
Children Beating Up Robot Inspires New Escape Maneuver System - exolymph
http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/artificial-intelligence/children-beating-up-robot
======
JoeAltmaier
We all know that avoidance behaviors (running to mommy) don't work for long
with bullies. They just wait until mommy isn't around.

Likewise 'acting pitiful' \- whining and crying. That's what bullies are
looking for! Its the payoff.

No, the way to avoid bullying is to stand up for yourself. Pepper spray, loud
noises, flashing lights would all be more effective.

------
dpflan
"Literally tiny humans: the robot is programmed to run away from people who
are below a certain height and escape in the direction of taller people."

It's also interesting that the children perceive the robot to be more human-
like than machine-line, yet still they abuse it. Perhaps it is the simplicity
of its behavior that makes is so easily abusable. If the robot were able to
interact in a more complex way, perhaps like a child or an adult, asking
questions or talking about other topics rather than having a single-minded
goal of moving from A to B, the children would be slower to adopt abusive
behavior.

~~~
jacquesm
Kids will do stuff like this to other kids as well. I think if the robot were
larger (adult sized) they'd leave it alone.

~~~
dpflan
Agreed, kids will pick on other kids. Seems like the team behind this has some
key variables to change to gather more insight. If there were two robots and
one robot joined the kids in teasing, blocking and abusing the other robot,
would the kids respect that traitorous robot more?

~~~
kevin_thibedeau
I think they need to watch "Short Circuit 2" for some inspiration.

~~~
jacquesm
Either that or 'Lord of the Flies'.

------
habitue
My suggestion, instead of the elaborate avoidance system, is to make the robot
act pitiful when it detects it is being abused. Whimpering, frowning, crying
etc. You gotta make it engage those deep-seated emotion detectors. That's the
difference between the furby and the patrol robot.

~~~
rz2k
I suspect that complaints and indications of suffering exacerbate the
'othering' problems.

To me it's entirely conceivable that when people were torturing for our
government 10 years ago, their conscience was less engaged if their victims
were already strapped to a table and looked pathetic before they waterboarded
them.

I think a non-dangerous bright flash of light or clap of loud noise would
might act like an interrupt to their behavior before any rational or humanity-
based tactics could be employed effectively.

------
pmalynin
I submitted this a year ago, and it didn't gain any attention.

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10024235](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10024235)

~~~
qzxvwt
Today rbobby submitted a video [1] explaining a new(ish?) "polymagnet"
technology which earned 13 points, then 4 hours later iheredia posted the same
topic [2] which currently has 331 points. It must be a bit of timing and
titling nuances mixed with luck... so yeah, here's to hoping HN points never
become indicative of any sort of clout.

[1]
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11323758](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11323758)

[2]
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11324880](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11324880)

