My husband, Nikola Danaylov of Singularity WEBLOG came across this neat BBC news item which I just have to share!
Image via Wikipedia
The video showcases a robot which has been programmed to break dance.
Although the technology is primitive, when the mechanics improve, the question remains:
Will robotics be the future of live entertainment?
Check this out and judge for yourself:
Break Dancing Robot Video from the BBC
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When I watch a dancer, I know that I am watching a human being with feelings who communicates through his/her body language. However, when I see a robot dancer, I know that I am watching a programmed machine performing.
My best guess is that robots can be used to study choreography, which could help choreographer’s creativity. However, the fact remains that a machine can never be a person. There may be fans who watch robots performing, but there will always be people who would love to see humans perform and express themselves.
Art can take on new forms, but it does not mean that its old forms will necessarily disappear. In my field (photography), photographs cannot be a substitute for paintings although when photography was invented this was the assumption. Painting and photography are two related and yet distinct art forms (same way, digital photography still cannot wipe out film based imagery as an art form etc.).
Cheers!
Shary,
I love your point about art taking on new forms.
In the dance world, there was ballet, then there was jazz, then there was hip hop, then there was pop and lock, etc etc etc. Each new dance form was a new and fresh derivative of the discipline which came before it and not a replacement.
Thanks for taking the time to comment as you raise some very good points!
dancing is the art of expressing the emotions,feelings, views and messag.It has a many kinds which is oftenly related to the culture and tradition.
What you’re saying is so true Erika.
There is much about being human that can not be easily replicated by technology…At least not yet
Greetings Shary,
My questions to your points are those:
1. What if the robot dancer looks perfectly identical to a human dancer and you don’t know that it is a robot? How will that change your perception?
2. What if the robot is not programmed but performs an improvised routine? (There have been robots that can compose music indistinguishable from that composed by men [Mozart not included] for some time now)
3. What if machines can become like people with their own free will, intelligence and emotions?
4. What if robots start to paint, take pictures and make movies that are equal or better to those made by us?
5. What if a person with a brain implanted chip (there are over 10,000 of those) dances, paints or takes pictures?
6. What if a person with prosthetic limbs dances?
7. What if a person with both prosthetic limbs and many brain implants does the same?
8. Where do we draw the line?
9. What is to be human anyway?
Cheers!
Hey Nikola,
My answer is based on what we can do today or what we are close to do today.
If a Robot is programmed and has hardware+ programmed software that can simulate human thinking as well as being self-conscience and have feelings, then we are talking about creatures created by us. If that happens, I have no problem with it. Once we understand how self-consciousness is generated in human brain, we will probably be able to create such robots. At this time, we are trying to figure out how neuronal networks interact and I think our research is still in its infancy.
The person with prosthetic limb is still a person though. S/he is uses his/her brain to dance even if s/he has a prosthetic limb.
In general, I agree with your suggestion.
Very good points!
Cheers!
What was science fiction yesterday, is a fact today.
It seems that given enough time and money nothing is impossible.
Arthur C. Clarke says that “sufficiently advanced technologies are indistinguishable from magic…”
Tomorrow will be magical.
The day after tomorrow — the Singularity, is the unknown unknowable…
You are absolutely right!
Science is very powerful. As I mentioned before, compare our knowledge now with that of our ancestors 500 years ago. We would look supernatural beings to them (or beings from a different world or Gods).
The more we will know about our biological functions (in particular brain functions) and the more technology advances, the more likely we can create the unknown.
Cheers!
Yesterday, we officially created a synthetic microorganism i.e. dumb artificial life.
Within several decades, we’ll create smart artificial life i.e. AI.
…and then, anything can happen…
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