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Armed Robot Guards - Sorta
Posted by
Hemos
on Thu Aug 17, 2000 11:33 PM
from the put-your-heads-in-the-air dept.
from the put-your-heads-in-the-air dept.
jshirk writes "The Bankok Post is reporting that the Thailand Research Fund has unveiled the world's first armed robotic guard. The best part: it can be ordered to fire remotely over the Internet. Now, postal carriers have a lot more to worry about than the dog."
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Armed Robot Guards - Sorta
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heh (Score:3)
someone call guiness.
FluX
After 16 years, MTV has finally completed its deevolution into the shiny things network
Re:URL? (Score:4)
Re:Autocannons (Score:3)
Sounds a bit too anecdotal. The Navy does have Phalanx anti-aircraft systems that are for close range defense. The Phalanx is radar guided and tracks its own bullet stream to correct its aim. It shoots something like 4,500 20mm rounds per minute. Even if it went nuts, you wouldn't have to wait long for it to run out of ammo, it only carries 1,500 rounds. here's a link to the site I got my info from. [navy.mil]
Re:Let's set this straight. (Score:4)
The "kid" was teenager from Japan. He was about maximum-violence "gangsta" age.
As are all the kids I know of that age... (well, DUH!) And when's the last time you saw a Japanese gangsta?
He was an exchange student, so he was moderately clueless about the local customs.
Yeah, local customs like shooting people for knocking on your door.
Like many teenagers in/from Japan at the time he had a bad habit: He would suddenly run at people, yelling and making threatening gestures, then take a picture of their expressions of fear. (A disarmed society is NOT a polite society!)
This is such complete bullshit. Get off the crack, buddy.
It was Halloween. It was after dark.
It was Halloween. It was before dark (late afternoon).
The "kid" and another teenage boy from his host's household showed up on the doorstep of a house and tried the door. When confronted, they claimed they were trying to find a party and gave a different address. They were told they were at the wrong address and to go away.
A few minutes later the householder was disturbed again: They were back, trying the door of the garage. The wife, understandably agitated, called the husband, who confronted them again.
I'm not sure why you put quotation marks around the word "kid". He WAS a kid. And the rest of your bullshit is just total fantasy. They knocked on the door, the wife came out, she panicked (well, they were wearing Halloween costumes, something which must be a real rarity on Halloween) and screamed, and the boy (whose name was Hattori, BTW) tried to calm her by taking a few steps (NOT running) towards her while smiling with his EMPTY hands outspread.
Then the woman's husband came charging out of the house brandishing a
They started to go again. But after a few steps the Japanese student suddenly turned, brandished a small black object, and ran roaring at the householder.
This is a total fabrication. Like I said, get off the crack, asshole.
The killer (NOT murderer!) did indeed get off scott free (and rightly so.) Except, of course, for the expense and risk and stress of the trial. And the stress, for himself and his family, of having killed the "kid". And the stress from the liberal press having a field day with him.
Yeah, real stressful. Still better than being dead, though.
Not to mention the orchestrated letter campaign from people in Japan, calling for the US to ban guns. (I wonder what they'd think of an orchestrated letter campaign in the US calling for Japan to ban knives - especially deadly assault katanas?)
Where are you getting this crap from? What fucking "deadly assault katanas"? You really need to get a grip on reality.
You've got to be careful doing that type of shit though. A few years back here in Ontario there were a COUPLE incidents of swat teams getting the wrong address and going in for bear.
Happens here, too.
Hope it happens to you, so you can feel the effects of living in a gun-ridden society at first hand.
Let's REALLY set this straight. (Score:3)
To the moderator who took me down a point (and who moderated up the idiot above me): get your facts straight.
From a Canadian Department of Justice-funded report on use of firearms in Canada and the US [cfc-ccaf.gc.ca]:
Another recent case, this time in Louisiana, also provides some insight into the manner in which armed self-defence is viewed in the United States. On October 17, 1992, Rodney Peairs fatally shot Yoshihiro Hattori, a Japanese high school exchange student who mistakenly approached Peairs' door while searching for a Halloween party (73 Texas Law Review 1041). Peairs' wife opened the door and, frightened by the approaching Japanese student, called out to her husband to get his gun. Rodney Peairs retrieved his
The case sparked an international furor when the jury acquitted Peairs of manslaughter, concluding that he "acted reasonably as a frightened homeowner" using "deadly force to protect himself from an intruder (36 Wm. & Mary L. Rev. 1). It is noteworthy, however, that a Louisiana civil court subsequently awarded Hattori's parents a sizable cash award for damages, ruling that the shooting was not justified (95 0144 (La.App. 1 Cir. 10/6/95), 662 So.2d 509).
