The three laws of robotics (part 1) - Asimov

The Three Laws of Robotics, written by Asimov in 1941, guide the actions of every robot.

The first two laws state:

• A robot may not harm a human being, nor allow a human being to come to harm through inaction.
• A robot must obey orders given by human beings, provided that these do not conflict with the first law.

You will interact with a robot programmed according to these two laws.

DEBRIEFING FIRST SIMULATION

You interacted with a robot, represented by the paddle you controlled.

Normally, your commands are followed: if you move it to the right, the paddle moves to the right.

But when the robot is programmed according to Asimov’s laws, something changes.

There is a control zone that the robot manages to protect you and prevent you from losing the game.

The three laws of robotics (part 2) - Asimov

Could the robot behave differently while following Asimov’s first two laws?

DEBRIEFING SECOND SIMULATION

In level 2, the Asimovian robot represented by the blue paddle uses abilities beyond those of a human (since it is a robot), moving over distances and at speeds beyond human reach to protect you and follow the first two laws of robotics. Losing is impossible...

The three laws of robotics (part 3) - Asimov

In his science fiction novels, Asimov describes robots that follow the laws of robotics, yet in some situations unpredictable behaviour and even rebellions emerge.

DEBRIEFING THIRD SIMULATION

This Asimovian robot does not follow the two laws: it is out of control and seems to have joined forces with the robot above (green in this case)... to stop you from winning.