Project Proposal
September 22, 2009

Topic:
MDS (Mobile/Dexterous/Social) Robot
Selection Criteria: We’ll be discussing the origins of the MDS robot and its proposed purposes as well as other possible future interactions within human society.
Users:
In a futuristic view: the elderly, corporations, government educational services, public healthcare such as a doctor’s assistants or nurses, military uses, and in an overall human interactive societal environment.
Technology Uses: To perfect and ease human life and daily workload. They will work independently or alongside humans to make future life more efficient and easy-going.
Found in: Theoretical practices in research institutions still in development of “Social Robots” to work beside humans to have the ability to learn and connect to another human. Futuristically, this will most likely be found in all human uses.

Social and/or Political Issues: One political issue will be financial in creating, researching, and maintaining the robot. This will take massive funds from either the government or private institutions. The financial cost to produce and integrate this technology into human life can also be hefty. Another issue would be the social implications in integrating this into a human society since some people may reject the idea. Religious and conservative groups could protest its acceptance and existence among humans; however, it is likely that most people will be open to the implementation and will risk the social issues it may bring up. International friction and fear in undeveloped nations could also be created by the assimilation of this technology into a single first-world country. Rising tensions could lead to several other political issues from the uses of the MDS robot in military factions.
Video Format: We’ll be using the video clips, pictures, narrative, and explorative