Howdy,
So I have compiled my ideas into a solution to my ethically unsound problem. I call it the predator – a quadrupedal robot that helps you to stay fit by chasing you down at the speed you set, for the time you set. If the predator catches you, it uses a front mounted low voltage stun gun to ‘encourage’ you to continue. The predator is reinforced by a mandatory government issue wrist band, which ‘ensures’ you remember to keep fit by setting a schedule based on you age and fitness level, then reinforces the schedule by using mild electric shocks, varying in severity depending on how badly you stray from the schedule…
The predator would be based on the Boston Dynamics ‘Wild Cat’ prototype:
My design would be to create a commercially reproduce-able government issue version of the Wild Cat with a newly designed outer casing and stun gun attachment . The predator would then be alerted by the wrist band and would immediately set out to ‘aid’ your fitness routine. The predator would have some navigational programming, but would be designed to act like a wild animal charging and so would not car about knocking into surrounding pedestrians or other obstacles. The predator would do whatever it takes to catch it’s prey. The predator could also be adapted for scare tactic purposes in crowd control situations, essentially creating a police state where the government controls a robotic army of senseless machines.
Essentially, my systems design solves the problem of natural selection being dulled by technology by creating a survival of the fittest enforced by technology. Although this system would indeed breach human rights and many ethical codes within society, it would solve the problem of humanity’s increasing laziness and dependence on technology.
I am fairly happy with my design and for the first time, I do feel like I am designing something that would indeed be surprising!
