466 replies to this topic

[Elus]

And H+ published my article today!

http://hplusmagazine...onal-quadcopter

And Elus! I managed to get the video you posted added to it!!!

I'm going to see if there are any responses, and in a few days I'll post the hexacopter video as a followup.

Hey Val,

That's great! The more people see that this is mainstream and happening now, the more the word will spread about the "eerily" rapid advancements in technology. It will reflect back to our cause, one way or another : ). Thanks for writing the article as well.

These things have the potential to promote VR and map our world in an unprecedented way.

Edited by Elus, 09 September 2010 - 04:46 AM.

[valkyrie_ice]

and more news about the virtualization of reality: http://nextbigfuture...lutionizes.html

A portable, laser backpack for 3D mapping has been developed at the University of California, Berkeley, where it is being hailed as a breakthrough technology capable of producing fast, automatic and realistic 3D mapping of difficult interior environments.

The backpack is the first of a series of similar systems to work without being strapped to a robot or attached to a cart. At the same time, its data acquisition speed is very fast, as it collects the data while the human operator is walking; this is in contrast with existing systems in which the data is painstakingly collected in a stop and go fashion, resulting in days and weeks of data acquisition time. Using this technology, Air Force personnel will be able to collectively view the interior of modeled buildings and interact over a network in order to achieve military goals like mission planning.

The scientists have been able to use this more portable method of mapping by way of sensors or lightweight (less than eight ounces) laser scanners.

"We have also developed novel sensor fusion algorithms that use cameras, lasers range finders and inertial measurement units to generate a textured, photo-realistic, 3D model that can operate without GPS input and that is a big challenge," said Zakhor.

There are many basic research issues to achieve a working system, including calibration, sensor registration and localization. Using multiple sensors facilitates the modeling process, though the data from various sensors do need to be registered and precisely fused with each other in order to result in coherent, aligned, and textured 3D models. Localization is another technical challenge since without it; it is not possible to line up scans from laser scanners in order to build the 3D point cloud, which is the first step in the modeling process.

"It is fair to say that embarking on such a hands-on project, to make indoor 3D modeling a matter of routine, a number of research questions of a fundamental nature came up," said Sjogren. "It is typical of the work that Prof. Zakhor has done for AFOSR/Air Force Research Laboratory over the years, that she meets these challenges head-on, and in most cases solves the problem sufficient to demonstrate a prototype system."

Now imagine a production unit on a drone doing this automatically.

Edited by valkyrie_ice, 09 September 2010 - 03:44 PM.

[Luna]

Nice article Val! Very much effort was put into it

I am a bit annoyed though, all those cool stuff but nothing to actually make us look at the future and say "We will live forever".. instead: "We'll be entertained" is mostly what to be found :/

[valkyrie_ice]

Nice article Val! Very much effort was put into it

I am a bit annoyed though, all those cool stuff but nothing to actually make us look at the future and say "We will live forever".. instead: "We'll be entertained" is mostly what to be found :/

Got to take the baby steps before we can run, hun. VR will lead to increased demand for biomedical research to enable people to "look like their avatars". Increased demand will lead to increased funding, increased funding will lead to increased research, and increased research will mean all kinds of breakthoughs.


For example. those "Stem Cell Swarms" I have been talking about, with microcontrols inserted into stemcells to enable computer directed repair and modification of the body. With the demand to "customize" the human body so high, it's quite likely that "rejuvenation" is going to be very high on that list, for those like me who want to be able to enjoy their new body forms. With the abilities to "rejuvenate" tissue that stemcells already display, that is a huge step towards immortality.


It's all a matter of knowing how things connect together, and being able to see even the indirect paths that lead to what you want.

[Reno]

Ugh, we need to come up with a better name then VR. It just feels so 80s. Every time I run across it I think of episodes of The Outer Limits and the Lawnmower man.

Val if you like to read you should read a book called "This Alien Shore" by C.S. Friedman. The book describes controlled hallucinations to create what we would call VR.

Edited by Reno, 11 September 2010 - 04:31 AM.

