Robot future in doubt
Tuesday, 24 Apr 2007 15:46
Could robots fight alongside soldiers?
Science In Focus
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Robots undertaking mundane human tasks or fighting in wars may be seen as part of Earth's future but scientists have warned that they could cause more problems than solutions.
A number of academics have cast doubt on robots' usefulness, dismissing ideas to use them in combat forces or to work in places like old people's homes.
Professor Alan Winfield, professor of engineering at the University of the West of England, said that robots of "all shapes and sizes" from research laboratories encounter problems when they are placed in a human environment.
"The reason for that is that human environments are typically chaotic; messy, untidy, unpredictable," he told the Today programme.
"The robot may well be predictable, but when you put it in an unpredictable environment, i.e. a human environment, then you can't actually be quite sure about the dependability of that robot.
"No matter how well you programme them you cannot anticipate all of the chaotic and unpredictable things that happen in the real world."
Professor Noel Sharkey of Sheffield University echoed his views, raising concerns about robots used in combat and domestic situations.
"One of the things we are worried about is that old people will be dumped somewhere with machines looking after them," he said.
Their comments come ahead of a debate on the future of robotics held at London's Science Museum.