Terminator style scenario

in this day and age as more people are becoming relient on Computers and working on developing more sofisticated Machinery that can do tasks on its own and so forth.


how long will it be before they become so advanced that they become a threat

I would say a very very long time if we are talking about a highlyeffective killing machine capable of outdoing a trained human.

A machine is just that, a machine. Without some incredibly advanced software and hardware they would be unable to react to situations it has never come acorss in the past.

Computer technology is pushing forward as fast as every with some big new technologies coming up soon, but the software is the realy really big thing. The thing that machines just cannot match humans on is adaptation, and i believe it will be that way for the forseeable future.

I wouldnt be so quick to say that our technology cannot stand up to a person.

Im in robotics engineering. I can see why you would believe machines arent yet capable of outdoing humans. Its because we design them too precisely. We design them to do a set task and to be capable of only that set task.

I can easily design a whole array of machines that could hunt you down and kill you, and you wouldnt stand a chance of stopping them.

Remember, machines react within nanoseconds. They can fire, reaim, fire again, all with pinpoint accuracy, and extremely fast. They can also be encased in armor no human could ever possibly carry. And can outrun any human.

Granted, the killing machines we can build today, arent going to be actually "running", more like crushing the terrain beneath tank treads, and flying above your head with incredible accuracy, swiftness, and agility.


-We already know full well the most modern fighters (F-22, Eurofighter, etc) can pull G forces that the human pilots are incapable of surviving.
-AI can be created for these machines. We already do it for videogames. Yes they cannot actually think for themselves, but the algorithms they use cause them to out maneuver, out gun, and out strategize the human player against them.
-Modern locking and tracking systems are extremely fast. They tend to spot, identify, and lock onto targets within a fraction of a second. Why cant we shoot that fast? Because we as humans take a few seconds to look at what the computer has targeted, before allowing it to open fire. With a computer at full controll, they could ID, Lock, and fire at the target on their way over the horizon towards it. The enemy would never know the aircraft was there.

Like I said, we can easily create these killing machines. But we have little use to do so... and I believe there are a few laws out there which restrict us from designing a fully automated killing machine.

Just give me a day and a bunch of microwaves and we'll jury rig a nice EMP bomb.

Or, give me some spray paint and cardboard boxes, and we'll rig up some robot costumes to disguise ourselves.

"does not compute, does not compute."

Originally posted by johnsky

I can easily design a whole array of machines that could hunt you down and kill you, and you wouldnt stand a chance of stopping them.

Remember, machines react within nanoseconds. They can fire, reaim, fire again, all with pinpoint accuracy, and extremely fast. They can also be encased in armor no human could ever possibly carry. And can outrun any human.

Granted, the killing machines we can build today, arent going to be actually "running", more like crushing the terrain beneath tank treads, and flying above your head with incredible accuracy, swiftness, and agility.


-We already know full well the most modern fighters (F-22, Eurofighter, etc) can pull G forces that the human pilots are incapable of surviving.
-AI can be created for these machines. We already do it for videogames. Yes they cannot actually think for themselves, but the algorithms they use cause them to out maneuver, out gun, and out strategize the human player against them.
-Modern locking and tracking systems are extremely fast. They tend to spot, identify, and lock onto targets within a fraction of a second. Why cant we shoot that fast? Because we as humans take a few seconds to look at what the computer has targeted, before allowing it to open fire. With a computer at full controll, they could ID, Lock, and fire at the target on their way over the horizon towards it. The enemy would never know the aircraft was there.

That is all very well and good but machines still lack the ability to learn. A human can think outside the box of its programming and adapt to new situations.

You still have the problem of being able to move this thing you have built with all this equipment over all sorts of terrain at speeds that can match a human. My point is that a human has one very complex computer while a robo-warrior would need computers for everything it does. these all need power, space, cooling and this all adds weight. its fairly easy to chase a human down on a nice smooth open space but what about being chased through a forest. The obvious choice for this is some sort of tracked monster but sot be agile and stable enough to move around the trees and over the rough ground to keep up.

Ofcourse their is the air option. As soon as we bring things like helecopters into the equation it becomes very very hard to escape them. if need be they can just sit above you and call in a tanked beastie to come in and chase you out.

I however was thinking more along the lines of a 1 on 1 type of game.

Just give me a day and a bunch of microwaves and we'll jury rig a nice EMP bomb.

Half inch ceramic, lead, or porcelain could prevent that from doing anything.

Or, give me some spray paint and cardboard boxes, and we'll rig up some robot costumes to disguise ourselves.

lol... I've never known a machine to look like cardboard, but... if you really want to talk disguise...
Machines can see you on spectrums well beyond the visual. All they have to see is the RF identification of their own units. If it doesnt match with units supposed to be in the field, fire on them.
Also, they could easily be programmed to watch each others behavioral patterns. If they act in a way none of them are programmed, they can open fire.
There are literally thousands of ways to detect and neutralise even the best hidden human. The heat we give off, the CO2 we breathe out, the biological signatures we leave behind that can be detected using black light. Not to mention you can build systems that can create radar, sonar, and combinational 3D images of the surroundings that could reveal anything behind walls, concrete, anything. And yes, even humans can be seen with sensitive enough radar.

And yes, I was thinking more along the lines of Aircraft when I posted.

Oh, and one big thing I left out.

We actually can create computers that learn. Just they cant learn whatever they want. We can create programs (and regularly do) that analyse your actions, and try to predict them. Programs such as this started (for me at least) with the creation of the Quake2 Bots. I cant remember what they were called, but they became increasingly harder as they watched your movements, and learnt from them. Using them later on against you, or using them to anticipate your future moves.

Its not full AI, but its still a learning machine.

[edit on 28-12-2005 by johnsky]

Originally posted by johnsky

Just give me a day and a bunch of microwaves and we'll jury rig a nice EMP bomb.

Half inch ceramic, lead, or porcelain could prevent that from doing anything.

Or, give me some spray paint and cardboard boxes, and we'll rig up some robot costumes to disguise ourselves.

lol... I've never known a machine to look like cardboard, but... if you really want to talk disguise...
Machines can see you on spectrums well beyond the visual. All they have to see is the RF identification of their own units. If it doesnt match with units supposed to be in the field, fire on them.
Also, they could easily be programmed to watch each others behavioral patterns. If they act in a way none of them are programmed, they can open fire.
There are literally thousands of ways to detect and neutralise even the best hidden human. The heat we give off, the CO2 we breathe out, the biological signatures we leave behind that can be detected using black light. Not to mention you can build systems that can create radar, sonar, and combinational 3D images of the surroundings that could reveal anything behind walls, concrete, anything. And yes, even humans can be seen with sensitive enough radar.

And yes, I was thinking more along the lines of Aircraft when I posted.

[edit on 28-12-2005 by johnsky]

i think it was a joke

and then again all these things add weight. half inch lead etc etc would add huge weight to any machine. even the extra processing power it needs to computer the extra code it needs to recognice the signs of human life and eachother would require the above mentioned power, armour etc

It all adds up doesnt it?

[edit on 28-12-2005 by manta]

I figured as much, but it inadvertantly brought up a good point.

Terminator movie are as fake as u hidding a hydrogen bomb big enough to destroy the entire universe. A little EMP could fry them, u think government will give complete control of nuclear weapons to a A.L. NO! Perhaps if the A.L wanted to launch a nuclear missiles at human. It has to ask the president. AND U THINK THE PRESIDENT WOULD ALLOW THE A.L TO LAUNCH THE MISSILES ON WHITE HOUSE.