Source: https://xkcd.com/3133/
xkcd3133
Robotaxi or robocop?
Current protests and demonstrations in Los Angeles have got the most successful robotaxi company (so far) to stop its operations in the city for now. Because, turns out, a car full of high end cameras is not welcome when conflict with law enforcement is at its highest.
The problem is that the cars’ cameras are constantly recording, creating a trove of information police can use.
Full automation means also full surveillance. Who knew?
Stepping on children’s toes
This incident between a Unitree G1 and a child in what looks like a demo presentation in a mall seems like it could have ended much worse than what it looks like. The robot has obviously no idea what just happened. Only a shoe got removed. The child does not seem hurt. I don’t know how much these machines weight, but they don’t seem light. Luckily, the robothing turned right and didn’t trip over the kid. Everyone seems amused. This is fine.
4 wheels beats 6 wheels
Chris Powers’ face at the end of this short video says it all.
It’s rather satisfying to see a human on wheels show a robot on wheels how it’s done.
Pretty sure the PO at Starship Technologies did not have “my robot as a skateboard ramp” in their threat model. Now you do.
Your Amazon package might be delayed
This video shows two Amazon warehouse robots, each carrying a package, getting into some kind of dance. It could also look like one is bullying the other by preventing it from escaping a difficult position. I guess we’ll never know the end of that story. Human intervention sounds definitely necessary.
Ladder robot
Human trapped in an AI loop
A brave tech worker trusted a robotaxi to drive them to the airport. The robotaxi got stuck in a loop on a parking lot, driving in circles, as you can see in the video below. This situation is both funny and scary and we can sense the stress and disbelief in the voice of this passenger.
I do have many questions:
- Why isn’t there some kind of emergency button you can smash in case of danger? All public transportation have that since before computers were invented.
- Why didn’t the passenger try to jump in the front seat and take control of the wheel? That must trigger some emergency mechanism also, I believe. Instead, they reached for their phone to call tech support and Tech support asked them to « open the app again and click on the bottom left icon». I do recognize that it needs some physical condition and guts to try this approach that maybe most people don’t have.
- Why do I have the feeling that this is going to be more and more common as we automate most of our basic services with AI? We already get in AI loops with robocalls and robosupport menus when we call a service because our credit card is blocked or the dishwasher does not connect to the Wifi anymore. It’s very obvious that it’s almost impossible to prevent these automated systems to drive humans in circles or jump off a cliff when «Sorry, the situation you’re experiencing right now does not exist ».
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/mikejohns_lyft-uber-omg-activity-7271962168286191617-E7j4
Your emotional companion is being turned off forever
As predicted here 4 years ago, giving a VC-funded cloud-based animated robot as an emotional companion to your child is a risky move.
With VC funding drying out, the startup behind this “amazing” concept has to turn off the cloud computers needed to keep these teddy bears “alive”.
Since Embodied marketed Moxie as a companion and development toy for children, there’s concern about kids potentially suffering an emotional toll after the robot abruptly becomes inoperable.
I will not post here the viral video of a father announcing the news to his crying child. Why would you even film something like that?
Perturbations
Kicking bipedal robots is now called “perturbations” in the academic language of aggressive human robot interactions.
The cameraman falling down also made the cut. I guess it’s only fair to also show human missteps along robot missteps.
Don’t what now?
A humanoid robot named Unitree G1 is apparently being mass produced. And the manufacturer thought it was appropriate to add this warning in its video presentation:
*We kindly request that all users refrain from making any dangerous modifications or using the robot in a hazardous manner.
It’s probably the closest thing to a universal robotic device to interact with our anthropocentric world and you expect us not to do dangerous things with it?
I bet that’s probably the first thing we’ll do with it.