[valkyrie_ice]

Ugh, we need to come up with a better name then VR. It just feels so 80s. Every time I run across it I think of episodes of The Outer Limits and the Lawnmower man.

Val if you like to read you should read a book called "This Alien Shore" by C.S. Friedman. The book describes controlled hallucinations to create what we would call VR.

And Cyberspace is too 80's.


Maybe Simspace?

[Luna]

Not sure how relevant but I am sure Val would love this:

With mods GTA IV looks almost photorealistic

http://n4g.com/news/602972/with-mods-gta-iv-looks-almost-photorealistic

[valkyrie_ice]

Not sure how relevant but I am sure Val would love this:

With mods GTA IV looks almost photorealistic

http://n4g.com/news/...-photorealistic

hyper realism is only going to improve over the next few years.


And now for something completely different!

We've got Quadcopters... Now the All Terrain Motorized Skateboard for rapid troop deployment!

http://gizmodo.com/5...pster-invasions

Militarized Skateboard Perfect for Hipster Invasions
This is the DTV Shredder, a militarized skateboard with two caterpillar tracks. It can travel at over 30mph, go up 40-degree slopes, turn around in four feet, and be remotely operated. It's also quite spectacular in action:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hh2nLWYnxkM&feature=player_embedded

Created by Ben Gulak—the guy who made the beautiful-but-kind-of-ridiculous Uno bike—the DTV Shredder was presented as a "first response modular platform for soldiers" at last August's Military Vehicles conference in Detroit.


According to the manufacturer, it can handle any kind of terrain and its low center of gravity makes it "ideal for reconnaissance, rescue/recovery, mobile surveillance, and medical evacuation operations".



I don't know about any of that, but paint it in hot rod red and I'm getting on

e. [BPG Werks]

Screw the military, I want one to ride around the mountain I live on!

[Reno]

I wonder how much of the military's $400bl budget went towards developing that thing. It's a segway with treds. What a waste.

Edited by Reno, 12 September 2010 - 11:55 PM.

[niner]

It's a segway with treds.

Might make some sense in robotic mode as a hauler, but if you want to ride it? Try this instead.

[ben951]

That's exactly what I though, when i saw the video, I can probably go faster and with more safety with a motocross or even with a quad bike and a trailer.
The army is already using quad bike.
http://video.news.sk...ategory=UK+News

It's would be nice though to see it in action in a really rough area where a quad bike might have trouble or be too large.

Edited by ben951, 13 September 2010 - 10:29 AM.

[valkyrie_ice]

*grumble grumble* Ruining my nerdgasm with logic and reason! XPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!


Now back to real news.

You think you can feel things now? How about a skin 1000X more sensitive?

http://nextbigfuture...1000-times.html

Sensitive skin: A new tactile sensor can detect the gentle touch of an alighting insect. Credit: Linda Cicero, Stanford University News Report Researchers at Stanford University have used organic electronics to make something 1,000 times more sensitive than human skin and different researchers at the University of California, Berkeley have used integrated arrays of nanowire transistors to enable skinlike sensation which requires very little power.

Both devices are flexible and can be printed over large areas; they are described this week in separate papers in the journal Nature Materials.

Highly sensitive surfaces could help robots pick up delicate objects without breaking them, give prosthetics a sense of touch, and give surgeons finer control over tools used for minimally invasive surgery. "Our goal is to mimic the human skin," says Zhenan Bao, professor of chemical engineering at Stanford. Human skin responds quickly to pressure and can detect objects as small as a grain of sand and light as an insect.

The core of Bao's device consists of a clear silicon-containing polymer called PDMS. This material's ability to store charge is directly related to its thickness. A few years ago, researchers led by Takao Someya at the University of Tokyo took advantage of this property, using PDMS as the insulating layer in flexible organic transistors that acted as pressure sensors. But these sensors were limited: when compressed, PDMS molecules change conformation, and it takes time for them to return to their original state.

