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This Creepy Robot Is
Designed Just to Stab
People
Pho
to
by:
A
lex
an
der
Reb
e
n
Biochemist Isaac Asimov has Three Laws
of Robotics. The first law says, “A robot
may not injure a human being or, through
inaction, allow a human being to come to
harm;” while the second law states, “A robot
must obey orders given it by human beings
except where such orders would conflict
with the First Law.”
But both laws are challenged by a roboticist
from California who just invented a machine
that purposely stabs humans with needles.
For a reason.
Alexander Reben from Stochastic Labs in
Berkeley, California wants to join the ethical
debate with robots but on a different light
– by breaking the laws, he wants people
to realize about the inevitable robot
population that might harm us later in life.
He does not intend to scare people with
his robot either, which by the way, is only a
black box with a mechanical arm. Nothing
scary at all on first look, but when you
place your fingers (for the fun of it) inside
a pair of brackets, the robot is alerted of
your presence and it starts pricking your
finger until it bleeds. That’s it. that does this that actually exists...That
was important, to take it out of the thought
experiment realm into reality, because once
something exists in the world, you have to
confront it. It becomes more urgent. You
can’t just pontificate about it.”
He says, “No one’s actually made a robot
that was built to intentionally hurt and
injure someone. I wanted to make a robot He could have just chosen a robot that
pinches the humans, right? But no, he
wants it bloody.
Reben wants the people to start confronting
the physicality of robots harming the
people. He reiterates that it will raise a bit
more awareness outside the philosophical
realm, so he broke the robotics laws.
JULY 2016
Future Cities & Robotics
41