[Robotgroup] Panel discussion suggestions for Armadillocon 11-13 August 2006?

[Don Colbath]

So from this I gather Glenn will be our panel of experts?      

Don  ;o)

Glenn wrote:

>Edge-wise words.
>
>See below, in context...
>
>-Glenn
>
>Vern Graner wrote:
>  
>
>>Def Egge wrote:
>>  
>>    
>>
>>>The fine folks at Armadillocon have offered us a 'panel' for which we need
>>>to decide topic and panelists.
>>>
>>>Does anyone have a suggestion that they would like to field?  There are
>>>still nine (9) days until the 'con so we could, of course, wait until the
>>>moment that the panel is scheduled (titled: T.B.A.) and surprise them....
>>>I would prefer that we take another route.
>>>    
>>>      
>>>
>>Hmm Well, it's hard to get a word in edge-wise with all the chatter 
>>about this topic, but I'll try.. ;) Some ideas for a panel topic:
>>
>>
>>
>>1) The Robotics Renaissance- Are robots back to stay?
>>
>>--In the 1980's we had Maxx Steele, The Omnibot, Topo and lets not 
>>forget the Heath HERO series. In spite of the best efforts of many 
>>companies, the home robot never caught on. Now, with Lego Mindstorms, 
>>Robo-1, QIRO and even the Roomba, a robotic renaissance seems to be 
>>emerging. What's responsible for the "comeback" in robotics and is there 
>>really any difference between these new robots and the failed commercial 
>>robots of the 1980s?
>>  
>>    
>>
>As always, depends on what your definition of a "robot" is...
>We are actually surrounded by them in this country.
>
>If they can provide good answers to the following, robots are here to stay:
>
>Can you make money, quickly, with them?
>Can you entertain with them?
>Can you kill with them?
>  
>
>>2) Will Modern Robotics be able to cross the Uncanny Valley?
>>
>>--In the 1970's, Japanese roboticist Masahiro Mori discovered that as a 
>>robot is made more humanlike in its appearance and motion, the emotional 
>>response from a human being to the robot will become increasingly 
>>positive and empathic, until a point is reached beyond which the 
>>response quickly becomes strongly negative. He dubbed this principle 
>>"The Uncanny Valley". With Sony's AIBO dog already discontinued in favor 
>>of the more humanoid looking QIRO and ASIMO, and the new ROBO-1 robots 
>>hitting the market, will people be accepting of new technology without 
>>being "creeped out" by robots that might become "too good" at mimicking 
>>humans?
>>  
>>    
>>
>Reactions differ in different places in the world.  In much of the 
>world, existence is hand to mouth,
>robots are of no interest - new humans are easy to produce and mobile 
>factories already exist even
>in the poorest of countries.
>
>Robots, even humanoid, seem more popular in Japan than in the U.S.  In 
>the book, "The Robot Kingdom",
>the concept of a machine having a soul, is more problematic / 
>threatening in western cultures.
>
>People don't like appliances and cars talking to them - the 
>manufacturers found this out long ago.
>Folks may prefer mute robots.
>  
>
>>3) The rise and fall of the electronic hobbyist.
>>
>>--Your father may have built a Heathkit radio, and you might have had a 
>>65-in-1 electronics kit from Radio shack. Soldering was not an entirely 
>>unknown skill. Where there used to be a slew of electronic hobbyist 
>>magazines on the racks of the book store (PopTronics, Electronic 
>>Hobbyist, Radio Electronics), you'd be hard pressed to even *find* an 
>>electronic experimenters kit at a Radio shack store amidst the clutter 
>>of pre-built consumer electronics. Where did the inventors, the 
>>creators, the experimenters go? What was responsible for the decline in 
>>the "tinkerer" and how do we rekindle an interest in *creating* as 
>>opposed to *consuming*?
>>  
>>    
>>
>
>This is an important topic that has many deep ramifications.  Some kits 
>used to be cheaper than
>a similar assembled device.  Some were just as expensive or even more 
>expensive than an factory
>assembled unit - the plus was the education factor.  We need more of 
>this sort of thing - hard to
>balance with a "instant" gratification culture.
>  
>
>>4) What ever happened to Battlebots?
>>
>>--August 23, 2000- BattleBots - the T.V. series begins airing on Comedy 
>>Central and popular attention is captured by the robot fighting show. 
>>Now, only 6 years later, the show is gone and the concept has faded to a 
>>shadow of its former self. Why didn't the concept "stick" and does the 
>>demise of battlebot type shows bode well or ill for the personal and 
>>commercial robotics industry?
>>  
>>    
>>
>The radio controlled robots soon became so boring, that the show 
>producers felt "forced" to add:
>
>Color commentators and Carmine Electra
>flashing lights, noise / music
>"House hazards"
>Live screaming audience shots
>
>... and all because the robots were, by themselves, so crushingly boring,
>and there are limits to those willing to spend upwards of $20,000.00 of 
>their own money
>to provide show producers expensive, disposable props, for free, for 
>their cheap TV shows.
>
>Autonomous robots might have been more interesting, but the producers of 
>the shows were too cheap,
>crushingly boring and unimaginative themselves, to pursue this avenue.
>
>  
>
>>5) Wheres the robotic "killer App"?
>>
>>--The first example of a killer application is generally agreed to be 
>>the VisiCalc spreadsheet on the Apple II platform. The machine was 
>>purchased in the thousands by finance workers on the strength of this 
>>one program. Next came Lotus 1-2-3 heralding the introduction of the IBM 
>>PC (and its many clones) into the business world. Aldus PageMaker and 
>>Adobe PostScript which gave the graphic design and desktop publishing to 
>>Apple Macintosh in the late 1980s. A killer app can provide an important 
>>niche market for a non-mainstream platform. So far, Roboticists have yet 
>>to find this "Killer App" that will make robotics indispensable. Is 
>>there a killer app and if so, what could it be?
>>  
>>    
>>
>Many, many things are needed for a really good robot.  Processing power 
>has gotten orders of
>magnitude better since the Heath Hero days, batteries are only slightly 
>better.  The mechanicals are still
>expensive - not much break on the cost there, and piles of software is 
>needed. 
>
>We are still trying to define intelligence, artificial or otherwise, 
>which makes it a challenge to "code" it up.
>
>We need lots of folks working on the many challenges with all the 
>subsystems needed for a really cool
>robot.  For the most part only large companies and their university 
>buddies are in much of a position to
>pull all needed resources together.  A reasonably good walking humanoid 
>robot can cost millions to
>build.
>
>Keep building, we will need lots of people to make good robots.
>
>As Vern has tried to point out, there really is limited material 
>regarding robots for a panel to discuss -
>limited by the time needed to discuss them fully. ;-)
>
>
>  
>
>>Ok, so thats OTTOMH... :)
>>
>>Vern
>>
>>  
>>    
>>
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>Robotgroup mailing list
>Robotgroup at puremagic.com
>http://lists.puremagic.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/robotgroup
>
>  
>

-- 

Ironic, isn't it, that God gave the tortoise a drag factor of 0.03