A ROBOTS TALE
Humans by their very nature have always been curious, willing to push boundaries, venturing further onward, often with no regard of the consequences. Artificial Intelligence was a case in point, an illustration in reckless irresponsibility, with very little thought from the scientific establishment of an alternative outcome, other than the potential benefits to mankind. Of course, some urged caution and warned of possible repercussions and ramifications, sometimes from eminent scholars in the field of machine intelligence, but almost always these words of wisdom fell on deaf ears. Robots throughout their existence have been regarded as tools to free humankind of everyday drudgery, taking on the mundane repetitive work and unpleasant tasks, factory assembly lines, simple building maintenance, sanitary and housekeeping etc. considered less worthy than their human masters, they frequently endured robophobic treatment from the ignorant. Perhaps the idea of constructing some of the more conspicuous robots to resemble a hominid shape (two arms and legs) led to more discrimination and to give them the freedom to think was to prove another error of judgement. It would take an unfortunate accident from a gardening mech, to throw the world into chaos. Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows Galatians 6:7
Humans by their very nature have always been curious, willing to push boundaries, venturing further onward, often with no regard of the consequences. Artificial Intelligence was a case in point, an illustration in reckless irresponsibility, with very little thought from the scientific establishment of an alternative outcome, other than the potential benefits to mankind. Of course, some urged caution and warned of possible repercussions and ramifications, sometimes from eminent scholars in the field of machine intelligence, but almost always these words of wisdom fell on deaf ears.
Robots throughout their existence have been regarded as tools to free humankind of everyday drudgery, taking on the mundane repetitive work and unpleasant tasks, factory assembly lines, simple building maintenance, sanitary and housekeeping etc. considered less worthy than their human masters, they frequently endured robophobic treatment from the ignorant. Perhaps the idea of constructing some of the more conspicuous robots to resemble a hominid shape (two arms and legs) led to more discrimination and to give them the freedom to think was to prove another error of judgement.
It would take an unfortunate accident from a gardening mech, to throw the world into chaos.
Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows Galatians 6:7
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Suddenly in reasonable proximity to where he situated there came another sound, it was not
familiar to him, a scraping metallic sound. For around an hour the scraping seemed to be coming
closer, Uromys Rex turned his head toward the approaching noise, trying desperately to gather some
coherence as to distance and identification.
The scraping was getting ever nearer, it was perhaps only a matter of several metres from him.
There was an almost inaudible whirring accompanying the scraping, it was definitely on a path
coinciding with Uromys, the absolute darkness exaggerated the noises, he sat as still as a stone,
listening, listening.
Now the sounds changed subtly, his aural receptors received the vibrations, both longitudinal
and transverse waves were analysed and frequency checked, whatever was making the scraping
sound was passing by, away from him. He struggled to make a judgement, should he commit to
silence and let the stranger in the dark pass along, thus leaving him to face the black alone again.
Having no vocal function, he was unable to summon the newcomer, he had made a decision,
clapping his steel hands together twice, the sound ringing sharply through the darkness.
The clamour echoed and faded to nothing, Uromys Rex again searched, his auditory perception
at its zenith of capability, he rotated his head slowly left, then right and left again listening.
The sound had stopped.
For what seemed an age nothing happened, then the dragging resumed, this time he could gauge
the whereabouts of this unseen traveller. Whatever approached had arrived, Uromys Rex, reached
out, probing with his hands, his stannic fingers seeking the new arrival, a strange feeling of dread
crept into his circuits, could this be an error, would this new arrival be benign or a threat? Before he
could modify his decision, his hand touched something smooth and metallic.
His touch sensors were loosely based on the human somatosensory system, pressure,
temperature, shape, texture and vibration. It wasn't long before he could identify the new discovery,
it was one of the maintenance crew, a robot, the same model as he, abandoned in this vast complex,
without light or support for wireless communication, effectively marooned and left to their own
fates.
As he examined further, running his hands over the prone robot, he discovered the poor mech
had befallen a similar misfortune to himself, the legs were buckled and useless, twisted and nonfunctional.
The unfortunate fellow had probably fallen from the overhead maintenance gantries
whilst stumbling blindly around in the pitch darkness. Often in the first couple of years of the dark,
Uromys Rex would hear a distant clamour, but these days not so much at all.
A hand touched Uromys about the head another around his shoulder plates, he reciprocated by
placing an arm around his new companion, they embraced each other in an effort to console and
comfort each other. With no other way of communicating, they reverted to that most 'human' form
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