Robo-Cop Redux?

I had recorded this a few weeks ago to watch later, and later came around today while cutting up beans from the garden for freezing.  (I have to occasionally fulfill my role as domestic goddess rather than intellectual blogger.)  I found this particular documentary quite entertaining, but it has additional implications in the context of the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear reactor meltdown in Japan earlier this year which has made a substantial area of land around the defunct reactor uninhabitable.  The implications for the Japanese population are still unknown, including the possibility of birth defects due to radiation, and how that might affect the Japanese population rate. 

Another thought while watching this documentary was the potential role that mechanization / robots might play in both their industrial growth, but also in the context of cleanup of the nuclear radiation problem where it is too dangerous for human beings to operate.

What is distinctly clear is that the Japanese will have to adapt, will need to rely on innovation, to solve their problems.


But of course, another thought, particularly in response to the segment where Japanese believe (erroneously as the statistics demonstrate) that immigrants are less law abiding and will increase the crime rate for Japan, I couldn't help but think of the classic sci-fi cinema, Robocop.  Japan has very little crime, and comparatively few guns.  Given that Japan has a very positive perception of robots as heroes, as friendly entities from their popular culture, if populations do decline, and if robots do become more widely used for dangerous functions and jobs........might we look at a solution in Japan, and from there worldwide, that addresses gun violence?

With the popularity of the latest transformers movie, at the very least we might be looking at a remake of both the terminator series of films.........and maybe robocop?  And will life then come closer to imitating art?

Given the success of mobile machines to deal with IEDs in war, is some civilian application so very far behind to deal with our armed criminals?  I find it a tantalizing thought; I hope you will as well.

Enjoy! Discuss!