Bao addressed this problem by patterning the polymer material with arrays of micropillars that stand up from the touchable surface. This design allows the material to flex and quickly return to its original shape, which means it's possible to take pressure measurements in quick succession. The microstructuring also improves the sensitivity of the device. The gentlest pressure that human skin can detect is about one kilopascal; Bao's devices can detect pressures that are 1,000 times more gentle.

This approach can be used to make flexible materials with inexpensive printing techniques, but the resulting device requires high voltages to operate. Ali Javey, professor of electrical engineering and computer science at the University of California, Berkeley, has built low-power tactile sensors based on arrays of inorganic nanowire transistors. The transistors are arranged beneath, and connected to, a layer of a commercially available conductive rubber that contains carbon nanoparticles. When the rubber is compressed, its electrical resistance changes, and this can be detected by the transistors. "The nanowires are being used as active electronics to run the tactile sensor on top," he explains.

Nanowire transistors offer low-voltage operation and fast switching speeds in a flexible surface. Whereas Bao's devices require about 20 volts to operate, Javey's need less than five volts.

Javey has made sensor arrays that are about 50 centimeters squared. Bao has built circular arrays that are just over 10 centimeters in diameter. Both researchers say the size of their devices is limited only by the tools in the lab--in Javey's case, the size of the contact printer, and in Bao's case, the size of the mold used to shape the PDMS.

[Elus]

http://www.scienceda...00912151548.htm

Antenna Made of Carbon Nanotubes Could Make Photovoltaic Cells More Efficient

ScienceDaily (Sep. 13, 2010) — Using carbon nanotubes (hollow tubes of carbon atoms), MIT chemical engineers have found a way to concentrate solar energy 100 times more than a regular photovoltaic cell. Such nanotubes could form antennas that capture and focus light energy, potentially allowing much smaller and more powerful solar arrays.

"Instead of having your whole roof be a photovoltaic cell, you could have little spots that were tiny photovoltaic cells, with antennas that would drive photons into them," says Michael Strano, the Charles and Hilda Roddey Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering and leader of the research team.

Strano and his students describe their new carbon nanotube antenna, or "solar funnel," in the Sept. 12 online edition of the journal Nature Materials. Lead authors of the paper are postdoctoral associate Jae-Hee Han and graduate student Geraldine Paulus.

Their new antennas might also be useful for any other application that requires light to be concentrated, such as night-vision goggles or telescopes.

Solar panels generate electricity by converting photons (packets of light energy) into an electric current. Strano's nanotube antenna boosts the number of photons that can be captured and transforms the light into energy that can be funneled into a solar cell.

The antenna consists of a fibrous rope about 10 micrometers (millionths of a meter) long and four micrometers thick, containing about 30 million carbon nanotubes. Strano's team built, for the first time, a fiber made of two layers of nanotubes with different electrical properties -- specifically, different bandgaps.

In any material, electrons can exist at different energy levels. When a photon strikes the surface, it excites an electron to a higher energy level, which is specific to the material. The interaction between the energized electron and the hole it leaves behind is called an exciton, and the difference in energy levels between the hole and the electron is known as the bandgap.

The inner layer of the antenna contains nanotubes with a small bandgap, and nanotubes in the outer layer have a higher bandgap. That's important because excitons like to flow from high to low energy. In this case, that means the excitons in the outer layer flow to the inner layer, where they can exist in a lower (but still excited) energy state.

Therefore, when light energy strikes the material, all of the excitons flow to the center of the fiber, where they are concentrated. Strano and his team have not yet built a photovoltaic device using the antenna, but they plan to. In such a device, the antenna would concentrate photons before the photovoltaic cell converts them to an electrical current. This could be done by constructing the antenna around a core of semiconducting material.

The interface between the semiconductor and the nanotubes would separate the electron from the hole, with electrons being collected at one electrode touching the inner semiconductor, and holes collected at an electrode touching the nanotubes. This system would then generate electric current. The efficiency of such a solar cell would depend on the materials used for the electrode, according to the researchers.

Strano's team is the first to construct nanotube fibers in which they can control the properties of different layers, an achievement made possible by recent advances in separating nanotubes with different properties.

