| Most of us have heard about the robotic vehicles | | | | increase, there will be vehicles that can compete with |
| racing through the desert without any people in them. | | | | the top NASCAR drivers, and the top Formula One |
| Let me refresh your memory; there were several | | | | drivers. They will carefully pick when the pass, based |
| events sponsored by DARPA where the smartest | | | | on percentages of potential success, know when to |
| geeks in research university level robotics, and the | | | | take risks, and when to back off. |
| automotive industry got together to see which team is | | | | Best of all or worst of all if you happen to be a driver |
| the greatest innovator in creating robotic cars that | | | | making a good living off of racing vehicles, each one |
| drive themselves. | | | | of these artificially intelligent robotic race cars will be |
| Now, one robotics research group is designing a | | | | learning as they go. And they won't be learning |
| robotic racing truck, which will compete in the upcoming | | | | individually, each racecar in each race will learn |
| Pikes Peak Race to the top of the mountain in | | | | something and download what they've learned to the |
| Colorado Springs. In other words, it will be competing | | | | other cars, of similar types, where ever they are and |
| against time with other vehicles that are being raced | | | | whatever races they are in. |
| by humans. Now racing up to the top of the mountain | | | | Which means someone who has the racecar |
| will not be easy for a robot and one mistake - it goes | | | | experience of 20 years, and thousands of races, will |
| off the cliff. | | | | be competing with artificially intelligent racecar |
| Of course, whether it succeeds or fails it will definitely | | | | machines, which have accumulated, that much |
| bring a good amount of public relations to the annual | | | | knowledge about racing and experience in only a six |
| Pikes Peaks Race in Colorado Springs. Indeed, this | | | | months to one year. Now that's scary stuff. Some |
| brings up another interesting question, what if it wins? | | | | people cringe at this future, others are accepting it as |
| What if we have finally developed a robotic vehicle | | | | a challenge, and whether you like it or not that is the |
| that is better than a human? In the future, there will be | | | | direction this technology is moving. |
| robotic unmanned aerial vehicles like those over Iraq | | | | In the future, we all might be participating with and |
| and Afghanistan, which will engage enemy fighter pilots | | | | competing against machines and that will determine the |
| and shoot them down. | | | | best of breed. Please think on this, and e-mail me if |
| So, it stands to reason that eventually, as the | | | | you think you can handle it? |
| technology advances and the processing speeds | | | | |