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as someone whos worked alongside caged articulated robots, i can think of nothing more terrifying than a multi-axis, unrestricted pick and place on wheels. whe

as someone whos worked alongside caged articulated robots, i can think of nothing more terrifying than a multi-axis, unrestricted pick and place on wheels. when a robot crashes, it generally does so with an astounding amount of uncontrolled speed and power. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FwdMjYUyKM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FwdMjYUyKM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cpg_3syMT_U https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cpg_3syMT_U stretch seems like the fastest way to the goriest obituary. its also noteworthy to state most robotic lines can be powered off in an emergency at several points. Try convincing a fire team to enter your factory to extinguish a blaze with a dozen flaming Boston Dynamics robots wandering the floor in various states of operation.

mam2 6y ago
there are hundreds of safe robots with the proper software. it does need to be a priority for the teams working on it
iandanforth 6y ago
You're not wrong :) Do the robots in those videos use hydrolics?
BoiledCabbage 6y ago
The other concern is that they've starting to be deployed via policing - and all of the consequences that will entail. The laws aren't yet prepared for this and it will cause the same types of impacts on society. A lawmaker put forward banning arming them, which seems like the bare minimum [1] - but what happens when they're used to "herd" protestor? Is that a good thing or bad? We as technologists keep repeating the same mistake, of developing new tech, ignoring the impact it will have on society, and then being shocked at the negative response by broader society. It's disappointing to see almost no discussion of the impact of tech here on HN, just superficial discussion of the tech itself. As a software engineer, what matters is not the code you write, but the impact is has on the customer. It takes most engineers many years to learn this. As a technologist, the exact same thing applies. [1] - https://www.wired.com/story/new-york-lawmaker-wants-ban-police-armed-robots/ https://www.wired.com/story/new-york-lawmaker-wants-ban-poli...

mam2 6y ago

there are hundreds of safe robots with the proper software. it does need to be a priority for the teams working on it

iandanforth 6y ago

You're not wrong :) Do the robots in those videos use hydrolics?

BoiledCabbage 6y ago

The other concern is that they've starting to be deployed via policing - and all of the consequences that will entail. The laws aren't yet prepared for this and it will cause the same types of impacts on society. A lawmaker put forward banning arming them, which seems like the bare minimum [1] - but what happens when they're used to "herd" protestor? Is that a good thing or bad? We as technologists keep repeating the same mistake, of developing new tech, ignoring the impact it will have on society, and then being shocked at the negative response by broader society. It's disappointing to see almost no discussion of the impact of tech here on HN, just superficial discussion of the tech itself. As a software engineer, what matters is not the code you write, but the impact is has on the customer. It takes most engineers many years to learn this. As a technologist, the exact same thing applies. [1] - https://www.wired.com/story/new-york-lawmaker-wants-ban-police-armed-robots/ https://www.wired.com/story/new-york-lawmaker-wants-ban-poli...