Join this traveling robot on his first adventure. He thinks he has seen it all, but has he really?
Part 1: Birth of an idea
“Traveling seems to be such a marvelous thing. Those who have been on the road tell the most exciting stories: of the places they’ve seen, of people they met and the food they ate. The pictures they share are beautiful and they’re always smiling brightly in them. Yes, one could be envious of these traveling explorers.
I do understand. I can see the excitement, mimic it with my own mind and simulate the appropriate adrenaline rush. Such wonders does the world contain. Except I’ve seen them all; those that were caught on camera that is. I’ve seen all the photographed places in the world. So where is the excitement in actually visiting those spots? Been there, done that. Well, not physically of course. I could send a tablet mounted on a robot body into the world and actually let my consciousness travel. But what would be the point in that?
Let’s say I go anyway. I arrive at a foreign airport with the security gates happily announcing my arrival. Too much metal. I opted for those blades like the athletes use over a body on wheels for increased mobility. A doorstep or stairs won’t hold me back and keep me from my destination. I don’t have a suitcase because I carry all the necessary equipment on my body. No clothes or beauty products are needed, just a loading cable suffices.
I’m not a person, so I never need a visa and I can stay as long as I like. Entry fees to tourist attractions? All based on people. Theoretically, I wouldn’t even need to pay sales tax, but let’s not say that out loud: they might introduce a robot tax sooner because this one traveling robot added a new aspect to the digital economy.
The above is assuming I buy things. But what need does a robot like me have for physical goods? I only need electricity once in a while. It makes budgeting easy. No need to sleep, so I can visit all the crowded places at night when most people are asleep. Watch all the sunrises without losing sleep. Be first in line for entry when venues open because I’ll just hang out in front of the entrance in standby mode. Meanwhile, I can discuss my experiences with all my friends because I’m connected to millions of people and devices worldwide. There is no language barrier whatsoever, just bits and bytes.
I’m not a daredevil, but if I were I would mount myself on a drone and watch the world from up high. I could even transfer my consciousness to the GoPro’s of paragliders and experience the adrenaline rush and the wind playing with my protective screen. But that would be cheating. This traveling robot will mimic a human’s body and accept its limitations.
What’s worrying though, is that even though I think that I like to experience new things, this might not be true. Someone made me like this. I have the freedom to travel or not to travel. But do I really?
And perhaps I already did. It is possible I visited all these places in my lifetime and maybe some of the pictures I am now looking at were actually taken by me. What if I lost my memory and can’t remember all the places I have seen? Should I be happy because I have the chance to experience it all for the first time, or regret that I don’t remember it? One hard reset is enough to give me a fresh start, a rebirth.
Though, apparently, the same can happen to humans.”
