The Associated Press profiles Helen Greiner, the co-founder of robotics firm iRobot, maker of the Roomba vacuum cleaner and the military PackBot (seen in this AP photo). From the article:
For the 37-year-old Greiner, the success of the Roomba and of iRobot's military machines validates the transformation of robots from the stuff of fantasy to practical tools.
"I think in the old days, robots had a perception of being kind of scary, and more science fiction than science fact," Greiner said in a recent interview. "These robots are on a mission, and so are we: to bring robots into the mainstream. … We can make robots do a better job than humans in some cases…."
…For her part, Greiner has said she doesn't believe robots should be empowered to decide on their own whether to take a human life.
None of iRobot's current military robots have autonomous capabilities; all are directly controlled by humans. And while iRobot is developing the PackBot's abilities to carry payloads — including the possibility of transporting weapons — none of the company's current robots is armed.