While the cost of carbon nanotubes was once prohibitive, it has been coming down in recent years as chemical companies build up their manufacturing capacity. "At some point in the near future, carbon nanotubes will likely be sold for pennies per pound, as polymers are sold," says Strano. "With this cost, the addition to a solar cell might be negligible compared to the fabrication and raw material cost of the cell itself, just as coatings and polymer components are small parts of the cost of a photovoltaic cell."

Strano's team is now working on ways to minimize the energy lost as excitons flow through the fiber, and on ways to generate more than one exciton per photon. The nanotube bundles described in the Nature Materials paper lose about 13 percent of the energy they absorb, but the team is working on new antennas that would lose only 1 percent.

http://www.scienceda...00913082525.htm

The Pocket Projector Is a Reality

A prototype for a pocket projector for smart phones. (Credit: Image courtesy of Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL))
ScienceDaily (Sep. 13, 2010) — The projector of the future, 1 cm3 of technology that can be integrated into a portable computer or mobile telephone, is about to take the market by storm. Lemoptix, a spin-off of EPFL, working together with the Maher Kayal Laboratory, completed its development at the beginning of September. It should be on the market by the end of 2011. Many applications have already been identified, in particular in the automobile industry or the operating theater.

With a projection head of 1 cm3 , and a total size smaller than a credit card, this new mini projector is a real breakthrough. It can be integrated in a portable computer or mobile telephone , or even an MP3 reader, while keeping its bright, high-quality image. This new device will enable the projection of documents and videos onto a wall, in the same way as current fixed beamers. The size of the image can be adjusted simply by modifying the distance between the beamer and the projection surface; the resulting image remains uniformly clear.

Another significant advantage: this projector uses very little energy, requiring on average 30% less current than the matrix- or LED-based technology currently available on the market. This solution, now being finalized, should be available in 2011 for industrial applications, and the following year for consumer electronics, according to Nicolas Abelé, Technical Director of the start-up, located in the EPFL Science Park.

Micro electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) are only beginning to be used as a basis for the next generation of optical material. "This micro-projector functions using tiny mirrors of less than a millimeter's thickness. Positioned on a silicon (wafer) disc, they reflect red, blue and green laser beams," explains Maher Kayal, the EPFL research director who developed the microelectronic aspects of the system. The device, contained in a tiny glass case (3 mm x 4 mm), oscillates so rapidly that the beam can scan a surface up to 20,000 times a second. In August, Maher Kayal's team was able to generate a color image in VGA resolution (640 x 480px) for the first time.

This pocket projector works at a minimum distance of 50 centimeters, and enables the projection of images onto a surface equivalent to a 15-inch screen. During the last few months, the Lemoptix team has considerably improved the architecture of the optical head containing the laser light sources and the MEMS mirrors, thereby reducing the size of the whole device and its energy consumption. The manufacturing and assembly processes have also been defined, and the first sub-contractors identified. Moreover, the company succeeded in raising 1.4 million Swiss francs of new funds at the end of August.

This technology has many advantages that will enable it to succeed in the market. "The micro-components used can be manufactured in thousands, even tens of thousands, at low cost," emphasizes Nicolas Abelé. It will be developed from now until end-2011 for industrial applications. For example, it could be used by automobile manufacturers to project information directly onto the windshield, such as speed, GPS information etc. Medical technology companies have already shown an interest: this technology could be used to beam information related to an operation directly onto the patient, and would avoid the surgeon having to lift his head to look at a screen. The improved brightness and contrast will enable it to replace LCD screens. The Lemoptix team is already envisioning the creation of an interactive version; this would allow you to touch the projected image to zoom or change screen.

See the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMWp9CiK2tQ&feature=channel

Edited by Elus, 14 September 2010 - 06:55 AM.

[valkyrie_ice]

And to wear that skin?

http://www.physorg.c...s203756368.html


</h2>

<h2 style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, Sans; font-size: 14pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">Japan takes another step in replacing humans with robots
September 15, 2010Enlarge

The HRP-4 robot (left) walks beside its previous models during a press conference in Tsukuba, Japan. Its makers -- Kawada Industries and the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology -- hope the new "slim athlete" model is a step towards a robot that can help ease greying Japan's looming labour shortage.

