If you enjoy the thought of having a military robot running around your house, go buy a new Roomba. It uses the same technology found in the manufacturer's military robots that are right now helping the U.S. military function as more efficient killing machines in the Middle East.
Althought I own an earlier model Roomba, I've stopped recommending Roomba robots. I do not wish to support the financial interests of a firm that invests in robotic killing machines for the U.S. military. Robots should be built for peaceful purposes: cleaning your house, mowing your lawn, entertaining your guests, and so on. They should not be used as killing machines, nor to aid a wartime aggressor in being a more efficient killing machine. IRobot's claim that Roomba uses technology to seek out and destroy dirt in your home -- just like a minesweeper -- is just too much for me to stomach. I don't need a war in my living room, even if it's only the, "War on Dirt."
This is an issue of robotics ethics, and roboethicists actually deal with these questions on a regular basis. In my view, Japan demonstrates the correct focus for robotics technology: peaceful, helpful, social robots that improve the quality of our lives. The U.S., in contrast, wants to make robots that destroy life. That's what the recent Pentagon-sponsored Robot Race was all about, by the way: handing out a bag of prize money to the company that could build the most efficient battlefield navigation robot. It's only use, of course, is to ultimately kill enemy combatants, which all too often includes innocent civilians. And IRobot, the company that makes Roomba, is marching right along with the U.S. military by providing the technology that could someday make robotic soldiers a reality. Two thumbs down to IRobot.
About the author: Mike Adams is a natural health researcher, author and award-winning journalist with a passion for sharing empowering information to help improve personal and planetary health He is a prolific writer and has published thousands of articles, interviews, reports and consumer guides, and he is well known as the creator of popular downloadable preparedness programs on financial collapse, emergency food storage, wilderness survival and home defense skills. Adams is an honest, independent journalist and accepts no money or commissions on the third-party products he writes about or the companies he promotes. In mid 2010, Adams produced TV.NaturalNews.com, a natural health video sharing website offering user-generated videos on nutrition, green living, fitness and more. He's also the founder of a well known HTML email software company whose 'Email Marketing Director' software currently runs the NaturalNews subscription database. Adams also serves as the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a non-profit consumer protection group, and enjoys outdoor activities, nature photography, Pilates and martial arts training. He's also author a large number of health books offered by Truth Publishing and is the creator of numerous reference website including NaturalPedia.com and the free downloadable Honest Food Guide. His websites also include the free reference sites HerbReference.com and HealingFoodReference.com. Adams believes in free speech, free access to nutritional supplements and the innate healing ability of the human body. Known as the 'Health Ranger,' Adams' personal health statistics and mission statements are located at www.HealthRanger.org
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Tuesday, July 13, 2004
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