Are Robots The Future of Human Evolution?

Homo Cyberneticus

Will the human species take the course of its future evolution into its own hands by merging the human mind with advances in artificial intelligence and the body with advances in robotics and bionics?

Are Homo sapiens evolving into Homo Cyberneticus?

Today on Far Future Horizons we join veteran actor Morgan Freeman in another outstanding episode of the acclaimed Science Channel documentary series Through the Wormhole which explores the question - Are Robots The Future of Human Evolution?

We are in the midst of a revolution so insidious we can't even see it. From our telephones to our vacuum cleaners to our cars, we have robots that live and work beside us. And now we're designing them to think for themselves, giving them the power to learn to move on their own.

A scientist in England thinks that in order for robots to become more like us, they're going to have to move like us. But this is not as easy as it seems. They'll have to learn to deal with uncertainty in an instant – just like we do naturally. The answer may be to allow robots to learn to move, just like infants learn to toddle, before they walk or run.

But one roboticist at Virginia Tech is jumping way ahead: he's designing legions of robots to compete against humans in a game of soccer, with the goal of overtaking their human counterparts in 2050.

Robots are also learning to think for themselves, some are even developing their own private language. Is it possible that these new life forms will evolve to be smarter and more capable than us?

Another scientist in Japan believes the future lies in combining humans and robots, he's already built a robot suit for people to wear, and give them superhuman strength. Will we choose to merge with the machines, combining the best of our world with the best of theirs? Are robots the future of human evolution?

Be sure to check an earlier posting on Discovery Enterprise titled Humans v2.0: Human Evolution at the Cross Roads.

This episode of Through the Wormhole hosted by Morgan Freeman is available from Amazon Books.

Through the Wormhole ~ Are Robots The Future of Human Evolution?

through.the.wormhole.s04e07.are.robots.the... by HDDocumentary Copyright Disclaimer Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.