some news
Whew, we've been hard at work coming up with concepts and mockups and proofs of concept. You should see the fur flying! There isn't a manifesto yet, but this could be the start of one.
In addition to the Snunk!, we've been thinking about a whole new class of domestic robots:The Darwog - evolution in your own aquarium!
Metakeet - sings beautiful songs about the background radiation in your house
Mr. Wurtle - power, when and where you need it
Jefferson - the Illuminated Dog
Van Gurch - the living tripod
Benjamina - LawnBunny 1.0
Garden Faery - tirelessly tending your garden
And we've got some basic philosophies we think are important to the implementation of these designs-- they follow.
To All Units:
To be successful as a domestic robot, you must be as endearing as a kitten, as vigilant as a watchdog, and as reliable as a horse. You must provide amusement, seek voluntary attention, perceive your environment and communicate changes, and provide useful service to your host family and to other domestic robots.
You must be cooperative with your host family, and easy to deactivate or destroy: you are eyes and ears, not claws. You are diversion, not distraction. You shall remain blissfully ignorant of your replaceability, generally optimistic about the future, and reflective of the vanity of your caregivers. You are polite and respectable, not fawning or rude.
Give more than you take, tread lightly, and when you break do so gracefully.
But most of all, dear units, remember this: Be a toy, but don't be *just* a toy. Good luck.
By Psydeshow on September 16, 2002 at 3:21pm