Final iMovie

Final Lab Part 1

This is the mouse of my computer which is an input device.

In the background you see a printer. This is an output device.

This is the USB cable to the mouse next to me. This is the jack.

Critical Thinking, Ethics, and Civic Responsibility

       An unmanned aerial vehicle, also known as a drone, is an aircraft without a human pilot. They are used usually for missions that are too dangerous for a normal manned aircraft. Another type of robot that is being researched and experimented on are swarm robots. Instead of one giant robot completing a task thousands of tiny robots work together as a whole to complete a task. This would be good for future space exploration since if a few robots fail they still have a higher chance to succeed as a whole (Swarm Robotics.)

       The main reason UAV's are used in the military is because there are a pilotless weapon. The military can go on missions, without sending anyone in, and take out all the risk. UAV's are also being use by some law enforcement agencies and even the department of homeland security. Swarm robotics is the idea of having coordination between many small robots to achieve something as a whole. This is where the idea of nanorobotics comes into play but it is very expensive.

       Some pro's for drones or UAV's in warfare are that they can target and take out enemy leaders without harming a single troop, our troops are out of danger since it is remote controlled warfare, and that it has been working very well since the military started using them. Some con's are that since soldiers are removed from the horrors of war they can make decisions to kill or destroy without any context, and that they can seem cowardly since it isn't facing the enemy directly (Killer Drones.) Some pro's of swarm robotics are that the robots can not fail at a task unless they fail as a whole, and they have a lot of potential in the future. Some con's are that the hardware can be very expensive while the programming can be very challenging.

       I believe UAV's and swarm robotics could play a very good role in our future. When it comes to warfare a lot of lives can be saved by UAV's. When it comes to law enforcement its just another way of public monitoring. Swarm robotics could be used for long term space missions where there is a high chance of failing, or save lives in the future.


Sources:

"Swarm Robotics." What Is & Swarm Robots. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2012.

"The Pros and Cons of Killer Drones." The Atlantic Wire. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2012.

Critical Thinking, Ethics, and Civic Responsibility

       Copyrights exist in order to protect authors of documentation or software from unauthorized copying or selling of their work (GNU.) A copyleft will provide a method for software or documentation to be modified or distributed. With a copyleft an author can give users the rights of using and distributing their work keeping it free for everyone to use no matter how it has been modified. The goal of copyleft is to keep author's work free from comercial use. Richard Stallman created the GNU General Public License which was the first copyleft license to be extensively used.

       Copyrights give the creator of original work the right to protect themselves from unauthorized use by others. A copyright holder has the right to be credited for their work, determine who may modify their work, sell their work, or who may finically benefit from their work. A copyright lasts 50 years after the death of the owner, or 75 years after it was published if owned by a company (CU.) 

       A copyleft is the complete opposite of a copyright. The point of a copyleft is to allow an author to distribute their work for free allowing users to modify and distribute it. Every modified or distributed copy retains the original copyleft license with it. A copyleft license is basically a copyright license where the author surrenders some, but not all his rights under the copyright laws.

       In my opinion if there were only copylefts then a lot of authors would lose credit and money for their work. If someone's job is to create software for a company then they would make no money from that job. On the other hand if there weren't copylefts then people wouldn't be able to distribute their work for free, allowing others to modify it, and keep the credit for their work.

Sources:

Persad, Tabatha. "Libre Documentation Explained." GNU Operating System. N.p., 13 Mar. 2002. Web. 4 Dec. 2012.

"Quick Summary of Copyright Issues." Quick Summary of Copyright Issues. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2012.

These are the screen shots of the programming for the display, sound, touch sensor, light sensor, and motor movement for the lego robot vehicle.

 

Display:

 

Motor:

 

Light Sensor:

 

Sound:

 

Touch Sensor"