Three laws…for who? by Zuzana Valkova

In many books you can read about robots, and you can see them in many movies. In some of these stories, the robot changes its behavior and starts to be dangerous for people. In 1942 famous American writer Isaac Asimov created his three laws of robotics: A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law. These laws became very popular, and many science fiction authors started to use these laws in their novels. They seemed to be perfect; they protect people, and at the same time protect robots too. But do we need these laws in real life? I think we still have some time left to be afraid. The science is really fast, scientists are working hard, but they are still far away from robots, which can live with us like partners and helpers. The most advanced robot these days is ASIMO. He is made in Japan, he is 130 cm tall and he weight over 50 kg. He can walk with you, use the stairs, and can hold your hand. But what is more important, he can recognize you. He exactly knows who are you, what are you doing, or he knows where he is. Isn't that cool???

related story: http://uk.news.yahoo.com/rtrs/20071202/tod-uk-robot-fight-b7e5c6f_1.html

by Zuzana Valkova for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

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