Not What I Have In Mind -- But More Will

[xodar]

Man Kills Himself With 'Suicide Robot'
Updated:09:52, Thursday March 20, 2008

An Australian pensioner has reportedly killed himself after building a "suicide robot" from plans downloaded from the internet.

The 81-year-old, from Queensland, set up the machine to remotely fire a semi-automatic pistol.

When he activated it, it fired several shots into his head.

The man, who lived alone, left a suicide note saying he was unhappy at being forced by relatives to move into care home.

Full details of how the machine worked have not been released.

The man explained in his notes that he set the machine up on his driveway as he knew there were builders next door, and they would be alerted by the sound of gunshot.

There has been a recent increase in the use of robots for military purposes.

The US Military is leading the way in creating the technology for robot weapons, while Britain's Ministry of Defence is spending money on unmanned bombers.

But one academic recently warned that killer robots could become a weapon of choice for terrorists.

Noel Sharkey, professor of robotics at the University of Sheffield, said: "Once the new weapons are out there, they will be fairly easy to copy. How long is it going to be before the terrorists get in on the act?"


http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,, ... 84,00.html

[xodar]

Sounds like more media sensationalism.... that suddenly veers of on some wildly speculative tangent. I think the "robot" was basically a contraption that held and fired a gun. Makes me think of how a mouse trap could be called a "Mouse Killing Robot" (oh noes!) and how terrorists will use Mice Killing Robots to one day initiate a spree of terror and mouse killing... possibly even finger-bruising.
What a lame bunch of filler. Someone mentions the word "robot" and reporters lose their senses.

Some years ago I remember reading about a guy, also in Australia, who fixed up a framework into which he could lock himself and be unable to escape. Above this (it was a bed) was a mechanism to fire a hunting rifle into his heart at a certain time. He took an overdose of downers, loaded it, and locked himself into the frame.
Maybe that was the inspiration for this person.
But you are right, these are less what we understand as robots than simple mechanisms that could have been devised even in the 1700s. Precursors to robots in a way.

You point out an interesting thing, though, which is journalists taking the robot aspect to an extreme. Just as US journalists (at least) incessantly puch political agendas from every possible angle perhaps they are also for some reason anti-robot and begining to do the same. Or will do the same and cite earlier incidents when they begin in earnest.
I maintain they will attack sexbots in particular -- not from any moral conviction but because feminists will oppose them.
You cannot trust the standard media any more than you can government.

[keraptis]

Sounds like more media sensationalism.... that suddenly veers of on some wildly speculative tangent. I think the "robot" was basically a contraption that held and fired a gun. Makes me think of how a mouse trap could be called a "Mouse Killing Robot" (oh noes!) and how terrorists will use Mice Killing Robots to one day initiate a spree of terror and mouse killing... possibly even finger-bruising.
What a lame bunch of filler. Someone mentions the word "robot" and reporters lose their senses.

I agree completely. Is my clock a "time-telling robot"?

[minkwheel]

Your clock CERTAINLY IS a "TIME TELLING ROBOT" ... our VCRs and DVRs are "ENTERTAINMENT COLLECTION RECEPTACLE ROBOTS" as well. My doorbell is an "ORGANIC MATTER DETECTION/WARNING SYSTEM ROBOT" -- my pullover sweater is a STATIC INDUCING ROBOT..... --Oh, THERE ARE SO MANY OTHERS......WE ARE NOT ALONE. --minkwheel