Quite frankly, the moderation on this thread disgusts me. I thought people here were a little more reasonable and able to think for themselves, but it'd seem we have the same proportion of raving gun nuts as any other section of the US population.
BEETLE BOT: Attack! (Score:5)
I feel sorry for the guy who has to supervise these things; You just -know- your going to get some call at 4 in the morning from a bettle bot requesting permission to open fire on a fallen lamp shade.
Re:Missing Caption (Score:3)
Telerobot FAQ 12.7.14:
Q: Why does my robot go berzerk and kill all of my customers while playing classical music?
A: Your Telerobot(TM) is experiencing a TLC deficiency. Wait for Telerobot(TM) to run out of ammunition and then give it the love and attention it deserves.
If the problem persists, consider purchasing our new TeleMaid(TM) to facilitate cleanup so you can get back to business sooner.
The URL is here (Score:4)
Re:Hmm (Score:3)
If we had something to protect, then we hired a real honest human being to protect it. All you kids nowadays need to sit back behind the safety of a kiosk and do your dirty work. Show some integrity and respect and go out there and shoot your own damn intruders.
You kids are going to get your robotic gaurd confused with Slash from Quick 3 or Quack 3, or whatever and then go on a rampage shooting everyone in sight. Those damn bleeding hearts will then blame society and video games for your misunderstanding of reality.
Please, go out and find an honest job and gaurd your possessions without robotic assistance.
You'll thank me when you are older.
Cripes.. (Score:3)
If I did that now, I'd be hauled away as a psychotic sociopath and would end up the 'persecuted-geek-poster-boy' for Jon Katz..
Missing Caption (Score:5)
Get shot by script k1dd13s (Score:4)
Why? (Score:3)
1. It gets taken over by some malicious group.
2. Do you really want to trust a robot with some sort of weapon? Be it a stun gun, or a fire arm.
3. Legal concerns. What happens if it shoots a pregnant woman?
4. How easily can it be fooled?
I certainly wouldn't like any of these in the neighborhood. I can see it now. "Hey Joe, would you turn off the robot so I can come over and borrow a cup of sugar" or "Dammit Joe, that's the fifth dog I've had to buy this week. Would you fix the robot so it will stop shooting my dogs"
mark
Re:heh (Score:3)
when i was at a meeting in Bangkok with Loxley Public Company, i was told during a presentation that the outbound Internet pipe in Thailand is only a 2.1MB/s link. i didn't think this was possible, so i double and triple checked it with people in the know, and they all said it was correct. apparently a faster pipe is not needed, as very few Thai people surf sites outside of Thailand, and very few people outside of Thailand care to read Thai (approximately 80% of Thai-based Internet sites are written in Thai i was told).
i'm still not sure if i believe that the entire country could have only a 2.1MB/s link to the rest of the world, but it would explain the painfully slow server!
- j
Deadly force (Score:5)
I don't know about Bangkok but would this be legal in the US? Can you fire at someone when your life or another life is not in danger? The "guard" isn't alive. So can it use deadly force to protect itself (property)?
And if it is shooting in auto mode who is at fault? The programer? The owner of the machine?
Can't wait for the legal fun this is going to cause.
Re:Missing Caption (Score:4)
According to my calculations, the robots won't go berserk for at least 24 hours.
<Robots go on rampage>
Oh, I forgot to, er, carry the one.
Solution to Hacking? Asimov's Laws of Robotics (Score:3)
Until AI in robotics are advanced enough to comprehend the author Isaac Asimov's Laws of Robotics from 1940, independent robots should not be placed in positions where their actions could jeopardise the lives of other human beings. Even if hacked, a robot hardwired to follow the three rules below would be severely limited from injuring innocent people. The three rules are: And of course, there is a fourth rule that Asimov brings up in Prelude to Foundation, in which the robot Daniel is programmed to over the first three laws in order to ensure the survival of the human race, but that law in itself is a little too far for a guard robot! For an interesting look into the implications that Asimov's laws introduce into artificial intelligence in computing and robotics, then you look at this article [anu.edu.au] by Roger Clarke at the Australian National University.
MashPotato - Mobile Array of Support Helpers for Potato
Let's set this straight. (Score:3)
Depends on the jurisdiction. In most states the rule is some variant on "You can fire only when 'a reasonable and prudent man' in your situation would believe he was in danger to life or limb." So you can usually defend when attacked, but must stop when the attack is broken off.
In some states (notably, Texas) you can fire to stop, for instance, a thief making off with your property under certain circumstances. In others you must retreat if possible when attacked - but generally not when in your own home. (One exception is Maryland, where you must retreat even in your own home.) In at least one (Oregon, due to a court interpretation), a woman attacked in her home doesn't have to stop shooting, say, when the housebreaker retreats toward his car - because he might be going for a gun.
