Hard Light Productions Forums

Off-Topic Discussion => General Discussion => Topic started by: Darkage on May 04, 2002, 04:49:32 pm

Title: Remote-controled rats
Post by: Darkage on May 04, 2002, 04:49:32 pm
This is a prety funy article:D made me laugh:D :wakka:

Bleep bleep (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20020501/ap_on_sc/remote_controlled_rats_2)
Title: Remote-controled rats
Post by: an0n on May 04, 2002, 04:51:28 pm
Oh goody. Cyborg bombs.
Title: Remote-controled rats
Post by: Corsair on May 04, 2002, 04:58:39 pm
:wakka:
Now imagine what would happen if they could do that to people. Now there's a scary thought. :shaking:
Title: Remote-controled rats
Post by: Zeronet on May 04, 2002, 05:18:47 pm
Quote
Originally posted by Corsair
:wakka:
Now imagine what would happen if they could do that to people. Now there's a scary thought. :shaking:


Uh, people arent as instinctual as animals. Still its possible to arficially induce happiness...
Title: Remote-controled rats
Post by: an0n on May 04, 2002, 05:33:06 pm
Ha, yeah. You think people are better than animals?

You do realise that it's probably easier to brainwash someone with electroshock 'therapy' than it is to train up a rat.
Title: Remote-controled rats
Post by: Stryke 9 on May 04, 2002, 06:34:49 pm
Quote
Uh, people arent as instinctual as animals.

Temptation Island. Professional sports. Macintoshes. Intellectual preferences?

Personally, I'm a bit dissapointed that the technical diagrams I got on it weren't detailed enough to permit a retrofit for larger and diffferently shaped skulls.
Title: Remote-controled rats
Post by: Vortex on May 04, 2002, 09:59:27 pm
Wonder if you could use these things for spying. Send them to suspected meetings underground or something, people will think it's just the local rat popping in for some food or something...
Title: Remote-controled rats
Post by: Carl on May 05, 2002, 12:43:56 am
yes, and then someone kills it and you loose a very expensive rat.
Title: Remote-controled rats
Post by: CP5670 on May 05, 2002, 01:33:29 am
Saw this in the newspaper today; it sounds pretty interesting and should bring us one step closer to creating the artificial mind... ;7
Title: Remote-controled rats
Post by: NotDefault on May 05, 2002, 02:46:14 am
It's funny when people seem to think it's a remote-controlled rat, when it is not.  It's just a system of sending commands (Fetch, Go Left, Come, whatever, that kind of thing) to the rat and rewarding it (with direct brain effects instead of food treats) for performing those commands.

It really is not any more unethical than training a rat to do something for food treats, except it won't get overfed.
Title: Remote-controled rats
Post by: Dark_4ce on May 05, 2002, 03:49:53 am
Hmmm, Heh, they said that they might use them for searching for people when buildings have collapsed... Well, the last thing I want to happen, if I'd ever be stuck under a ton of rubble, not able to move, is a bunch of rats scurrying over me... *Shudder* :shaking:
Title: Remote-controled rats
Post by: Gortef on May 05, 2002, 05:04:25 am
Hey rats are quite neat little buggers. My friend used to have several rats as pets (they have all died a while ago, quite sad actually :( )

But that article is really funny :D
Title: Remote-controled rats
Post by: Zeronet on May 05, 2002, 06:26:37 am
Quote
Originally posted by CP5670
Saw this in the newspaper today; it sounds pretty interesting and should bring us one step closer to creating the artificial mind... ;7


no it doesnt.
Title: Remote-controled rats
Post by: CP5670 on May 05, 2002, 11:14:31 am
Quote
no it doesnt.


:confused: yes it would; modifying an existing unit leads to knowledge of how it works, which would mean the knowledge to building one from scratch. ;) (can't wait for that day :D ; although I would probably be dead by then :()
Title: Remote-controled rats
Post by: Kellan on May 05, 2002, 11:46:44 am
I think I smell a rat.
Title: Remote-controled rats
Post by: aldo_14 on May 05, 2002, 01:50:15 pm
Quote
Originally posted by CP5670


:confused: yes it would; modifying an existing unit leads to knowledge of how it works, which would mean the knowledge to building one from scratch. ;) (can't wait for that day :D ; although I would probably be dead by then :()


Not really... it's very simple electric stimulation of the pleasure lobe... although they know the right parts of the brain to stimulate, they probably don't know how that actually works.

Taken to its logical conclusion, it's not too dissimilar to getting someone addicted on heroin, then offering them a shot for carrying out a task.
Title: Remote-controled rats
Post by: Kellan on May 05, 2002, 02:01:31 pm
That is a nice image. :doubt:

Seriously though, this research has been funded by the U.S. Army (as in, no need for human minesweepers anymore). One of their other 'pet projects' (ahahaha) is to make soldiers stay awake for 7 days straight. The official government documents say that the human is becoming the weak link in the defensive chain. So they have to find a way to 'improve' it.

Scary... :nervous:
Title: Remote-controled rats
Post by: CP5670 on May 05, 2002, 09:04:50 pm
Quote
Not really... it's very simple electric stimulation of the pleasure lobe... although they know the right parts of the brain to stimulate, they probably don't know how that actually works.

Taken to its logical conclusion, it's not too dissimilar to getting someone addicted on heroin, then offering them a shot for carrying out a task.


Well, it's a small start but still a start; it is now known that it is possible to manipulate minds in this way, which will lead to a very slightly greater understanding of how they work. ;)

Quote
The official government documents say that the human is becoming the weak link in the defensive chain.


About time someone figured that out... :p