Week 11: Looking for a Voight-Kampff machine?

http://weburbanist.com/2008/11/18/10-of-the-worlds-weirdest-craziest-and-most-useful-robots/

Jeopardy Clew: These 4 images.

Jeopardy Question: What are robots?

This week I listened to an eloquent speech on the benefits of music education.  The presentation led me to speculate as to whether any of the robots cited in last week’s blog could play music and if it would be something that can distinguish them from humans; a Voight-Kampff machine. 

Initially my researches over the internet led me to a technical document where a robot plays a Theremin, http://eecs.vuse.vanderbilt.edu/CIS/pubs/FSR99-musicRobot.pdf.  It was all technical with few images for posting to a blog.  Upon further researching I came up with a second article with images of a robot playing a Theremin Player; http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/freeabs_all.jsp?arnumber=5354473.  The Theremin is actually the early precursor to modern RFID technology. 

While the Theremin was popular in the early 1900’s could a robot play an instrument commonly in use today?  Looking further I found a robot with lungs and lips, capable of playing the “Flight of the Bumble Bee” on a flute.  http://www.technologyreview.com/video/?vid=136 .  Not only does the website have pictures but a video of how the robot works; a point worthy to place in a blog.  This robot is said to be able to teach a beginning music student on how to play the instrument.  Then I came upon the Web Urbanist – 10 of the Most Innovative Modern Robot Designs, as pictured above with the link.  Not only is Big Dog featured but there is a robot which resembles a person. 

It appears the technology will soon exist for the building of robots that will strongly resemble people with the capability to play musical instruments.   But will science be able to create mechanical beings with the ability to compose music?  While there is a certain amount of mathematics involved, can science replicate the human experience?  And translate it into song and verse?  I return to the music group Pink Floyd: http://pinkfloyd.com/music/albums.php.  Could a robot make an album like “Pink Floyd The Wall?”  And if so, would it be considered artistic?  This ability may differentiate future robots from humans until bio-technology and as yet to be discovered technologies blur the line. 

“To err is human; to forgive, divine.”
by Alexander Pope

I wonder what Pope would have written about robots?

Quaestionem Semper, – CDamian (11-22-11)

Week 10: Bread & Circuses

www.BostonDynamics.com/dist/BigDog.wmv

Recently I’ve been interested in getting a dog.  Not just any dog or breed but a specific one which my family, even before we went to purchase him, came to name as Jack.  While we discussed owning a puppy someone else felt like wise about Jack and when we returned to see him he was gone.  We have looked at other dogs but none have the same characteristics or personality of Jack.  So as I researched new technologies this semester I kept coming across numerous advances in robotics.  While there are some significant developments in the medical field where humans can control and feel with artificial robotic limbs this week’s blog will focus on other potential uses of robots. 

For starters, Boston Dynamics’ “Big Dog” caught my eye.  I highly recommend watching the video clip by clicking on the link below the picture.  Here is a low maintenance dog, capable of walking on ice, could carry & pull things, is able to dance and provide numerous hours of entertainment.  It could go for walks or jogs, carry a radio or TV, even carry me if I got tired; the ultimate companion.   Except for bringing it into the house; here Boston Dynamics has created “Little Dog.”

http://www.bostondynamics.com/dist/LittleDog.wmv

As I continued to ponder the concept of a robotic dog, Little Dog just didn’t seem as interesting as Big Dog.  And neither seems to have the personality of Jack.  Will Boston Dynamics add bio-technology to their robotic creations to give them life like characteristics?  It remains to be seen; the majority of their efforts are currently toward supporting the military versus making household pets.

In comparison, others are making robots to compete in such events as Hawaii’s Ironman-Triathlon.  http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/engineering/robots/pint-sized-bots-with-human-foibles-take-on-hawaiis-ironman-triathlon

Tomotaka Takahashi’s athletic robots are designed with extra motion features to give them human like characteristics.  “’It’s irrational, but it looks more natural,’ Takahashi says.”  As I continued to look into robots with human characteristics I came across a convention sponsored by the Society of Robots - http://www.societyofrobots.com/ - that occurred in Washington D.C. in 2008.  Here, the MANOI Robot demonstration is displaying human characteristics.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6uB-ggxF8g&feature=related

Researching these robots led me to the following hobbyist web site: http://botmag.com/articles/manoi_1.shtml .

But can these little guys or gals – I’m uncertain how else to call them - be a useful technology?  I return to Boston Dynamics which has created “Petman.”  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mclbVTIYG8E&feature=player_embedded

While it looks like Petman can serve the military, a true sign of success is being able to market new technology to the general public.  So what are the possibilities?  Entering Petman in the Iron-man competition is one.  Then I wouldn’t have to think about competing or feeling guilty for not entering; why try if one is bound to lose to a robot?  My other thought was of Woody Allen in the movie “Sleeper,” where he plays a comical robotic servant.  Another notion was of the television series “Battle Star Galactica,” where the Cylon robots attempt to exterminate the human race.  Then, over the weekend while watching Sunday night football it came to me.  A new innovative use for this technology would be to create robotic football players and have these teams play each other. 

As I explored this concept the more sense it seemed to make.  Instead of having human athletes getting seriously hurt, i.e. concussions, robots could play and it wouldn’t matter whether they were damaged or not, so long as they didn’t consist of bio-technology which would raise many legal, social & ethical questions.    

Football could even evolve into a more violent version with fewer rules since the players would be machines.  There would be no salary negotiations, unions, negative off the field publicity and player strikes.  Maybe even the price of tickets would go down?  The ROI surely would be good?   The concept could even be expanded to robotic cheerleaders, maintenance and concession stand staff.  The possibilities are limitless.  And as humans we could all sit back and watch the show.  “Panem et circenses.”