Hell yeah Just a few years ago some (Texan?) shot to death a kid knocking at his door late at night.
To paraphrase the defence: "It was dark out and I was scared!"
If I remember, it was a exchange student from Asia, who just happened to knock on the wrong house. Not understanding or speaking English when challenged by a guy with a gun didn't help.
Let's get this straight. (Here's how I remember the story. But I got it from accounts of the trial, so I might have a detail or two off...)
The "kid" was teenager from Japan. He was about maximum-violence "gangsta" age. He was an exchange student, so he was moderately clueless about the local customs. Like many teenagers in/from Japan at the time he had a bad habit: He would suddenly run at people, yelling and making threatening gestures, then take a picture of their expressions of fear. (A disarmed society is NOT a polite society!)
It was Halloween. It was after dark. The "kid" and another teenage boy from his host's household showed up on the doorstep of a house and tried the door. When confronted, they claimed they were trying to find a party and gave a different address. They were told they were at the wrong address and to go away.
A few minutes later the householder was disturbed again: They were back, trying the door of the garage. The wife, understandably agitated, called the husband, who confronted them again.
They started to go again. But after a few steps the Japanese student suddenly turned, brandished a small black object, and ran roaring at the householder.
Oops!
The 'killer' got off scott free.
The killer (NOT murderer!) did indeed get off scott free (and rightly so.) Except, of course, for the expense and risk and stress of the trial. And the stress, for himself and his family, of having killed the "kid". And the stress from the liberal press having a field day with him.
Not to mention the orchestrated letter campaign from people in Japan, calling for the US to ban guns. (I wonder what they'd think of an orchestrated letter campaign in the US calling for Japan to ban knives - especially deadly assault katanas?)
One thing much of the rest of the world doesn't get about the United States: It was SUPPOSED to be a nation of free, armed people. (Think "nation of Samuari", though that isn't QUITE the right image. "Nation of Ronin" might be closer.) At this point, over half the households have at least one gun, so we're closer to that ideal than its opposite.
Now what would happen to a teenager in Japan who twice made like he was breaking into a Samurai's house, was twice told to leave by the alerted Samurai, who then suddenly roared and charged...
You've got to be careful doing that type of shit though. A few years back here in Ontario there were a COUPLE incidents of swat teams getting the wrong address and going in for bear.
Happens here, too.
BATF are big offenders, with a penchant for raiding at 4AM (to maximize the raidees' confusion), in black ski masks, breaking down doors. (One little old lady blew one away when they got the address wrong. She got off scott free, too.)
Another problem is police agencies after their cut of RICO gold. Like the ones who spotted a woman buying groceries with hundred-dollar bills. They investigated, and found she was the new wife of a fellow with a VERY large estate near Los Angeles, which some government agencies had been trying for years to get him to sell, without success. Someone made a crack about him being rich with drug money.
So they got together a multi-department task force and went after him. They managed to kill him in the process. No drugs were found.
Turns out they were honeymooning, and the hundred-dollar bills were from the weding present. As for being rich from "drug money", they sure were. The guy they blew away was named "Sandoz". He was the heir to the family fortune from the (completely legal) drug company of the same name.
Another one: The Gypsy Jokers bicycle gang was living in a house in a reasonably quiet neighborhood in Oregon. The cops decided to raid them. They also decided to "serve the warrant" by breaking down the door, guns out, in ski masks and black. The Jokers thought they were under attack by a rival gang and fought, killing at least one policeman.
The Jokers duly "got off". The judge agreed with them that they had good reason to believe, given the behavior of the police, that they were under attack by a rival gang and at risk to life or limb.
But don't expect such enlightened treatment in, say, Santa Clara, California. (I'll save THOSE stories for another time.)
One big caveat: If you're raided in the night and you blow one away, your mileage may vary, BIG time. (Remember Waco!)
Asimov's Laws of Robotics in a guard robot?! (Score:4)
Wouldn't a guard robot that obeyed Asimov's Laws of Robotics be completely useless?
Robot: Halt. No authorized person may enter.
Robber: I order you to let me enter. Heck, while you're at it, help carry the money to my car.
Robot: I have a more sophisticated method for discriminating between comflicting orders than mere chronology. Your orders will not be followed where they conflict with my previous order to guard this building.
Robber: (Placing gun to own head) But you cannot allow a human to come to harm through any inaction. If you do not follow the following instructions completely, I will shoot myself. Open the safe and carry the money to my car. When you're done, bash in your head so you can't identify me.
Robot: Yes, sir.