Your robot servant preferences

[DocHolliday]

Robot servants: humanoid or no? Here are your options: Non-humanoid:

Vaguely humanoid:

Stylized humanoid:

Extremely humanoid:

Which one would you rather have waiting in your house when you came home? Personally, I would like to have a robot dog that could talk:

 

[whodini]

Where's the "I wouldn't mind some of Doc's stash" poll option?

 

[DocHolliday]

Originally Posted by whodini

Where's the "I wouldn't mind some of Doc's stash" poll option?

These are serious issues that we must confront before they bear down upon us. Won't be long before electronic Rosies are sitting next to the plasma TVs at Best Buy. Let us make our decisions now, before they are made for us.

Also, I was listening to a radio report about a study on the topic. It found most people were uncomfortable with robots that look too humanoid. At the same time, robot owners would become attached to their robots, and found it difficult to give them up even when they broke down.

 

[Manny Calavera]

I find the vaguely humanoid robot the creepiest. I would probably either want a weird critter (a robot panda?) or hot humanoid (cylon?) robot. On that note, here's a strange article I read a couple months ago in Scientific American: http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=...arrying-robots I don't think it's necessarily off-topic, as if you're dealing with servant robots it's hard to ignore the strange, lonely people and the uses they would find for these robots.

 

[DocHolliday]

Originally Posted by jonglover

I find the vaguely humanoid robot the creepiest.

I would probably either want a weird critter (a robot panda?) or hot humanoid (cylon?) robot.

The robot panda made me think of Muffy from the original Battlestar:

I don't think I'd like a robot that was too human, especially if it stared at me like a glassy-eyed zombie. And if seemed "real," that might be even creepier. I like my robots to know their place.

Originally Posted by jonglover

I don't think it's necessarily off-topic, as if you're dealing with servant robots it's hard to ignore the strange, lonely people and the uses they would find for these robots.

Any robot-related topic is fair game in this thread, as far as I'm concerned. But that article is another argument for why extremely humanoid robots are creepy. You know enterprising perverts will be building robotic furries as soon as kits are available at their nearest Radio Shack.

 

[whodini]

Originally Posted by DocHolliday

These are serious issues that we must confront before they bear down upon us. Won't be long before electronic Rosies are sitting next to the plasma TVs at Best Buy. Let us make our decisions now, before they are made for us.
I'm not a big city attorney but allow me to break things down by citing legal decisions.

These "issues" were met and "decisions" were made back in the 1970s. May I remind you of the class-action suit of Vactioners v. Westworld.

Originally Posted by DocHolliday

Also, I was listening to a radio report about a study on the topic. It found most people were uncomfortable with robots that look too humanoid. At the same time, robot owners would become attached to their robots, and found it difficult to give them up even when they broke down.
Please refer to the landmark case of Mankind v. Stepford Wives.

 

[DocHolliday]

Originally Posted by whodini

I'm not a big city attorney but allow me to break things down by citing legal decisions.

These "issues" were met and "decisions" were made back in the 1970s. May I remind you of the class-action suit of Vactioners v. Westworld.

Yes, but in those days there were only steampunk robots:

As such, I imagine the issues will have to be revisited, and, I would imagine, the verdicts will be overturned. Brave new world, and all that.

 

[whodini]

There was nothing steampunk about those robots. Yul Brenner would take personal offense to that I'm sure.

 

[DocHolliday]

Originally Posted by whodini

There was nothing steampunk about those robots. Yul Brenner would take personal offense to that I'm sure.

Sadly, you have me there. Some might even argue that the '70s were a golden age for robots, having given us both C3P0 and Mechagodzilla:

However, the fact remains that your court rulings are outdated. Might as well try to settle Internet disputes by citing laws about telegraphs. Let us not cling to the past but march bravely into the future, or be carried there by our robot minions.

 

[whodini]

Originally Posted by DocHolliday

However, the fact remains that your court rulings are outdated. Might as well try to settle Internet disputes by citing laws about telegraphs. Let us not cling to the past but march bravely into the future, or be carried there by our robot minions.

I beg to differ.

and: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0475784/

Wasn't there also that God-awful Spielberg film, too?

 

[yachtie]

I've always liked the "Metropolis"look. Human enough to be useful but not a simulacrum.

 

[Go Surface]

I'm less likely to develop an emotional attachment to a non-humanoid robot, so there goes my vote.

 

[Manny Calavera]

Grandaddy's Jed the Humanoid songs always get to me. Also, Salo in Sirens of Titan.

 

[whodini]

Originally Posted by jonglover

Grandaddy's Jed the Humanoid songs always get to me. Also, Salo in Sirens of Titan.
You just won some cool points with me for the Grandaddy reference.

 

[DocHolliday]

Originally Posted by whodini

and: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0475784/

From the very page you linked:

MOVIEmeter: down 6% since last week

I think you see my point.

Originally Posted by GoSurface

I'm less likely to develop an emotional attachment to a non-humanoid robot, so there goes my vote.

You could toss poor R2 on the scrap heap? What if he whistled sadly as you walked away?