Thursday, June 5, 2014

The appalling cuteness of Japanese robots

A story in today's news made me ill. No, it wasn't about another senseless murder; it was about a "cute" robot made in Japan. Named "Pepper", no less.
A cooing, gesturing humanoid on wheels that can decipher emotions has been unveiled in Japan by billionaire Masayoshi Son who says robots should be tender and make people smile
That is disgusting. Cute isn't a virtue, it's a fatal flaw. The idea of encountering a robot like this makes me ill. Hell, reading about it made me ill.
The machine, which has no legs, but has gently gesticulating hands appeared on a stage in a Tokyo suburb, cooing and humming. It dramatically touched hands with Son [its creator] in a Genesis or "E.T." moment.
Isn't that special? If you recall, they sent one of their "cute" robots to the International Space Station, where people were trapped inside a tin can with it, with no way to escape. I swear, if I was one of those astronauts and this thing came near me, I'd rip off its head and toss it out the airlock.
In Thursday's demonstration, Pepper sang, "I want to be loved."
Yeah, well good luck with that, Pepper. C'mon people, admit it. This is the kind of thing we'll encounter in Hell, when we get there. It'll be extra-extra-cute and you won't be able to shut it off or get away from it, no matter how hard you try. Cute, my ass.