Deconstruction of Isaac Asimov is wrong !!!

Isaac Asimov

     As a young lad I read many of Isaac Asimov's books. Those in this twenty-first century who have not read his words are missing out on an experience that is hard to describe. It is  intellectual and adventurous and a fun treat! His writings are like your favourite meal or drink, they never age. He never insults the reader as he weaves his magic with mere words. His stories are brilliantly conceived with many endearing characters you come to care about.

He wrote more than 500 books on a great number of subjects. He wrote about astronomy, space travel, science, biology, physics, science fiction and religion. He was truly a renaissance man!!

     Other science fiction writers would ask him to help them clear up any scientific questions. At an early age he was tired of those stories that were written about robots. These stories would always go along the same predictable plot, person creates a machine with intelligence and the machine turns against the creator. Asimov recognized this as the Frankenstein story. Before I go on I want to tip my hat to Mary Shelley for her well written and during tale. The many movies that have come out in our modern era are great fun to watch but are never true to her original work. I hope everyone reading these words has the chance to read her work. It is well worth the and effort.

     Asimov wrote his stories which made the creation, the robot, more as a benefit and friend to mankind. Since most complex machinery has safeguards, Asimov thought that the most complex machines created should also have some kind of control. He explored this idea in several stories. His now famous and often referred to, Three Laws of Robotics were the natural conclusion of this line of reasoning. Let us examine them now.

                    

#1     A robot may not injure a human Being, or through inaction,  allow a human being to come to harm.

#2     A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the first law.

#3     A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the first or second law.

                                                                                                   Handbook of Robotics

   56th Edition 2058

      Simple enough at first sight , but a bit of analysis will show how complicated they really are. The first law makes supreme sense. A robot of complex construction, intelligent, very strong, ambulatory and independent cannot be allowed to hurt its creator. Without this law the robots, the children of mankind's collective genius, will never be able to integrate into our society. In order for them to be effective they must be invisible, in the sense that humans will not have to look over their shoulders concerned about what they will do. Asimov constructed the laws as a cascading logical sequence. One law leads to the next. They build a potential that guides the robot properly.

     The second law is to me a bit problematic. I am a daily witness to how , humans do not always reach for their highest potential. Humanity, the apex of evolution still makes dubious choices. They act like they are mercifully devoid of the vestiges of intelligence. So when a robot MUST obey the orders given to it by a human being, I shudder. What are those individuals who are not competent giving orders to a robot to do ??? As it stands I will have to leave it but I think it deserves a second and third look.

    The third law makes the most sublime sense. A robot must protect itself, so long as such protection do not conflict with the first and second law. It will most likely incorporate very complex and costly components and highly sophisticated programming. To be destroyed or ever abused would not only be a terrible waste , but a crime.!!

     Now Asimov realized than when you mix humans and robots with the three laws situations arise that are far from ideal. He explored these in some fascinating stories. We are so fortunate that he left us entire books and series of books about robot and human characters interacting with each other.

     I know a very, very long preamble, I must come to the reason for all this fascinating stuff. It seems that over the past few years far too many writers have questioned how applicable the three laws are to the so called real world.

     My biggest problem with anyone questioning Asimov, is that as far as I know, no one, NO ONE, has built a sentient, intelligent, autonomous robot. You will hear a great deal how wonderful artificial intelligence ( I prefer the term Machine Intelligence ) is going to be. These pie in the sky articles are written by persons who do not know what they are taking about. I find it personally nauseating to read these articles. I suspect that not one in a hundred of these authours would be able to pick out a hundred kilo-ohm resistor from a pile of electronic components. I love to labor the point and will say they are talking through their hats. Building robots is very challenging and of course lots of fun. To build a true machine intelligence is still a work in progress. I know for I stand before these challenges daily!!

     I have read, to my disgust, how some people have written that Asimov's three laws are out of date, they cannot possibly be applied, or that the A.I. out there have gone beyond them.

      Now the first group who argue against his laws are talking about the so called autonomous weapons. Created by the minions of the various military groups around the world to destroy their perceived enemies. In reality their devices are not true robots, but I will argue for the sake of clarity and for the sake of sanity. These so called smart bombs violate the first law because they have little or no intelligence and as such are not allowed to make up their non-existent minds. The generals and politicians do not want back talk or this case back code. They want slave soldiers, slave machines, created, designed and programmed to obey, without question, all orders given to them. The first law would nullify these destructive artifacts.

