at times.

New Artificial Human Heart

Usually I wouldn't necessarily all the new technological advances that are begginning to sprout in my generation due to the fact that it is aimed to make life eaiser by acting as an artificial substitute to many basic things we should be able to accomplish on our own in our day to day lives. Nevertheless I do whole heartedly support any technological advancements in medicine that help to save and prolong peoples lives. That's when I stumbled upon an artical about the first ever fully mechanical heart!



The man you see in the picture is named Chad washington and he is sporting the first ever mechanical heart and pumping device which he carries with him on his back. Chad, age 35, underwent the seven-hour transplant surgery at UCLA on Oct. 29, led by Dr. Murray Kwon, an assistant professor of cardiothoracic surgery. The temporary pump will act as a "bridge" until Washington receives a new donor heart! It is said that in the past, patients that had a mechanical artificial heart were forced to be hospitalized because the machine used to power the pump was too large and too heavy for one person to carry around. But the latest advancements in technology have allowed for that same machinary to be condensed into a smaller form (like the size and weight of a backpack) so people who are waiting on a live donor heart can lead relatively normal lives in the meantime.

 

 

Above is an internal view of how the pump fits into the chest cavity and connects to the pump worn on the persons back. Washington is quoted saying "It ticks like a clock in my chest and I can hear it", but claims that the machine doesn't feel foreign to him. He's estatic that he lives in a time that such technology is avaible to people like him that truly benefit from it. Washington is an aspiring chef and is married and has a 4-year-old son, he has suffered from heart disease since he was born. From the time he was 10 days old through adulthood, he underwent a series of heart-repair surgeries and had pacemakers and a defibrillator implanted. Then his heart deteriorated. He received a heart transplant in February, and for the first time in his life, he knew what it was like to live with a healthy heart. It gave him energy, and he was amazed that he could run 25 minutes on a treadmill! The excitement was short lived for the heart transplant he recieved started to show some serious signs of rejection and they had no choice but to remove it. What was worse was that now Washington's body had formed anti-bodies to combat new heart transplants, meaning that if he were to recieve a new one yet again, his immune system would immediately attack it.

 

 

The artificial heart was his only hope for survival at this point. Not only did it keep him alive while he waited for a new heart to become available but it allowed his body to return to normal so the new transplant wouldn't be as likely to reject. It's also important becuase it allows the patient to live a fairly normal life and is able to spend time with family outside the hospital, which is essential when going through such a hard time.

 

Approved by the Federal Drug Administration in 2004, the SynCardia Total Artificial Heart replaces both failing heart ventricles and the four heart valves. It works by providing a high volume of blood-flow through both ventricles, which helps to speed the recovery of vital organs and make the patient a better candidate for transplant surgery. Once the total artificial heart is implanted, it is connected by two small air tubes known as "drivelines" to a large external driver that powers the heart while the patient remains hospitalized. When the patient's condition stabilizes post-operatively, he or she can be switched over to the smaller 13.5-pound Freedom portable driver, which can be carried in a backpack, thus giving the patient the freedom to leave the hospital.

 

"My family and I are so thankful for all of the support we've been getting from the doctors and staff here at the hospital, as well as our family and friends," Washington said.

 

 

Reference link: http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/man-s-heart-removed-and-replaced-241430.aspx

Video and Turkle Readings

It was very easy to compare the video that we watched in class to the Turkle readings. This video really made me think about Turkle said that she has been accused of being prejudice of robots, especially since people are beginning to use robots and technology to eliminate and engage in less human encounters. In certain instances, I think that this can be true. It is almost as if we have began to forget about technology, allowing technology to continue to inch its' way into our lives. 
While watching the video, especially during the video about the baby robot and the segment about the robots in the office, I began to wonder if we are really that far from living in a society with robots dispersed throughout our population. I am not sure that we are yet on the level of having robots appear to look like humans (at least to my knowledge), but we are close to the technological ability of creating this type of technology. I do agree that this would begin to hinder human relationships. There cannot be a substitute for REAL human interaction. 
I do not think that we will ever have to ability to create a type of technology that can have real emotions, such as humans, or even the ability to 'bond' with another human being, for that matter. There are a lot of advantages of having the technology that we have  readily available at our fingertips, today. However, there are some aspects of life that will always require human interaction. There is no substitute for family, friends, or significant others. These types of relationships can not be 'created.'