Robots, Robots, Robots - Part 1.

If you have seen a manufacturing facility in the last ten years, you have seen industrial robots.  They come in all shapes and sizes, from desktop models that can move a pen or pencil, to giant hydraulic arms which can grab an automobile off of an assembly line.

In short, robots have proliferated across the globe.  I can imagine a time in the not too distant future when robots will outnumber humans.  I'm not talking about robotic servants in our homes that cook, clean, and wash windows, although those will certainly come to us someday.  I'm talking about the robots which have largely replaced us in our factories, fly our airplanes, drive our cars, sail our ships.  Did you know they can see?  Yes, they now have all of our five senses:  sight, touch, taste, hearing and even smell.   Technology is advancing so fast it sometimes makes my head spin when I think about it.

Why should we care about the proliferation of robots (and smart computer programs)?   Well, for one thing, they are putting us out of work.  They don't get paid, they always show up for work, that is, they never go home.  They may break down and need to be repaired, but they don't get sick unless they are connected to the internet and may be subject to hackers.

But more significantly, robots or smart computer programs may become sentient, self aware machines.  Can you imagine that?  Can you imagine what a robot could do with access to Google?  With the ability to learn and remember everything, there is no limit to what it might do.  It boggles the mind.

I once heard a professor say he would not be afraid of a robot as long as it loved him.  I'm not so sure.  I love my dog and my cat, but I don't think I want a robot to keep me as a pet.  Do you?


R. Allan Worrell
Author:  Father John's Gift
Contact E-mail:  alw314@yahoo.com