-Poul Anderson, "Quixote and the Windmill" IN Anderson, The Complete Psychotechnic League, Volume 2, pp. 7-16 AT p. 7.
"Robot, Guthrie strode up the hill from the airstrip."
-Harvest Of Stars, 55, p. 467.
Two robots; two future histories by Poul Anderson. The first recalls I, Robot by Isaac Asimov and The Green Hills Of Earth by Robert Heinlein. I remember when I first heard of "robots," did not understand what they were and thought that they were a threat. Dan Dare's enemy, the Mekon, used robots to conquer the Solar System.
What a long way we have come with Poul Anderson from his first two future histories, the Psychotechnic and Technic Histories, to his last two, Harvest Of Stars and Genesis - and what better ending than a new beginning?
15 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
And, amusingly, REAL robots are not built with humaniform bodies. Rather, most of them are programmed for use in automated, repetitive tasks in factories. They are not conscious, self aware entities.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
On a factory production line, I saw a massive robot arm repetitively lifting, bending at the elbow, turning, laying down and returning. I thought, "Now all we need is the rest of the body."
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
Yes, but that factory did not need the robot to have the "rest" of its body.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
Of course not the arm functioned so well just as an arm that it seemed to belong on a giant body.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
Oops! I was being too literal minded!
Ad astra! Sean
See Boston Dynamics “Atlas” robot.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
Boston Dynamics "Atlas" robot, which I will look up.
Ad astra! Sean
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
I did look up Boston Dynamics "Atlas" robot. Very impressive, esp. the jumping and backflips. It had me wondering if this kind of technology could be used as a kind of exoskeleton enabling people who had lost their legs or the use of their legs to move around.
I also noticed the rather odd way the Atlas robot walked, BENT at the knees. Most humans walk straight legged, not bent at the knees.
Ad astra! Sean
Amazing.
Kaor, Paul!
I agree. One caveat is my doubting there will be any practical need for humanoid robots any time soon.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean: military uses.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
I can see that, once you pointed it out! OK, I don't see much need for humaniform robots for civilian uses.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean: but we can't anticipate what future uses will be found for them. The human frame is a good machine for generalized physical tasks; a robotic analogue would therefore probably have multiple uses.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
I have to agree, we can't anticipate what uses may be found for humaniform robots in the future. It just SEEMS to me that robots work best at repetitive or specialized tasks not calling for a humanlike frame or limbs.
Ad astra! Sean
In "Quixote and the Windmill," the first robot in the world is already unemployed.
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