Sometimes, things just come together...

Such as these two unrelated bits of information.

First - as we know, Asimov hasn't won the fight yet regarding robotics. This is a robot that does not follow the First Law. Of course, there are some who feel the Three Laws of Robotics are unfair to robots and therefore unethical.

ORLANDO, Fla., Dec. 6, 2004 – Soldiers may have armed robots as battle buddies by early next year, according to industry and military officials attending the biennial Army Science Conference.

The Special Weapons Observation Reconnaissance Detection System, or SWORDS, will be joining Stryker Brigade soldiers in Iraq when it finishes final testing, said Staff Sgt. Santiago Tordillos, a bomb disposal test and evaluation noncommissioned officer in charge with the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technology Directorate of the Army’s Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center at Picatinny Arsenal, N.J.

The full article is here.

Kinda cool. Armed robot to go into dangerous places. I know I'd much rather send in a robot than kick down a door myself. Despite what the 'fair fight' whiners might have to say on the subject. I suspect that this little gizmo isn't going to be quite as good as expected, depending on how the sensor package works and how that feedback is perceived and acted on by the operator. But that will improve quickly under the influence of operations. However, that thought leads us to the "Things that make ya go, hmmmmm." confluence.

Today, CAPT H sent along this little article from CNN.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- Four people were able to control a computer using their thoughts and an electrode-studded "thinking cap", U.S. researchers reported Monday.

They said their set-up could someday be adapted to help disabled people operate a motorized wheelchair or artificial limb.

While experiments have allowed a monkey to control a computer with its thoughts, electrodes were implanted into the animal's brain. This experiment, reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, required no surgery and no implants.

All that's missing here is a direct feedback loop from the sensors. In terms of the robot, I mean. For the subjects in the 'thinking cap' experiment, there was a direct feedback loop with the sensors - the sensors were their eyes.

I'm talking about direct feeds of multiple sensor data (presumably enhanced over normal human parameters) back to the robot operator, with their responses being automatic.

Stuff of science fiction, eh? And closer than we think, I suspect, though not 'just around the corner.'

But Bolo's are getting closer.

The whole CNN article is here, until 21 December 04.