A Different Robot Passed Me on the Street Today

[Yazata]

This one was in Redwood City (maybe 3 miles north of Stanford's shopping center where I last saw a robot). This one was a little self-driving cart that looked faintly bug-like busily scuttling along. The robot was being exceedingly careful from what I saw. It stopped at the driveway to a parking lot and waited, only venturing across when it was clear nothing was coming. There was a young woman accompanying it but she wasn't steering it and only had a kill-switch to stop it if it got in trouble. She told me she'd had to do it a couple of times. It's still a technology demonstration and they plan to release the robots on their own soon. Her biggest job she said was to talk to local residents and familiarize them with the little robots.

The plan is to use them for deliveries.

Interestingly, these particular robots, unlike the security daleks in the other thread, aren't Silicon Valley products. They are eastern European, from Tallinn Estonia of all places. It seems that this small European capital has turned into a high-tech hotspot. Skype originated there too (and some of the same geeks are involved with the robots).

https://fortunedotcom.files.wordpress.co...idebar.png

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starship_Technologies

[Image: 1*MJWSTatny5ByDlbxA0Wf0A.jpeg]

[C C]

Hopefully the top is lockable and only released by remote activation. Otherwise "Bicycle Theft 101" will be augmented with a supplemental course on new opportunities in packages appropriation.

[Carol]

I hope such robotic technology improves our sidewalks. It makes perfect sense for pizza and Chinese take out dinners to be delivered this way, but if one lives in a neighborhood without good sidewalks, that might not be possible?

As for an unwanted theft, how about a warning and an unpleasant shock if the warning is not heeded. I do not like stealing and lies, as both make us feel less safe and afraid to trust. The damage is greater than the act of stealing or lying, so I am in favor of decreasing the instinctive to lie of steal. I think human progress needs to be moral progress, not just technological progress.

[Yazata]

Hopefully the top is lockable and only released by remote activation. Otherwise "Bicycle Theft 101" will be augmented with a supplemental course on new opportunities in packages appropriation.

Yeah, it locks. It locks when it leaves its place of origin and unlocks when it reaches its destination. They say it's hard to break into, but I'm not totally convinced. The robots are small enough that somebody could take the whole thing. I'm guessing they have trackers in them.