But then the thought of what else human kind would do if robots did everything occurred to me?  I couldn’t think of much.  What I did think of, was what else robots could do; “Deus ex machina.”   They may fight, entertain, serve, build, cook and even become like us.  Robots like the Cylons might find us a nuisance and try to destroy us.  Or, returning to “Star Trek”, in particular the “Next Generation” series, robots like Data may even envy our humanness and strive to be like us.  And all I wanted was a black & white dog named Jack.

Lorem ipsum – CDamian (11-15-11)

Week 9: Science Fiction becomes Science (“’Tractor Beams’ a reality” at NASA)

 

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111103030817.htm

This week’s major technical find is on NASA’s development of a tractor beam a concept portrayed in Star Trek.

As the last class on IT&I approaches this week a summary re-examining some of the ideas & concepts strung throughout this weekly blog series that I’ve touched upon will be reflected on, i.e. Star Trek, Google TV, YouTube & other media; exploring the similarities of art & science. 

1-      Ethics has been a major part of IT&I and references to Star Trek as a positive use of technology versus the doom & gloom of typical B Sci-Fi movies led me to Captain James McKay’s book reviewof the, “The Ethics of Star Trek?” Captain McKay wrote his book review while serving in the Canadian Army’s Directorate of Army Training.  http://www.army.forces.gc.ca/caj/documents/vol_05/iss_2/CAJ_vol5.2_17_e.pdf

2-      While I am still getting aclamated to my Sony Google TV & the many features it provides, advances in technology are leading toward future upgrades.  See the following link for further details: http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/helloworld/27305/ .

3-      Use of YouTube in blogs is becoming a very popular methodology for sharing information with minimum text.  I’ve come to consider this to be a result of the many small hand held technical devices widely in use.  A new example of this can be found at the following website which I came across while researching new IT&I: http://www.thoughtware.tv/ .

4-      It appears, science and art/life have gone hand in hand in other media formats such as last week’s discovery on an innovative use of QR Code technology after reading a comic strip.  And is directly reflected in the links previously provided.  While I started out solely using technical websites for my blogs increasingly I began to incorporate other media sources & areas of research. One not yet mentioned, http://www.whyhospitalsshouldfly.com/index.html is a title of a book by the same name.  See the following for the video version versus text - http://www.whyhospitalsshouldfly.com/johnnancevideo.html .

My experiences in writing a weekly blog have had 2 effects.  First, I learned a lot about various technologies, their social uses and just how innovative people are on the “cutting edge of technology.”  Secondly, I learned how to share what I learned and like the tractor beam in Star Trek, supposedly how to draw people’s attention in to reading my weekly blog posts.  A review of this blog’s statistics indicates 126 page views since Week 1, with 1 comment have occurred.  I would like to thank everyone for reading & providing comments.  Whether I will continue remains to be determined.  Sincerely – CDamian (11-07-2011)

Addendum: It appears my absent mindedness & multiple calendars led me to write what I thought would be my final blog entry for the class.  In reviewing my records there will be at least one more.  Till next week – CDamian (11-08-11)

Week 8: Is dedicated to Ms. Evelyn E. Craft & her Living Headstone Memorial

I would like to start this week’s blog by first offering my condolences to the Craft family.  This week is a continuation on social media and some innovative uses of Quick Response Code (QR Code) technology.

But first I would like to share my journey on how I came upon this technology.  It began when I read the Doonesbury comic strip in the Sunday, October 16, 2011 Washington Post.  The comic caught my attention as I began to make plans to visit my father’s grave site for the 10th anniversary of his death.  The strip features Daisy B. Doonesbury’s headstone with the following website printed on it, http://www.daisyd.com./  Although the link isn’t active, Mr. Stanford, Duty Officer, Doonesbury Town Hall, shared with me that the comic strip temporarily hosted a unique website for the character Duke when he ran for President in 2000.  

I learned this by going to the Doonesbury website http://www.doonesbury.com/ where the thought of writing a blog on the transition of printed media to the internet came to mind; especially with the recent liquidation of Borders Book Stores.  The site led me to a contact page where I submitted a query inquiring about the technology identified in the story.  While there was no original example, the response provided the following YouTube site reflecting on the similarities between life and art and vise versa.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yd2_FG06vnI&feature=autoplay&list=FLjCkN6Crvwly4i8vsnFu9kQ&lf=autoplay&playnext=3

My natural progression was to go to http://www.monuments.com/livingheadstone next; however before doing so I digressed to learn more about the 1^st “Animated Tattoo” in order to determine whether to include it in any future commentaries.  Since it deals with QR Code technology and is inexplicably mesmerizing I am including the link here.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3qv2dSXQXk&feature=related. 

Ultimately I returned to the Living Head Stone website www.monuments.com.  I planned to expound on the company’s innovative use of QR Code technology but the following excerpt from the site says it best.

“Quiring has created a new type of headstone which connects people regardless of where they reside.   Our ‘Living Headstone’ memorial blends the timeless traditional value of granite headstones with the newest technology available, to provide an interactive ‘living’ memorial legacy for future generations.

 Similar to a personal Facebook page, a ‘Living Headstone’ archive site contains information you and friends can add about your loved one, such as: an obituary, family heritage and history, photos, comments by friends and relatives and even a map to locate the memorial in the cemetery.”  

The technology can be applied to existing as well as new grave sites.  Will additional advances in technology lead to further evolutions of grave sites as we know them?  Will subsequent generations be able to view more than a memorial stone?  I believe as long as technology continues forward and history doesn’t experience another “dark ages” where advances in current technology are lost, the concepts espoused should carry on.  Perhaps we may even see interactive holograms of our departed loved ones?

With Warm Sympathy – CDamian (11-03-2011)