Robots controlled by brain waves, so think unsexy thoughts

Adam Turner
Monday, 18 December 2006 20:14

Opinion and Analysis

The announcement that students at the University of Washington can control robots with their minds sounds like an important breakthrough, until you stop to think about what students think about.

Apparently the controller wears a cap containing 32 electrodes that detect brain signals from the scalp, which seems odd considering most students think with an entirely different part of their anatomy. One selectively placed electrode should do the job.

Do we really robots running around with sex on the positronic brain? Data's roll in the hay with Tasha Yar was certainly a highlight for Star Trek fans, but the novelty would have quickly worn off were he doing the nasty with every hot green alien lizard woman the Enterprise encountered. That was Riker's job, and Kirk's before him.

Where will it end? The fact students can order robots to "pick up objects" has a disturbing double meaning and things could easily get out of control. The only thing worse than your wife running away with your neighbour is her running away with your neighbour's Aibo.

It has to stop, and stop now. Perhaps we need a fourth Law of Robotics; "A robot must not put the moves on a human being".

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