      That is why the first law must be employed in robots. Scientists are trying to ban these weapons, however the back splash is affecting legitimate robot research. I recall my old black and white TV and the Superman serial that ran. The introduction went like this " ......... able to change the course of mighty rivers!!! ". Many of us are unaware that we possess great powers. We may not be able to change the world, but each of us affect those around us. As such if enough good people do the right things an ocean of change can occur!!

     Now the Second Law restricts some of an autonomous robot's actions. The generals hate this law, because even though a robot must obey any order given to it by a human, it must never disobey the First Law. In other words it cannot be ordered to kill a human being. Now to the military mind on this or any other planet with so called intelligent life, what would be the use of that. Spend millions in research and development and it ain't going to kick butt. Hey idiots that is my whole point. Robots to me are the children of humankind's collective genius. I firmly believe that they can help us survive and thrive. To use them for killing is just plain stupid and a complete waste.

      Isaac Asimov saw this even before we had the first personal computer. He has gone well before his time. It saddens and angers me that people attack his well developed ideas. He is not here to defend himself. In my mind's eye I see him formulating and expressing his devastating argument against these people. I am a poor substitute for his wisdom but I could not live with my self if I did not try in my own small way to take up his gauntlet and stand against this seemingly overwhelming tide of ignorance. To do otherwise is not even to be considered. I am firmly in Asimov's vision of the future. It makes more sense and where I want to be. Let Mr. Scott for the USS Enterprise NCC-1701 say to those who dare criticize Isaac Asimov,

WHO AM I !!!

Let us begin with these pictures before I start.          

Ulysses is thinking... What in the name of Zeus is that thing up there ???

When Ulysses of Ithaca was trapped in the cyclops cave he was asked who he was. Wisely he answered the one eyed creature asking the question that he was 'nobody'.

The cyclops was eating his men and had trapped them in his cave by rolling this very heavy rock to block the entrance. As their leader Ulysses could tolerate such a state of affairs and in typical human fashion he devised a plan. The first part of his plan was to bind the poor creature as he slept. When they had done that the cyclops yelled so loud the others of his kind that lived close by came to the cave to investigate the noise. They asked what was the matter. The blinded monster yelled out " Nobody is hurting me !!" So they turned and walked away.

The reason for this long preamble is that in two instances it has direct connection with the following very personal opinion regarding something I noticed in the news. Stephen Hawking has warned mankind about the dangers of Artificial Intelligence.

Let me state from the outset that I am intelligent and can express myself well, I am in no way comparing myself to Mr. Hawking. I hold him in high respect and am in awe at all he has done. His  superb intelligence is not in question here and his theoretical work is truly amazing. That he continues to work and speak in public is an indication of his great courage. However I strongly disagree about his fear of artificial intelligence.

Before I continue I must make this one point. I personally prefer the term machine intelligence instead of artificial intelligence. The latter term is misleading in the sense that it places in the mind of anyone reading it or hearing it that this kind of intelligence is somehow fake ; i.e. not real. This intelligence, when it makes itself manifest will be real, though a bit different. However it will have substance and be able to interact with its environment. As to how it interacts with the world that surrounds it and the other intelligences that populate our planet is a matter of great debate.

Like all technological revolutions the changes that  occur will be relatively swift and far reaching. We are at the beginning of something that will forever change our world. Yet we have within our great creative power the means to dictate the future evolution of this robotic intelligence.

The seed of what we want our mind children to be is all important. If we plant something to bear beauty , this will be so. Conversely if we want something to be horrible and grow thorns, this choice is from the outset. As I pursue my research I keep a very close eye on what is happening in the rest of the world. Much gives me hope that we are on the right path. However I also notice, especially in North America a very, very disturbing trend. I conduct my robotic research and robot building with a modest budget. Many others do the same and this is fine by us. I control my research direction because I am the one paying for all of it. How can we compete against the millions of dollars being poured into robotic research by the various military organizations around the world. Their ultimate goal is to have autonomous weapons. Regardless how altruistic the media hype they generate that is their final objective. Even though this still is an infant technology, I see what little we know being turned into objects that are destined to destroy and kill those humans we see today as a vicious threat. This is most definitely, completely, absolutely wrong !!!!! It is not well thought out and just plain and simply stupid !!

