But somehow, I bet Unotchit will not be mass-marketing this

Maybe it’s because the work server has been down all day. Maybe I’ve just been in a silly mood that’s making me drool over the (hopefully, but you never know) impending release of this movie later this year, but this story made me laugh:

Scientists have made them walk and talk. There are even robots that can run. But a South Korean professor is poised to take their development several steps further, and give cybersex new meaning.

Kim Jong-Hwan, the director of the ITRC-Intelligent Robot Research Centre, has developed a series of artificial chromosomes that, he says, will allow robots to feel lusty, and could eventually lead to them reproducing. He says the software, which will be installed in a robot within the next three months, will give the machines the ability to feel, reason and desire.

Kim, a leading authority on technology and ethics of robotics, said: "Christians may not like it, but we must consider this the origin of an artificial species. Until now, most researchers in this field have focused only on the functionality of the machines, but we think in terms of the essence of the creatures." That "essence" is a computer code, which determines a robot’s propensity to "feel" happy, sad, angry, sleepy, hungry or afraid. Kim says this software is modelled on human DNA, though equivalent to a single strand of genetic code rather than the complex double helix of a real chromosome.

Kim said: "Robots will have their own personalities and emotion and – as films like I Robot warn – that could be very dangerous for humanity. If we can provide a robot with good – soft – chromosomes, they may not be such a threat."

Funny as it is, I don’t quite see the point — could Kim be so clueless as to believe the robots will actually be faithful to each other and not start trolling for humans? And what’s the difference between, ah, "soft" chromosomes and "hard" ones? The mind boggles…

(thanks to the Nameless Horror for the link)