Robot Programmed to Love Turns Stalker
Science has just proved that stalking is the next logical step in human or near-human affection. Kenji, the emoting robot, a project at a Toshiba robotic research facility, grew quite attached to a stuffed human-sized doll (in the picture on that original post). A female intern, taking diagnostics and uploading new programs to Kenji daily over a few weeks, soon became the next object of Kenji’s affection. One night, after finishing up her diagnostics, Kenji began hugging the intern repeatedly and actually physically stopped her from leaving the room.
Now, bear in mind, Kenji was only programmed to express himself in pre-recorded dog and cat noises. Imagine a barking, meowing, rampaging robot rushing toward you repeatedly, trying to give you hugs with its 100kg hydraulic arms and you’ll get an idea as to how creepy this is. With some foresight, they could have added one or two extra lines of code to tell the robot that no does indeed mean no. Really, scientists, I’ll write it for you:
if (input == “No”) return false;
else hug();
The intern was trapped in the room and had to run from the hugging robot until she got through to some researchers who came in and shut Kenji down.
This story also brings up another interesting question: Why in the hell is Toshiba creating emoting robots? The idea of a television somehow loving me back scares me a little more than it appeals to me. Given the infrequency with which I watch television, I’d be the robotic equivalent of a player, calling up my television once a week for a little casual fling and then leaving her for a solid week to talk with my other friends and spend time with my wife. I don’t know what I’d do if someone ever urged my television to leave me and get on with its life.
Imagine what would happen to the computing world. All I.T. departments in businesses would have to be equipped with PC Whisperers along with the usual geeks and nerds to talk edgy computers down from the edge. Clingy computers would refuse to operate for others when their usual users were out. We’d have to develop the electronic equivalent of prostitutes: computers we could use and then leave with no emotional attachments
In the end, Kenji ended up hug-assaulting everyone who worked with him closely, so they’re probably going to have to shut him down permanently. Their next project? Programming a robot that’s a real bastard. Scientists, here’s some code for you:
if (input == “No”) hug();
else kick(groin);