I recall in my early days of research how I programmed my 64K, TRS-80 Model IV computer in basic to run a robot simulation on its screen. David Heiserman developed the alpha basic for this and other computers. There was a dot on the screen that wandered about a simulated room represented by walls of light on the computer screen. When it hit the wall it would randomly pick another direction  and see if it was blocked. It would then move or pick another direction and try it all over. It could not stop and I happily watched it move about. A simple elaboration would  leave a trail that it could not cross. Eventually after it had moved across most of the screen it would paint itself into one small section. Using a similar approach a very expensive vacuum cleaner has been sold to thousands across the globe.

TRS-80 Model IV ( still works !!!)

So we have one of the most popular misconceptions about robots fulfilled. We have made them slaves !!?? Is that word too harsh. Let us analyze this statement and we shall see that I am very correct in my conclusion. Slavery is the most disgusting, despicable thing one human can do to another. It is immoral, uncivilized and cruel.  How can a creature of this most majestic universe, who has a mind that can contemplate infinity, stoop so low and partake in such a vile act. To own people like they were property. To make the slaves do all the terrible and hard work while the slave owners reap the rewards. Replace humans  with the word robot and you see we are doing again. This time we will have a machine underclass.

I must tip my hat at this point to David L. Heiserman . I learned robotics , reading and applying his wisdom from the many books he wrote. One that had me captivated was the book " How to Build Your Own Self-Programming Robot ". Before I read the chapters that described in exquisite technical detail how to build an actual, true to life, robot, he carefully prepared our minds by explaining what a true robot was in his opinion. This is something I have adopted and support without hesitation.

A true robot must be first and foremost, autonomous. That is whenever he/she/it are not doing the tasks assigned to them, they must be free to pursue goals of their own choosing. Those thinking individuals out there are asking, surely the present level of robotics has not achieved machines of this high calibre. However I counter that our aim in this enterprise should be to produce the superlative not the mediocre. We forget that as we reach for higher and seemingly impossible goals, we as a species will grow, mature and evolve.

Not a single day goes by that I have not thought about those wondrous artifacts. I think about why I am building robots, what material I should use, what type of wire should I connect and other thoughts that are well, nice and comforting to think about. As such what I really know are robots with machine intelligence. I can voice an opinion when it comes to the worlds problems. Sadly I have no answers for the complex problems afflicting our planet. However when a high profile individual points a finger at what I do and says to be scared of it I have no choice but to respond. I have o admit that what Mr. Hawking is referring to is not yet in existence. Some say it will never be possible. Others go to the other extreme and say it is around the corner. Thank goodness robotics is a difficult study an even more difficult application. My advice is to leave robots to the roboticists. The work will progress slowly and surely. The amazing thing in this field is that significant progress will be made by the lone robot builder , working alone and forgotten in his home lab. I  feel if we listen to the better angels of our nature we have nothing to fear !!!!

AUTOMATA

               I was looking for new movies about robots that are not so mainstream. By that I mean not involving amazing and unrealistic looking humanoid robots. We know that machine intelligence will not be housed in such good looking female forms. How sexist with little boy imaginations are these movie producers.

               I use the term machine intelligence because the the term "artificial intelligence " makes most people think it is some how not real. It will be real just different, and that is fine with me.

               Well I found one truly amazing and overlooked film. The boring mainstream media did not put it on my radar , so I am glad I went looking and looking and looking. It is called "Automata" and it weaves a great story with amazing looking robots , which I love to watch. They move and react so lifelike that it sent a chill up my spine. When they spoke I almost cried. 

                For now I will leave you with this video and picture. However I will be back to talk about some more. What is there really to talk about but robots anyway, everything else is soooooooooooooooooooo boring.

You are just a machine ??!!

Wanted, A Few Great Robots !!