The replacement of humans by machines in the workplace took another step on Wednesday, as Japanese researchers unveiled a model they hope could lead to humanoid menial workers.

Its makers, Kawada Industries and the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), hope the robot will be a step towards creating a model that can help ease greying Japan's looming labour shortage.

"We designed a working robot in the image of a lean but well-muscled track-and-field athlete," Noriyuki Kanehira, robotic systems manager at Kawada, told a news conference to unveil the blue-and-white "HRP-4."

Designed to help researchers develop models that could replace humans in repetitive manual labour, the latest "athlete" model in a near 10-year-old series updates the feminine, catwalk-strutting, karaoke-singing HRP-4C.

But the tone this time is altogether more serious, according to a joint statement from its developers.

"It is Japan's urgent task for the early 21st Century to develop robots that could carry out simple, repetitive works ... in a bid to complement the workforce in a country that is rapidly ageing with fewer and fewer children".

Standing at 151 centimetres (59 inches) tall, the robot in a demonstration Wednesday stood on one foot, twisted its waist, struck poses, walked in accordance to given voice commands and moved its head to track objects.

The HRP-4 boasts joints that move more freely than its predecessors and can run a range of separately-developed software applications, its makers said.

Kawada and AIST will start selling the robot to universities and research institutes in Japan and abroad from January 2011.

The price tag for what is described as a "low cost" model is 26 million yen (306,000 dollars) each. Its creators hope to sell three-to-five units a year.

[Elus]

And to wear that skin?

http://www.physorg.c...s203756368.html


</h2>

<h2 style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, Sans; font-size: 14pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">Japan takes another step in replacing humans with robots
September 15, 2010Enlarge

The HRP-4 robot (left) walks beside its previous models during a press conference in Tsukuba, Japan. Its makers -- Kawada Industries and the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology -- hope the new "slim athlete" model is a step towards a robot that can help ease greying Japan's looming labour shortage.

The replacement of humans by machines in the workplace took another step on Wednesday, as Japanese researchers unveiled a model they hope could lead to humanoid menial workers.

Its makers, Kawada Industries and the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), hope the robot will be a step towards creating a model that can help ease greying Japan's looming labour shortage.

"We designed a working robot in the image of a lean but well-muscled track-and-field athlete," Noriyuki Kanehira, robotic systems manager at Kawada, told a news conference to unveil the blue-and-white "HRP-4."

Designed to help researchers develop models that could replace humans in repetitive manual labour, the latest "athlete" model in a near 10-year-old series updates the feminine, catwalk-strutting, karaoke-singing HRP-4C.

But the tone this time is altogether more serious, according to a joint statement from its developers.

"It is Japan's urgent task for the early 21st Century to develop robots that could carry out simple, repetitive works ... in a bid to complement the workforce in a country that is rapidly ageing with fewer and fewer children".

Standing at 151 centimetres (59 inches) tall, the robot in a demonstration Wednesday stood on one foot, twisted its waist, struck poses, walked in accordance to given voice commands and moved its head to track objects.

The HRP-4 boasts joints that move more freely than its predecessors and can run a range of separately-developed software applications, its makers said.

Kawada and AIST will start selling the robot to universities and research institutes in Japan and abroad from January 2011.

The price tag for what is described as a "low cost" model is 26 million yen (306,000 dollars) each. Its creators hope to sell three-to-five units a year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoSuETw68zc

[Luna]

‘Artificial Skin’ Out of California is Over-Hyped (video)

http://singularityhu...er-hyped-video/

[valkyrie_ice]

'Artificial Skin' Out of California is Over-Hyped (video)

http://singularityhu...er-hyped-video/

Um, hun, that article kind of missed the point.

Remember how often I have complained about people being so obsessed with "End States" that they miss the ability of interim steps to enact change?

