Latest By
Category:
Armor
Artificial
Intelligence
Biology
Clothing
Communication
Computers
Culture
Data Storage
Displays
Engineering
Entertainment
Food
Input Devices
Lifestyle
Living Space
Manufacturing
Material
Media
Medical
Miscellaneous
Robotics
Security
Space Tech
Spacecraft
Surveillance
Transportation
Travel
Vehicle
Virtual
Person
Warfare
Weapon
Work
"I long ago realized that I could reach far more people by writing something, than by walking down the street with a banner."
- John Brunner
 |
| Verhaeren Factor | ||
| Provides autonomous robots with the capacity for independent creative action. |
What provisions could a roboticist make to ensure creativity in an autonomous robot?
| "I'll bet I know why android cooks were never too successful. Nobody ever included the Verhaeren factor in their brains."
The Verhaeren factor, if you've studied this stuff at all, is what makes robots capable of independent creative action. For instance, in the robots that turn out popular fiction - in a very small proportion, of course. "Yes, that's the trouble. They never realized that a cook is an artist as well as a servant Well, we'll give him in his brain what he needs for creation and in his body the tools he needs to carry it out..." |
| From Robinc,
by Anthony Boucher. Published by Astounding Science Fiction in 1943 Additional resources -
|
See also the entry for light-sculpture for one idea from Isaac Asimov. Also, can this robotic painter create masterpieces like his namesake?
Comment/Join this discussion ( 0 ) | RSS/XML | Blog This |
Additional
resources:
More Ideas
and Technology from Robinc
More Ideas
and Technology by Anthony Boucher
Tech news articles related to Robinc
Tech news articles related to works by Anthony Boucher
| Las Vegas Humans Ready To Strike Over Robots |
| Somnox Sleep Robot - Your Sleepytime Cuddlebot |
| VirtualHome: Teaching Robots To Do Chores Around The House |
| Artificial Sensory Neurons For Prosthetics, Robots |
Want to Contribute an
Item?
It's easy:
Get the name of the item, a
quote, the book's name and the author's name, and Add
it here.
| <Previous | Next> |
|
|
|
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
|
'A worker replaced by a nubot... had to be compensated.'
'... forcing the energy transfer which allowed him to regrow his lost fingers.'
'The car surged and lifted, clearing its top by a negligible margin.'
Science fiction authors are serious about sleep, too.
'I had explained," said Nessus, "that our civilisation was dying in its own waste heat.'
'Just what did I want Flexible Frank to do? - any work a human being does around a house.'
SF writers have thought about this since the 19th century.