    

      I am a simple robot builder, quite ordinary, like most people all around our good earth. I find thinking, planning and building robots very, very rewarding. In my wonderful lab-study I feel safe and secure, Even when I sometimes fail in of my robotic ideas, I feel happy.

     

          Then my mind's eye begins to go outside my lab into my city

my country and finally the world. As complex as building robots actually is, the problems and divergent personalities in this world are complete chaos. I have been on this planet for six decades and I am full of opinions and specific points of view. So are most other thinking humans on this planet and yet I feel sad at the present state of  the world.

The major powers are posturing and threatening and fuming at each other.  To me this type of behavior is very disturbing. Correct me if I am wrong but is this not the twenty-first century. Granted we are in the beginning part of it. My vision, when I was a youth was that in these years there would be much, much, more cooperation and stability. The start of a world more together , not tearing itself apart.

I see my beloved robotic technology used by military types for the wrong purposes in far too many countries. As I have written so many times in so many places, we are a species reaching a tipping point. There are many problems we must solve for our species to survive. As the years pass more problems are discovered. Many brave humans are trying to solve them. However we desperately need help.

Though we may not see it we have help!! Ironically we created it. Robots form the simplest to the most complex are the children of our collective genius. I know with their help the human race will survive and thrive!!!!

As of this long winded note there is much too much about robotic drones. Though I find the conclusions of those who do not know robotic technology amusing at most times, this trend in the media has reached new lows. This new flavor of the week has the robotic ignorant masses enthralled. Though I have my doubts about the size and duration of the power supplies of these flying machines, my biggest complaint is the concept of a robot. For a robot to be a true robot it must be autonomous. No one should be controlling it. From what I have observed, all drones are flown like what they really are, remote controlled toys.

Are we crippling our creations even before they have been built. I know that robotic technology , like all advanced technologies will amplify our human capabilities. Some have amplified our physical attributes. Our modern world abounds with computers and they in a sense amplify our mental capabilities. Now we are at the beginning of a robotic revolution. What human attributes will our intelligent artifacts amplify ???? A very intriguing question.

Human nature has a good side and a darker side. Before there is a collective rolling of the eyes , this conclusion is based on personal observation. There are time we are happy and content and other times when we are sad , upset and even angry. I find I lose my patience when people do not listen to what I am saying. Will the children of our collective genius reflect our good side or our bad side. Robotic technology , much more than any other will definitely be a strong reflection of who we fundamentally are.

 Most of us would like to affect change so the world is a better place. Sadly our power to do so is often very limited. We despair and our hearts become heavy. Cheer up, as robot builders we yield a power that has the capability of transforming our world. We must intensify our efforts and never give up.

Finally, I know in my heart that I must help. That is the purpose of these blogs. I am humbled and amazed that so many people from all over this wonderful world actually read my simple words. I have been open and honest about what is important to me and how I see things in the world. I want to encourage everyone to build robots.

Over the pleasant years I have built several robots. Each is unique and I have kept meticulous notes, comments and schematics. I have taken pictures and videos detailing how they work. As a first step I am going to place all these notes etc, on my blog. It is my sincerest hope that many will read it. I hope it inspires others to think about robots and how they are changing the world. I am placing this stuff out there so that I am granted my wish. My wish is that some others take up my cause, get their hands dirty and build robots.

Some will say that it is hard. Well nothing really worthwhile is ever easy. The challenge is exhilarating and once you immerse yourself you will find that it is very doable. Others will say that you need a zillion parts, tools and equipment, the knowledge is too high for us to reach , let alone understand. That is complete and utter nonsense. I learned most of my robotic knowledge by myself, reading books and building circuits. Most robots can be built form common objects and a few good tools. Most of my parts came from the equipment people discarded as waste.

The task is so much  easier today. Most big cities have places where you can get parts you cannot find. The internet is full of online stores that have mountains of parts at reasonable prices. Information about robotics abounds in cyberspace. To be a roboticist you must become a renaissance person, in that you will learn and master several disciplines and the focus them to build your robot.

Words alone cannot describe the satisfaction you will feel when after a lot of hard work you gaze at your own working robot. I can say from experience that you will never forget it!!!  It will change the world, it will change you !!!

MY ROBOTS for ALL to SEE !!

