Is... is it wrong to get turned on by this?
My uncertainty about what I'd actually do with one is equaled only by my irrational conviction that I nevertheless need one.
PhD Student gets quadrotor helicopter moving aggressively
81–90 of 105 posts
Re: PhD Student gets quadrotor helicopter moving aggressively
#82Serious question, is there anything driving mobile robotics research besides the defense dept? I spent my grad school time in a robotics lab and it always bummed me out that anytime you see something amazing like this it's invariable funded by a military research agency which can't wait to strap a gun to the damned thing. Same thing for computer vision, except it was all about surveillance.
Everything good starts out for war, entertainment or porn. Later that technology benefits regular uses which become the mainstream.
Throughout history all great minds and technological advances were close to defense development. This here internet is an example, GPS another. Good things come from war competition thats the rub.
Re: PhD Student gets quadrotor helicopter moving aggressively
#83Re: PhD Student gets quadrotor helicopter moving aggressively
#84Holy. Crap. Imagine what could become of this research in 5-10 years of sustained development? God help the poor sucker that needs to deal with one of those things when coupled with less than benevolent intentions. Imagine five of these, armed and working together? Good bye urban combat, hello robotic assassins.
Imagine ten thousand of them swarming in over the horizon, all sharing data and building a super accurate 3d map of everywhere they go. In 5-10 years time the cost of something like this would have to be less than $100. I guess power supply/range would be the main problem.
Re: PhD Student gets quadrotor helicopter moving aggressively
#85Interesting as a media-grabbing stunt, but not terribly useful. There might be applications in reconnaissance for emergency services or police, but that market is not very significant. Really roboticists need to be focussing their efforts on solving problems which will allow the industry to grow and break out from its traditional niches.
Re: PhD Student gets quadrotor helicopter moving aggressively
#86Serious question, is there anything driving mobile robotics research besides the defense dept? I spent my grad school time in a robotics lab and it always bummed me out that anytime you see something amazing like this it's invariable funded by a military research agency which can't wait to strap a gun to the damned thing. Same thing for computer vision, except it was all about surveillance.
The "only funded by the military" gripe only applies to the US, and is a peculiarity of American culture. In other areas robotics research is funded by a lot of other organisations besides military ones.
Re: PhD Student gets quadrotor helicopter moving aggressively
#87Holy. Crap. Imagine what could become of this research in 5-10 years of sustained development? God help the poor sucker that needs to deal with one of those things when coupled with less than benevolent intentions. Imagine five of these, armed and working together? Good bye urban combat, hello robotic assassins.
Based upon my observations there is no such thing as "sustained development" in academic robotics research. Otherwise I agree that larger versions of this with a weapon could make war crimes or acts of terrorism easy to commit.
Re: PhD Student gets quadrotor helicopter moving aggressively
#88If you find quad-copters doing cool stuff check out also this video:
http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/18/quad-copter-responds-to-y...
Re: PhD Student gets quadrotor helicopter moving aggressively
#89Earlier quoted context omitted.
Fair enough, but there's nothing overtly weaponizable about communication technology. Reliable and secure communication technology is what enables the military to function. Without it, all the weapons technology in the world wont do you any good. So on a moral level, if you are against war you should actually find working as a researcher on communication technology more reprehensible than working on weapons. On an in…
"On an intuitive level I would guess that the breakdown or compromise of military communication has resulted in a greater loss of life than advances in robotics." Up to this point, yes. Not many robots. I suspect the next 300 years will change that ratio hugely. Networks won't kill people...bots with guns will kill people. It's part of the researcher mindset to rationalise their (enjoyable, paid, 'important') work, o…
As the great Tom Lehrer put it:
"Once the rockets are up, who cares where they come down? That’s not my department," says Werner von Braun.
Re: PhD Student gets quadrotor helicopter moving aggressively
#90Serious question, is there anything driving mobile robotics research besides the defense dept? I spent my grad school time in a robotics lab and it always bummed me out that anytime you see something amazing like this it's invariable funded by a military research agency which can't wait to strap a gun to the damned thing. Same thing for computer vision, except it was all about surveillance.
Everything good starts out for war, entertainment or porn. Later that technology benefits regular uses which become the mainstream. Throughout history all great minds and technological advances were close to defense development. This here internet is an example, GPS another. Good things come from war competition thats the rub.
The Wright Brothers and Ford weren't doing it for any of those, and neither were the people who invented chocolate or GM rice. People researching the solar system aren't working for the defense industry. Many, many things originate outside of war, entertainment or porn.