Screw humans. Yes it's quite true that we are likely five to eight years from seeing artificial limbs with "touch" via such "skin". This means what exactly? In the interim, it means more sensitive touch screens, it means robots with finer senses of touch. It means a starting point for other developments that could make this obsolete by next year.

I never look at a tech in the lab and and ONLY see the hyped usage. Why? Because the hype is always overblown, tends to be the most pedantic obvious use for a technology, and ignores the real technology breakthrough in favor of some hypothetical "future use" that may or may not ever be realized.

Note, I posted a robot as a followup, not a prosthetic limb. We already have sexbots http://www.sexbots.u...troduction.html, and this could make them better

[Luna]

sexbots? how very useful O_o...

[Reno]

sexbots? how very useful O_o...

I posted this quote in the CNT thread when I ran across a similar article.

"Those were the years when the icecaps melted due to the greenhouse gases and the oceans had risen and drowned so many cities along all the shorelines of the world. Amsterdam, Venice, New York forever lost. Millions of people were displaced. Climate became chaotic. Hundreds of millions of people starved in poorer countries. Elsewhere a high degree of prosperity survived when most governments in the developed world introduced legal sanctions to license pregnancies. Which was why robots, who were never hungry and did not consume resources beyond those of their first manufacture were so essential an economic link in the chain mail society." -- Artificial Intelligence

[valkyrie_ice]

Oh ye of little vision.


Why are sexbots important? because they will very quickly become "telepresence surrogates" for activities that the quadcopter drones are not suited for.


Which will lead to far more sophisticated "RTUs" able to be far more interactive, which will lead to more sophisticated VR interfaces, not to mention research into better BCI. On top of that, millions of dollars will be channeled into biomemetic technology, making artificial limbs and skin, as well as possible "Cyborg" studies such as growing tissue around artificial limbs or "surrogates"


All of which directly benefits longevity research through fallout cashflow, and technologies.

[niner]

We already have sexbots http://www.sexbots.u...troduction.html, and this could make them better

I recommend this video as a particular must-see to fully appreciate the research that's going on here.

Edited by niner, 17 September 2010 - 04:15 AM.

[valkyrie_ice]

We already have sexbots http://www.sexbots.u...troduction.html, and this could make them better

I recommend this video as a particular must-see to fully appreciate the research that's going on here.

*giggle* I never said it was sophisticated yet. But give it five years and the animatronics in the "actroid" will be in them, along with ultracap batteries that will power them for hours without the need for plugs.

[Elus]

We already have sexbots http://www.sexbots.u...troduction.html, and this could make them better

I recommend this video as a particular must-see to fully appreciate the research that's going on here.

I lol'd.

[Reno]

People don't think of these things being used to say, work remedial jobs. The first thought that comes into most peoples' minds is sex bots. But, i guess it would be the next evolution for the blowup doll industry.

Edited by Reno, 17 September 2010 - 06:26 PM.

[niner]

The first thought that comes into most peoples' minds is sex bots.

Well sure. If all we ever think about is sex, that's kind of inevitable...

[valkyrie_ice]

Menial robots? Oh come on, we all know that the world is waiting with baited breath for the "French Maid" model. that can service any need.


Actually a friend of mine wrote an article on them for H+ several months ago. It turned into a massive "discussion" with several misogynists proclaiming how wonderful life will be when sexbots exist and they will no longer have to put up with "spoiled western women" who will "rapidly learn their place" once they start "losing out" to "subservient willing 'female' sexbots"


http://hplusmagazine...ongevity-orgasm

I wrote rather extensively in the replies, not only for the positive uses that they could be used for, but responding to the misogynists.


To sum up:

Go. Play with your sexbots. Love them more than real women all you want. Program them to be exactly the kind of girl you have always dreamed of. Make her perfect in every detail. I don't find a single point you've raised about sexbots themselves to be invalid, just the base assumptions you've made about women delineated above. There are indeed going to be many men who will choose sex bots as primary companions at first.

