Robotic Revolutions

Image Credit: April Allen

Good morning faithful readers. Today I’m going to take a step back and let a close friend of mine step up to the plate. Michael Biscone is a graduate of Boston University and a certified EMT. I have to credit Michael for introducing me to the concept of the singularity, which ultimately spawned this Web site. I hope you all enjoy what he has to say.

A Review of Joel Garreau’s Radical Evolution

By Michael Biscone
I used to think it would behoove me to earn as much money as possible the next few years solely for the purpose of constructing a bomb shelter in the mountains of rural Maine. I mean, it seemed to me that at some point in my lifetime, some earth shattering human caused disaster would rage around the planet and only those few wise people with the provisions for such a catastrophe would survive. After reading Joel Garreau’s Radical Evolution I am convinced that it wouldn’t matter anyway. Exactly how is one supposed to prepare for something like the entire planet being transformed into grey goo? Or ultra evolved races of humans inheriting the planet?

Garreau is talented at taking the big ideas about the future impact of technology and making it completely readable. Admittedly, most of the profound concepts in the book were previously put forth from revolutionary thinkers like Vernor Vinge, Ray Kurzweil, and Bill Joy to name a few. However, it was not the author’s intention to put forth any profound, information based theories on the future of technology or the likelihood of the singularity coming to pass.

Essentially, Garreau takes us on an organized journey of the past, present and future of technology and what it means to be a human. His knowledge of the subject is extensive to say the least and his book provides many interesting facts that I was previously unaware of. For instance, I had no knowledge of the United States DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency), an organization that basically funds mad scientists to research and develop things I only thought existed in science fiction. If all of their projects are successful, we could have soldiers who don’t need sleep, food, and who never tire. Sporting exoskeletons, the soldiers would be much stronger and tougher, and the pain vaccine would eliminate any discomfort. On the off chance that an injury to one of these super soldiers did occur, it would be no big deal because the injured tissue would just be regenerated by any number of technological innovations.

Chiefly, Garreau uses scenarios to align the major ideas for the future. In the hell scenario, the world as we know it is destroyed or ruined. In one example, a mad scientist funded by DARPA invents a self replicating piece of dust and then the world quickly is devoured, or a super intelligent machine is created and casts our species aside as useless, looking at us the way we look at the family dog. In the heaven scenario, technology allows us to transcend our human biology with great benefit and happiness for the planet. Robots do all the work, while humanity and technology become intertwined resulting in complete perfection or something of the like. In the prevail scenario, humanity walks the line between destroying the planet and enjoying the complete benefits of a singularity resulting in a heaven scenario.

If you have no idea what I am talking about, that is ok. The book is not written specifically for the geek and explains everything clearly and concisely. Even if you already know a good deal of this subject matter, the style and ease at which the information and ideas are conveyed makes it a worthwhile read. Furthermore, Garreau is gifted at taking these scenarios that sound absurd and, frankly, sci-fi and adding the human cultural aspect to them. What results is an interesting interplay between the future of technology, biology and humanity that is hard to stop contemplating even after there are no more words to read.

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Above: Sen. John Kerry visited iRobot in March, 2006

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Above: The VECNA BEAR is a Battlefield Extraction-Assist Robot

In November of 2006, the US Congress set aside $1.1 million for the development of the VECNA BEAR, a powerful addition to any armed force, providing “a man on the streets” without actually risking a man on the streets. Military jobs cannot be outsourced, but they can be assigned to a robot! (more…)

Above: The Fire Scout takes flight over an aircraft carrier

Hello, welcome to military week at Robotic Revolutions, where we will be examining the positive, negative and questionable applications of robotics in the military.

First up: unmanned aerial vehicles, AKA drones. Today we’ll be taking a look a two different drone aircraft, the US Fire Scout and the British Hicam Microdrone. (more…)