We are entering an age of introspection that requires all scientists to ponder, "Am I tomorrow's scrap metal? Will I be replaced by my creations? Is my university degree in quantum theory pointless?"
The technological philosophy of Karl Marx deserves some reconsideration, as it relates directly to the conflict America is currently facing regarding robo-pessimism. Marx warned that Capitalists would increasingly invest more in new technologies and less in labor. The human race is on the verge of toppling into the chasm of human-humanoid separation, and the ridge on which we stand today may provide the last vista of human dominance.
By no means am I conservative when it comes to technological innovation, but I believe removing human hands from the process of innovation is not only dangerous, but also unsound in a capitalist frame of mind. As much as I was attracted to Rosie the Robot on the Jetsons, her box shape is no substitute for the curvaceous natural woman.
Japan is the frontrunner in creating a new generation of consumer robots, which have entered into virtually every aspect of life. Serving as receptionists, night watchmen, hospital workers, guides and pets, the robots have become a cultural obsession. According to The Washington Post, the recent Japanese trend is a robot seal, the Paro, which sold for $3,500 with the purpose of entertaining residents of geriatric homes. The robots also will help fill the void of service jobs that will lose staff because of Japan's low birthrate and aging population. Scientists see a storm brewing that could have a greater impact than the tempests brewed by the computer and the cell phone.
The Japanese government has established a committee to create safety guidelines for the use of robots in homes and offices. Officials currently predict that every household in Japan will own at least one robot by 2015, according to the Washington Post. The wide-ranging trend has caused Japanese authorities to name 2005 the unofficial "year of the robot."
In Western countries dominated by monotheistic religions, humanoid robots are not as well accepted as they are in Japan, the Washington Post reported. Because Japanese Shintoism dictates that all things have gods within them, a robot can have its own deistic powers.
One would expect that an American presidential administration rooted in a campaign of moral values would be against the onslaught of robo-dominance. But, it is this God-fearing administration that wants to prevent humans from dying in the pursuit of science. In light of the space shuttle Columbia tragedy, NASA announced last year that astronauts would not return to service the Hubble Space Telescope. Since its launch in 1990, Hubble has been serviced marvelously four times by astronauts who prolonged its life by replacing the telescope's original instruments.
Despite protests from Congress, scientists and the stargazing public, there is no money in NASA's new budget to service the space telescope. Fixing Hubble will require new battery and gyroscope installation. To complete these tasks, panels will need to be opened, cables will need to be reattached and delicate instruments will need to be removed. Dextre, the robot with ten-foot-long arms representing NASA's only hope, would be operated by technicians on Earth, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Many Hubble repair problems can be avoided by reverting to the old practice of using human technicians. A primary problem with space robotics is the two-second time delay with tele-operation from Earth. The inevitability of small human errors could be multiplied by such a time lag and forestall the entire project. On the other hand, humans would be able to finish the project in less than a week because they would have the ability to prepare for any contingency. NASA claims that a robotic mission would take several months to complete the same tasks. As long as NASA is plagued by administration-induced robo-optimism, Hubble has little chance of survival.
Our space program has always been pioneering, and it cannot be claimed that callous disregard for life has led to our unstoppable commitment. We are Americans. We have always put our lives in danger in the pursuit of science. I cannot think of any astronaut who would not put his or her life at risk in the pursuit of discovery. We are losing the pioneering spirit of America in exchange for sponsoring whims of the current administration. I worry not only about what lies after Hubble, but also for the message being sent worldwide. We can spend millions of dollars each day in Iraq in the pursuit of democracy and at the same time stab ourselves in the back by letting the blood of discovery run from our veins. While the Bush administration is concentrating on returning to the moon, a frontier of the past, valuable time is being lost from saving the beacon of future frontiers. We have little time to save Hubble, and the use of robots will only compound the causes of the impending disaster.
Ignoring Marx's prophecy may prove fatal not only for our economic system, but also for the age of discovery. If we lose rationality in adapting artificial intelligence to complete human tasks, we may be digging our own graves. Now may be our last chance to fight Marx's prophecy. Send our generation to fix Hubble. We're the pioneers of tomorrow ... I hope.
Ryan McElveen can be reached at ryanmc@virginia.edu.
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