Roving reporter on battlefields could be a robot. MIT builds a robot news hound known as the Afghan Explorer. [USA Today : Front Page]

This is little more than a remote control car with a camera and monitor attached. Still, it is an interesting hybrid of technology.

Telepresence is a good idea, be it for hostage negotiation, reporting in areas that are hazardous to normal humans, or as a means of holding a meeting in hostile locations where a telephone or videophone are impractical to use.

Questions:

• What is to keep the person on the other end of the 'bot from simply trashing the unit?
• How do you insure that the unit gets back to you safely?
• Is it possible to guarantee that the GPS and Cell phone data won't be used to track the location of the person on the other end? If not, why not use these bots as disposable scouts for rooting out enemy troops? Of course, they then cease to be robots if they are used for harming people.

2:19:35 PM    

Furrybot to Watch Over You. Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's a cute, furry robot, and it's the latest in retirement home technology. By Daithí Ó hAnluain. [Wired News]

(Cough) Nice scoop.

10:01:40 AM