October 19, 2009

Beware of Robots Killing You While You Sleep

Every once in a while we find another "robot turns on owner" study and the latest concerns security issues. Tadayoshi Kohno, a University of Washington assistant professor, feels that they may not become evil as they become smarter. He claims, "There is a much greater and more near-term risk, and that's bad people who can use robots to do bad things."

During a study done during the past year, Kohno and his team found security weaknesses in Spykee, Rovio, and RoboSapien V2.These are their results:

The robots' presence is easily detected by distinctive messages sent over the home's wireless network.
The robots' audio and video streams can be intercepted on the home's wireless network or in some cases captured over the Internet.
Only some robots give an audible or other alert when a user logs on, letting people nearby know that someone new is accessing the data.
Only some robots periodically generate a noise or other signal when stationary, reminding people nearby that the robot is collecting data.

So remember, when you turn in tonight, take out the batteries of your bot before he/she smothers you with your pillow. And tomorrow, run out and grab a mini-cowbell so that you can hear him/her coming.

Via Science Daily

Read More in: Humanoid Robots | Robot Toys

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