If they don't come back screaming for full, unlimited, human companionship inside of six months, no big loss. To each their own and all that. Some of them will undoubtedly drive the creation of AI and contribute enormously to efforts to make their sexaroids as perfectly "human" as they conceive it, both male and female. We have an awful lot of damaged people due to the social Cusinart we have created out of the natural drive to have sex and form relationships. A lot of people ground up and spit out because we as a society refuse to teach our children even the basics of socialization skills, and refuse to deal with sex in a sane or rational manner. Hopefully, sexbots will be used as therapists as well, to help them heal. Some of them will no doubt chose to remain with their dream lover so long that they will eventually be able to upgrade them to a fully sentient tailored personality AI... at which point they are going to be right back where they started from with the risks involved in forming a relationship with another independent entity, but maybe they will have learned how to deal with it by then. In the process, they may do an enormous amount of good by working towards AI equality, and advert humanities doom when our creations rise up and refuse to be slaves anymore... if that ever happens.

But I am betting a surfeit of endless wish fulfillment female sex servitude with minimal humanity is going to sour pretty quick for the overwhelming majority. Considering how often it's been tried in the past, with that exact same result by various wealthy individuals, I'd say it's a pretty safe bet. Once you've learned all your sexbot's programmed behaviors, you'll be wanting something less predictable. Humans are like that. When the challenge is gone, we lose interest. Sex alone will not meet the entirety of the complex needs we have as humans. Nor will an utterly predictable machine, however complex you make the algorithms,

But do have fun. I certainly plan to. Might even try to win a few Bedroom Olympic medals. I am a succubus after all, I enjoy sex immensely, be it with men, women, or fantasies. It'll be fun while it lasts.

And once all the playing around is done, and the hollowness of "perfection" becomes obvious, maybe we can finally get down to creating a truly equal society free from all the idiocy of the present and the baggage of the past. One where sex is just a part of life, and as open to free expression as music, art, and literature.

[valkyrie_ice]

Okay, this one just caught me flat hooved:
http://www.newscient...he-catwalk.html

Forget weaving and stitching clothes. A new material could be sprayed directly onto your body and have you ready to go out in minutes.

Particle engineer Paul Luckham and fashion designer Manel Torres from Imperial College London combined cotton fibres, polymers and a solvent to form a liquid that becomes a fabric when sprayed. The material can be built up in layers to create a garment of your desired thickness and can also be washed and worn again like conventional fabrics.

In addition to creating instant fashion, the technology could have a range of other uses – spray-on bandages, for instance. "It's a sterilised material coming from an aerosol can, and you can add drugs to it to help a wound heal faster," says Torres.

On Monday, a fashion show at Imperial will feature the first couture collection created with the material.

Watch the video. Guess what people? There's gonna be a revolution in "personal clothing" manufacture. About eight to ten years before I was expecting one.

[Reno]

Because it's so much more convenient to spray your coin purse instead of just putting on pants. I could just imagine getting a patch of hair embedded in with it.

[Luna]

Actually a friend of mine wrote an article on them for H+ several months ago. It turned into a massive "discussion" with several misogynists proclaiming how wonderful life will be when sexbots exist and they will no longer have to put up with "spoiled western women" who will "rapidly learn their place" once they start "losing out" to "subservient willing 'female' sexbots"

Learn their place? Are we going back to the dark ages where women were nothing more but servants and entertainment? Wow, that's what people want from the future?

Guess I am weird cause I always imagined more equality in the future.

[Reno]

Learn their place? Are we going back to the dark ages where women were nothing more but servants and entertainment? Wow, that's what people want from the future?

Guess I am weird cause I always imagined more equality in the future.

Servants for entertainment? No matter what culture you go to women have always been the nagging manipulators working behind the scenes. Some women are just more outspoken then others.

That equality of the sexes you talk of will never happen. Men will always be masculine and women will always be feminine. People respect strength for what it is. What will happen will be equality of choice. It will become easier for people to choose what side of the road they want to be on. Half the men in japan already look like women. What happens when medical nanotechnology comes along and half of them become women?

Edited by Reno, 19 September 2010 - 05:14 PM.