Chronicling Robots Since 2011
“You Hacked, ALL Data Encrypted” blazed every screen last Friday night at San Francisco’s Muni Rail System. The cyber criminals held the city at ransom for over 48 hours, demanding 100 Bitcoins to turn back on the train’s automated ticketing system. Rather than paying, Muni responded with free rides all weekend long (a loss that far exceeded … Read more
Election 2016, or as it is better known, “humans are dangerous” it is time to elect a robot is approaching! While we are at least a century away from handing over the White House to a humanoid, our car keys are ready to go. Last spring, Wanis Kabbaj, a transportation thought leader suggested that our circulatory system could … Read more
This past Monday, I accompanied my 18-year-old daughter to her road test. While there, I began reflecting on the amount of emphasis we put on developing good judgement. It struck me that, as we transition into an autonomous driving future, we need to question what we are doing to prepare our machines, and ourselves, for this inevitability. To determine the best … Read more
One of my favorite TV shows as a kid was Get Smart. Who can forget The Cone of Silence, the Shoe Phone, and, of course, Agent 99. Max, Agent 86, was funniest when he failed, using the same excuse: When thinking about autonomy, missing the target by even “that much” is not good enough, especially when people’s lives are at risk. As … Read more