Most scientists working in robotics have long mulled the ethical implications -- today's roboticist is yesterday's avid reader of Isaac Asimov. But they cannot alone determine how the technology they develop will then be accepted, they say. It is a question that will loom for everyone in the future, Elliott said.

There is a simple question to consider, and it may come sooner than any of us expects, he added: "Are we actually going to see a computer in court as a defendant?"

Reprinted from Greenwire with permission from Environment & Energy Publishing, LLC. www.eenews.net, 202-628-6500

3 Comments

1. 1. alphachapmtl 12:56 AM 8/27/09

   Asimo last 15 minutes on a full heavy battery, while I last 24 hours on a pound of oatmeal.
   Isn't there a way to somehow replicate this, using some kind of a combustion engine running on some kind of fuel?
   Hopefully something smaller and lighter than a car engine?

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2. 2. Quinn the Eskimo 02:53 AM 8/29/09

   After a *pound* of oatmeal, my battery would need replacing. How do you do that?
   
   A POUND?

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3. 3. co2dog 12:53 AM 10/20/10

   Biological systems are significantly more energy efficient. Imagine a biomachine running on the equivalent of a few ounces of sugar. Little heat.

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