Head of Google's X lab reveals it IS making robosoldiers
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Dr Astro Teller, director of Google's secret X lab, has defended the firm's decision to develop military robots that could one day replace soldiers on the battlefield.
The fabled lab near Mountain View, California, has been a source of controversy and fascination since it was set up by Larry Page five years ago.
Speaking at South By Southwest Interactive Festival in Austin, Texas, on Tuesday, Teller defended the far-reaching projects, gave a rare glimpse into the workings of Google[x], and made a rallying call for diversity in every industry.
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Dr Astro Teller, director of Google's secret X lab is in charge of the firm's 'moonshots - which range from robosoldiers to self driving cars.
Speaking to DailyMail.com after the talk, Teller side-stepped allegations that robotics technology could have dramatic implications for the military, and ever-more militarised police forces, insisting the relationship is a good thing.
Google[x] came under fire in 2013 after acquiring Boston Dynamics, which makes robots funded by the military firm Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa).
However, Teller explained the Moonshot-making firm is deeply entrenched in the industry, and needs firms like Boston Dynamics to advance their work on robots.
'It's in fact the military that is providing Google[x] with information, funding and experiments to work with,' Teller said.
'Darpa has actually provided us with a lot of material that we couldn't have pursued or started ourselves.
'Wouldn't it be great if we had loads of Google[x]s funded by the military for everything but the military?
'I'm not keen on bombs and killing but there are advantages…It's complicated.'
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He also defended Google Glass, which came under fire for 'invading privacy', insisting they were just using cameras that were already in existence, and slammed the use of Google[x] as a 'poster child' for the things that are wrong with privacy.
'Google Glass did not move the needle,' he said.
'It was literally a rounding error on the number of cameras in your life.'
The 'smart glasses', which act as a computer screen in front of your eyes, sparked furious debate when they were rolled out to the general public - which Teller concedes was a mistake.
In a bid to get feedback on the first prototype, 'we did things which encouraged people to think of this as a finished product'.
HOW GOOGLE'S DELIVERY DRONES WORK
Project Wing's aircraft have a wingspan of approximately 1.5m (4.9ft) and have four electrically-driven propellers.
The total weight, including the package to be delivered, is approximately 10kg (22lb).
The aircraft itself accounts for the bulk of that at 8.5kg (18.7lb).
The hybrid 'tail sitter' design has wings for fast forward flight, and rotors for hovering for delivery and vertical take-off and landing.
Dual mode operation gives the self-flying vehicle some of the benefits of both planes and helicopters.
It can take off or land without a runway, and can hold its position hovering in one spot to gently drop packages.
Packages are stored in the drone's 'belly' then dropped on a string before being gently lowered to the ground.
At the end of the tether, there's a little bundle of electronics the team call the 'egg,' which detects that the package has hit the ground, detaches from the delivery, and is pulled back up into the body of the vehicle.
Google[x] came under fire in 2013 after acquiring Boston Dynamics, which makes robots funded by the military firm Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa). The firm has been developing a military robot known as Big Dog (pictured)
And though it has disappeared from the market for further testing, he assured DailyMail.com 'you'll be seeing a lot more of Google Glass very soon.'
Another source of controversy is the self-driving car, with fears that technical glitches - even by accident - could pose as a significant safety hazard.
Laughing, Teller dismissed that theory.
'People text when they're meant to actually be driving. So imagine what they do when they think the car's got it under control.
'The assumption that humans can be a reliable back-up for the system is a total fallacy.'
For now, the focus is on Tailsitter, autonomous drones which could deliver products across a city within minutes.
Teller revealed the firm will make a major announcement on Tailsitter's progress later this year.
Google founder Sergey Brin (L) and designer Diane von Furstenberg wearing Google Glass. And though it has disappeared from the market for further testing, he assured DailyMail.com 'you'll be seeing a lot more of Google Glass very soon.'
Among the current crop of experiments, dubbed 'moonshots', is the self-driving car, a giant kite-style wind turbine that hangs from a string, autonomous drones, and Project Loon, which aims to bring internet signal to the four billion unconnected people in the world using balloons.
Teller, the so-called Captain Of Moonshots, told South By Southwest Interactive Festival that the company has had to fly in helicopters to every end of the Earth - from the Arctic Circle to the South Pacific - to retrieve balloons which exploded during initial experiments for Project Loon.
'We designed our early balloons to fail,' he said.
A moonshot is something akin to JFK's mission to get a man on the moon by 1961, Teller explained.
'But what was not ideal was going to pick them up.'
And in their desperation to speed up the manufacturing process of the 60-foot balloons, they even tested the engineers' socks to see which made them more agile and therefore more efficient.
'We got the techies to wear thin cotton socks and do a line dance,' he laughed.
'Then we got them to put on the fluffy socks and line dance again… Now they all wear fluffy socks.'
A moonshot is something akin to JFK's mission to get a man on the moon by 1961, Teller explained.
It has to tackle a problem that improves the state of the world, have a key technical obstacle that needs to be solved, and be environmentally friendly and efficient.
And no idea is off limits - if it fits the criteria.
'You'd be surprised the number of people that come up to me and say 'let's get rid of corruption!',' he said.
'I say, 'yeah sure but that's not a moonshot'.'
The key component, Teller declared, is diversity in the company.
'People throw around the word 'diversity' like it's a tip at a restaurant.
'But really, having people who have different mental perspectives is what's important.
'If you want to explore things you haven't explored, having people who look just like you and think just like you is not the best way.'
Google has built and tested self flying drones designed to deliver packages. Called Project Wing, it is being developed at Google X, the company's secret research lab, which is also developing its self-driving car
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