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originally posted by: Daedalus
a reply to: Wolfenz
oh, i have no doubt we'll see robotic soldiers on our streets within my lifetime....the human race seems determined to see how fast it can snuff itself from history....
my whole point is that that little vid wasn't an example of one currently in development...that is to say, it's not a DARPA demo reel......believe it or not, it was actually made by the same guy who wrote District 9, and Elysium ...notice how the robots look similar...he designed them all...he also did the "alive with technology" commercials for Citroen, along with a bunch of other robot-related stuff...he's quite handy with 3d modeling, rendering, and film editing.
originally posted by: Daedalus
a reply to: Wolfenz
the problem with biomechanical humanoid constructs, is that now you're creating cyborgs, and with that, comes certain possible moral implications...fit a good enough AI onboard, and it possibly becomes self-aware...once that happens, you've literally created life in your own image...
do we have any right to do that? does anyone?
ALBANY, New York, April 8, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a new market report published by Transparency Market Research "Synthetic Biology Market (Synthetic DNA, Synthetic Genes, Synthetic Cells, XNA, Chassis Organisms, DNA Synthesis, Oligonucleotide Synthesis)- Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast,2013 - 2019" the global synthetic biologymarket was valued at USD 1.8 billion in 2012 and is estimated to reach a market worth of USD 13.4 billion in 2019growing at a CAGR of 32.6% from 2013 to 2019. Synthetic biology is a process where artificial biological devices and systems are produced with the utilization of genetic engineering and biology. It plays an important role in the production ofimproved nutrition or cost effective medicines.Increasing number of scientific research coupled with rising participation of government and private organizations for the development of synthetic biology helps the growth of this market globally.In addition, new product development by key market players in collaboration with other companies will furtherdrive the growth of this market during the study period.
DARPA is investing in technology its experts believe will lead to powerful new approaches for radar, communications, weapons and navigation, she said. “And in a range of research areas, we can see the new seeds of technological surprise,” Prabhakar said. “One example is where biology is intersecting with engineering today, and in areas like that, we are making investments that will lead to new technologies like synthetic biology and neurotechnology.” Another expert who testified before the committee, National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Francis S. Collins, mentioned a breakthrough neuroscience project that Stanford University is working on with funding from NIH and DARPA and the National Science Foundation. “Traditionally, researchers have studied the postmortem brain by cutting a specimen into slim slices. While all that slicing generates neat, two-dimensional images, it also makes it impossible to reconstruct the connections of the brain's tens of billions of neurons,” Collins said. “What if we could study the details of the wiring and the location of specific proteins in transparent 3-D? “Using a chemical cocktail,” he continued, “researchers at Stanford University -- supported by NIH, NSF and DARPA -- have figured out a way to do just that. They've dubbed their technique ‘Clarity,’ and in an extraordinary technical feat, the team made possible a 3-D tour of an intact mouse brain illuminated by a green dye that marks the neurons.” Clarity is now being applied to human brains, he added, and undoubtedly will advance the BRAIN Initiative, a research effort unveiled by President Barack Obama and Collins in April 2013. In his State of the Union message last year, the president addressed research and development and its value to the nation. “If we want to make the best products, we also have to invest in the best ideas,” Obama said. “Every dollar we invested to map the human genome returned $140 to our economy -- every dollar. Today, our scientists are mapping the human brain to unlock the answers to Alzheimer’s. They’re developing drugs to regenerate damaged organs, devising new material to make batteries 10 times more powerful.