Creating a Robot (p1)

As part of an introduction to robotics, we were asked to decide the perfect height, weight and strength for a robot:

Height
A robot cannot be too short nor too tall. If a robot is too short, then it will be unable to work to its full potential (it will be unable to place things on shelves, open doors and etc.), and if it is too tall, then it will seem far too intimidating. A suitable height range would be from 140 cm to 165 cm.

Weight
A robot cannot be too light nor too heavy. If a robot is too light, then it will easily tip over, and if it is too heavy, then it have a large strength to weight ratio (the larger the mass, the larger the force), and will also have a high energy consumption (the robot will need to use a lot of power in order to maintain its balance). The perfect weight for a robot will be around 50-60 kg.

Strength
The robot cannot be too weak nor too strong. If a robot is too weak, then it will be unable to perform to its full ability (it will be unable to pick up luggage or heavy items), but if it is too strong, then it may accidentally harm a human being (thus going against the First Law of Robotics). A robot should be able to pick up around 60-80 kg (for domestic use).

Speed
A robot cannot be too slow nor too fast. If a robot is too short, then it will not be able to work efficiently, and if it is too fast, then it will seem far too intimidating. A robot should travel at approximately the same speed as humans (+/- 10%) - ideally, a human should be able to outrun it.

After this activity, we looked at several examples of robots, such as ASIMO, NAO and WildCat.

The Three Laws of Robotics

According to Isaac Asimov, there are three laws of robotics:

1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm
2. A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law
3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law

The Concept of Utopia

This week, our class started to look at the idea of an utopian future. First of all, we defined utopia, coming to the general conclusion that it is when society is in a state of perfection:

Utopia - An imagined place or state of things in which everything is perfect

After this, we were asked to describe what our vision of utopia would be like. I wrote that mine would be one where the economy would be based on sustainability and renewable resources. Agriculture would be managed successfully by machines*, and transportation would be quick and efficient. Furthermore, synthetic biology would be used extensively by all - because of medical advancements, there would be treatments for all disease (should there be an outbreak in an otherwise "perfect" world), and limbs and organs would be very easily replaced. There would also be no suffering in this future, as suffering is not considered perfect.

In addition to this, we were asked to consider the political aspects of our utopia. After some discussion with other members of the class, we agreed that a "perfect" future would be one where there is no crime - the law would be enforced by the police through peaceful means, leading to zero conflict. In general, mankind would be united by common goals and ideals, working with technology to build a better society and world.**

*After some brief debate with myself, I considered that technology would not necessarily create a positive future. If technology and machines were to be responsible for all forms of scientific breakthroughs and essentially "manage" society, then there would be no need for human employment. This would lead to the displacement of entire human workforces, successfully cutting off all sources of income for workers. In turn, this would create poverty and suffering, contradicting the definition of utopia.

**Although utopia is considered to be a goal for mankind to strive towards, the concept of utopia itself is too unrealistic. Utopia will never occur - "perfection" is not something that can be achieved easily. Humans are driven beings, and assuming that we could achieve utopia (highly unlikely), we would eventually redefine the term and change "utopia" once again. Moreover, history has shown us that leaders do not have the power to change the lives of the people under them - for example, Mao had millions of people under his control, but failed to transform society, let alone for the better.

Programming a Robot

In order to gain a better understanding of robots, our group organised a workshop as part of the learning carousel. There were three workshops in total:

1. The Three Laws of Robots 
2. How to Programme a Robot 
3. Siri 

Our group was in charge of the second workshop - how to programme a robot. Following the guidance of the teacher, we organised an activity that demonstrated the steps to programming a robot:

1. Ask for a volunteer - the volunteer can only extend their arm and respond to commands with the following phrase: "What do you mean?" 
2. When told to do something, the robot cannot perform the action unless taught the action associated with the command itself (e.g. if you ask the volunteer to pick up a pen, it does not know the command, and so will need to be guided physically) 
3. This process then repeats over and over again until the robot recognises all the necessary commands

We also briefly discussed HDR (high dynamic range) and ISO.

They're Made Out of Meat

As part of our investigation into the future of robots, the class was asked to watch four videos of robots demonstrating sentience:

• The scene in which HAL (from 2001: A Space Odyssey) is disconnected 
• Robbie
• NEWMEDIA, which portrays a future in which robots control the world
• They're Made Out of Meat, in which two robots discuss the absurdity of human existence

After this, we were told by the teacher to create a role-play revolving around one of these videos seen previously - our group decided on They're Made Out of Meat. In order to re-enact the scene accurately, however, we first had to research the human condition to make sure we portrayed the characters correctly. Below is the definition discussed:

Human Condition: The portrayal of human characteristics through aspects of human existence such as growth, emotionality, morality and aspirations

We then started work on the script for final production.

How Have I Used the Internet in the Past Week?

Over the past week, I have used both my phone and laptop a lot outside of school. I primarily use my phone to keep in touch with my friends over WhatsApp and SMS, as well as FaceBook to keep updated with the world. I also use it to listen to music and read the news whenever I am travelling from one place to another (e.g. going home from school).

I tend to do a lot more on my laptop - apart from communicating with my friends, updating myself on the world and listening to music, I use the Internet to watch movies and TV shows, play games (and be unproductive in general) and reading. Although it is unhealthy to spend long hours by the computer (excluding the school hours spent on my laptop, I generally use it for 4-5 hours per weekday and 7-8 on weekends), I find it quite difficult to distance myself from the Internet - it is full of undiscovered content, and I constantly feel the need to explore it.

If I were to stop using the Internet for a month, I think that I would become very bored with my daily routine - almost every aspect of my life is based around it, and I would find it very hard to pick up my hobbies and interests once again. However, in the long-run, I feel that not using my computer would benefit me greatly - I would spend more time focused on the things I should be focusing on (e.g. my studies), and learn to appreciate the world outside of my screen.