    

    Robot builders strive for perfection and we always want to show the world what wonderful things we form with our own hands. My robots are built from scratch with parts I have in my lab-study. This does not mean I shrink away from making it just right but it does mean I tend to slow down so things work as they should. I experimented with different ideas and concepts and I have been graced with a few robots.

     Each was built around the specific parts that I found around my place or purchased. Now when I say purchased it did not mean a big outlay of cash. One idea I know to be true is that quite sophisticated machines can be built from the simple and cheap parts. Most of what I have in my lab comes from surplus stores or what I retrieved from all the electronic garbage people throw out routinely.

     The first robot in this particular piece is Robo. It is built around a rather cool motor I retrieved from a large piece of garbage electronics. In my other blog I intend to write how it was built and provide all the neat technical details.  I used a circuit that takes light and activated two small white relays, which in turn activated the motor. I had it set up that depending how the light hit a particular phototransistor the motor would turn in one direction, then the other direction. It works well and after it was built I noticed a very interesting phenomenon it displayed and is shown in this video. This has happened time and again when I have built robots. They exhibit completely unexpected behaviors, indeed the sum of the parts is greater than the whole.

Robo

     Good old Tipsy is a great little machine. If you look closely you will find that Tipsy is made from an old cassette drive mechanism. Around this I screwed some old metal parts and glued some small wheels that were from the same tape mechanism. To activate it I built, from some small transistors, a flashing l.e.d. and a solar panel  a BEAM type solar driven activator. BEAM is an acronym and stands for Biology, Electronics, Aesthetics and Mechanics. Tipsy is a photophile and goes toward a light source. Since it was built with a solar cell it was sluggish in ordinary light. However as this video shows it really loves the sunlight. Mark Tilden was one of the researchers that invented the BEAM concept. He wrote articles and books explaining his design philosophy.  He went on to assist WowWee Robotics. Robosapien was his as was Robopet and the Roboquad. All these are absolutely great robots. They walk and sense their surroundings and most important of all fun to play with when you want to play with robots. The most fascinating and wonderful robot is Robosapien V2. Talk about amazing and spooky in its reactions. I once watched it track someone with its head and it sent chills up my spine. Please do not worry about Tipsy in this video , both robot and creator are just fine.

Tipsy

     Every time I go shopping for groceries I pass the section that sells plastic containers of many sizes and I see hundreds of robots. No I have not taken leave of my senses I have come to them. If you look closely at this video of Firefly you will see that it's case is actually a sandwich container with the top removed. This robot was built so that my daughter would have an entry in a robot show that was eventually cancelled. The show did not go on because of lack of interest. I do believe the world has got its priorities upside down. How can anyone not find robots and robot building endlessly fascinating ???? The inside of Firefly was and old base from a toy jeep I had for years. I connected similar circuits that would activate when light was shone onto them. I made some parts petty obvious so the newcomers to robotics would not miss them. The decoration was courtesy of my offspring, someone I am exceedingly proud of on a continuous basis.

Firefly

FireFly moves

     Lester is the last video I am presenting in this particular blog. He was a challenge on two counts. Firstly I had to connect the head so that the wires going to the motor that controlled his head would not tangle as the head moved left and right. This was solved by placing the wire up near the motor. Secondly the circuit I used was one I had been experimenting for years. It also activates relays that run a single motor. However the light devices used were light dependent resistors. I was amazed since the LDRs were connected to a five foot wire and they still worked well. The robot head was from an old Robie Sr. robot from Radio Shack. The neat thing about the circuit was that I used two nine volt batteries. One was for the circuit and one was for the motor.

Lester

     As I write this last bit I am wondering if all those people who view this blog will like my robots? I am going to place a more detailed story of how each was built on my other blog " Robot and Nothing But."  I will include all the delicious technical details and schematic diagrams. I hope this will encourage others to build their own or similar robots. I am addressing the brave person who has come this far. I believe to the core of my being that no matter who you are, no matter what level of technical skill, no matter what your economic situation,and no matter where you are on this planet, YOU can build a robot. It will take a bit of work and some tools but all my robots were built from basically other peoples trash. With that treasure I was blessed with working robots. If I have encouraged others to do this then I will be very, very, very, happy!!!

Get that screwdriver !!!