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posted by martyb on Wednesday October 12 2016, @08:07PM   Printer-friendly
from the next-up:-dragon-riding-competitions dept.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3822130/22m-X-Prize-make-Avatars-reality-Contest-create-machines-allow-people-s-consciousness-transported-instantaneously.html

Humanoid robots could soon allow us to stream our consciousness anywhere in the world, acting as surrogate bodies that enable people to ‘instantly be in multiple places at once.’

This is the goal of the Avatar XPrize, an ANA-sponsored concept for a $22 million contest just selected at the XPrize Visioneers 2016 Summit as ‘ready to launch.’

Backed by Japan’s largest airline, ANA, the Avatar XPrize will be a globally televised competition for the development of real avatars.

Teams will be given three years to create a system that can control an avatar in one basic task.

Then in 2022, finalists will move on to the Annual Avatar Games to compete across five categories: caretaker, public speaker, disaster relief, tennis, and musician.

These tasks will include pushing a wheelchair through a course, cooking an omelette, and even providing basic healthcare to a wounded person.


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  • (Score: 2) by wonkey_monkey on Wednesday October 12 2016, @09:22PM

    by wonkey_monkey (279) on Wednesday October 12 2016, @09:22PM (#413651) Homepage

    Because now people will take one flight while their avatar takes another. Double dip!

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  • (Score: 2) by frojack on Wednesday October 12 2016, @09:49PM

    by frojack (1554) on Wednesday October 12 2016, @09:49PM (#413661) Journal

    Not to be taken lightly in this day and age.
    Will service robots be allowed on planes like "service dogs" (95% of which are glorified pets with zero training).
    How long will it take nation states or terrorists to weaponize the avatar? About a week after general availability I'd guess.

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    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 12 2016, @10:08PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 12 2016, @10:08PM (#413667)

      (95% of which are glorified pets with zero training)

      It's refreshing to see bigoted ignorance directed somewhere I don't have a dog in the fight!

    • (Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 12 2016, @10:24PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 12 2016, @10:24PM (#413674)

      Will service robots be allowed on planes like "service dogs" (95% of which are glorified pets with zero training).

      First, citation needed. Why do you think such a high percentage of service dogs have zero training? I'll buy that maybe 5% are emotional support dogs which have no training, but is there any basis to your statement of such an exceptionally high percentage are untrained.

      Second, why would they not allow service robots on planes? Dogs are not allowed due to them being potentially unsanitary, panicking due to unfamiliar situations, and bothering other passengers. Robots have far fewer of those issues (and probably no more than any human). I can see them forcing them to be in a disabled or inert state to prevent EM interference/terrorism/etc., but I don't foresee an outright ban unless they are proven unsafe (e.g. contain giant battery packs within them, their form factor makes them block plane entry and exit, they are not disable-able, etc).

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 12 2016, @11:04PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 12 2016, @11:04PM (#413683)

        First, citation needed. Why do you think such a high percentage of service dogs have zero training?

        What? You think Frojack actually knows anything about the people he denigrates? You must be new here.
        He is raw id, dedicated to pumping himself up by shitting on anyone he doesn't actually understand.