Re: Are self-driving cars also a kind of robots?

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I think that rather depends on your definition of robot.  A self driving car is limited to driving, navigation, communication and telling you what it needs in the way of maintenance. Is a "welding robot" a robot, or just a programmable welding machine? I think if the task the machine is designed to perform is limited to a few things, or one thing, we shouldn't be calling them robots but programmable machines. We used these "laboratory robots" that were very versatile.  The machine could pretty much do anything a human could ONCE IT WAS PROGRAMMED to do whatever function you wanted it to do. But I still wouldn't call it a robot since it wasn't autonomous.  You didn't tell it to test a chemical compound then just step back and watch it work, you had to tell it in great detail which gripper to use, where the samples were, what actions to perform, etc.. To my way of thinking you can't have a robot until you make it intelligent, autonomous, adaptable, and able to operate and adjust it's programming based on sensory inputs.  Anything less than that isn't a robot to my way of thinking but maybe it could be called a robotic machine?

Mr. Man-wai Chang · Accepted Answer

Then maybe we need a new way of classifying robots, like taxonomy in  biology? Class 1, dumb robots aka programmable machines; Class 2 .... Something like that? --     @~@   Remain silent! Drink, Blink, Stretch! Live long and prosper!!   / v   Simplicity is Beauty! /( _ ) May the Force and farces be with you!    ^ ^   (x86_64 Ubuntu 9.10)  Linux 2.6.39.3 ???! ???! ???! ???! ???! ???! ???! ???! ?????  (CSSA):

default · Answer

What do you propose for Class 2 something like programmable but able to reprogram based on changing circumstances, but not adaptable to things outside it's design limitations?

It would be nice to share a lexicon so people have some common ground. Until I come home and have a machine remove my shoes, and hand me a beer (it thought to do all on it's own) there are no robots.

Rheilly Phoull · Answer

They are available but are expensive to maintain, needing jewellery  clothing holidays etc.

Mr. Man-wai Chang · Answer

Can robots maintain robots? Maybe robots after all still need human hands to maintain. And don't about forget the disaster plan for events like network partition! :)

-- @~@ Remain silent! Drink, Blink, Stretch! Live long and prosper!! / v \ Simplicity is Beauty! /( _ )\ May the Force and farces be with you! ^ ^ (x86_64 Ubuntu 9.10) Linux 2.6.39.3 ???! ???! ???! ???! ???! ???! ???! ???! ????? (CSSA):

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default · Answer

I do have one of those, she buys me beer but I have to open it myself. I never bought her a wedding ring... She bought her own. (it just never occurred to me, we'd already been a couple for ~20 years) She had the good sense to eschew diamond in favor of an emerald.

default · Answer

You did hit on another characteristic necessary to a robot - it can't be so autonomous that you have to treat it differently than a machine. Ultimately I can see where sentience will add questions about morality/ethics in how robots are treated.

When they become religiously afflicted then we are well and truly f***ed.

Re: Are self-driving cars also a kind of robots?

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