Zachary Colosa
Intro to IST
Jeremy Oullette
12/11/13
Robots
Robots are something that people of all ages have often fantasized about being part of the
future. Whether they wanted robots to do services for you such as washing your clothes, cleaning your
room, or perhaps even do your homework, many people seem to want them. Of course, much scientific
research has gone in towards making the ideal robot, some of which are closer to reality than ever
before. One such robot we went over in class, that being the robot legs, designed to assist those with
limited or zero function of their legs, and also more heavy duty ones designed to help workers such as
firefighters to lift heavy equipment or in the case of firefighters, people and debris, while putting less
overall strain on the human body, and flowing it in to the robotic legs. Whatever it is, robots are
something that are beginning to more and more make their way in to present day every day.
To start off, why is it that robots are so intriguing to people? Robots are a prominent factor in
many movies in this day and age. In fact, almost any movie you watch nowadays that is intended to
depict any part of the future, there are robots as a main factor of the movie, or perhaps just as a side
part of the movie, but either way, they are present. It is very possible that the vast number of movies
out there that depict robots influences how people feel about robots, whether positively or negatively,
and because of this, it has just become the norm for people to believe that someday there will come a
point where robots and the computers that control them will become more intelligent than humanity,
also known as the singularity. While some people believe that this is a good thing that should happen in
the not so distant future, others are scared out of their minds when they think of the possibility of
artificial intelligence transcending our own, which is understandable, given how many movies and
fictions have depicted robots gaining dominance over humanity with their superior intelligence.
While the end of humanity by the hands of our own inventions is a prominent factor in the
overall view of robots, there is also the other side of it, that being the advantages of having artificial
intelligence. The possibilities are limitless when it comes to having artificial intelligence that is capable of
tirelessly doing the work that was originally done by humans. Of course this brings up another fear that
we as humans have of artificial intelligence, that being that robots will eventually be able to work the
average minimum wage job, making it so that many people will lose their own jobs and be out of work,
hence making it difficult for unskilled workers to make a living. Seriously, why would a company want to
hire fifty workers and have to pay them when they could just buy half a dozen robots that they have a
one-time purchase of, and minor repairs from time to time. After long enough, the company would
begin to only profit from their robotic work staff, without having to pay them a dime simply because
they are robots and would have no use for currency. This is a real scenario that people fear in addition
to the singularity and robots taking over the world. Anyway, getting back on topic, there are limitless
benefits to having robots do services for people. Not only would they be able to do chores for the
average household (If and when robots are not only a thing, but are also within the price range of the
average homeowner), but they could also be capable of taking the place of our soldiers in the branches
of the army (Which is frightening if they don’t follow orders or get hacked and turn on us), taking many
of our citizens out of the warzone.
One final thing about robots that is worth covering is that even though it seems as though the
technology is just around the corner, it is very hard to believe that even within the next century that the
singularity will occur. Although it is true that computers have been and have continued to increase in
intelligence at an exponential rate, it is very probable that something will occur within the next century
that will halt the course of this exponential growth, whether World War III breaks out, or there is simply
a standstill in the technology where nobody can figure out where to go next, it is very probable that the
singularity will not occur in the near future, that being within our lifetimes. It could simply be denial, but
it just seems incredibly unlikely that computers that could be implemented in to robots could actually be
more capable than the human brain.
Whether the singularity occurs in the near future or not, robots are still a reality that grows in
potential each and every year, with more and more technology opening up. Regardless, robots and
artificial intelligence could prove incredibly useful to humanity, and could even prove to be vastly
important in terms of doing things that were next to impossible before. With robots on the horizon, the
fabled space age where humans find and inhabit other planets and attempt to commune with alien life
is also potentially within the next century. We will finally be able to venture in to the deep reaches of
outer space where no man as gone before.