nik /courses /210 /questions

Note: My project proposal changed after these questions were asked. At this point in time my intention was to build Growbot, a plant seeding robot. The answers below reflect my current thoughts.

Is this a critique of the possibility of machine/biological synthesis? or is this a symbol of hope for the possible synthesis?

I hope my project will be viewed as a positive statement about the possibility of thoughtfully engaging the environment through technology. The robotic entity will function to try to interpret its environment, not combat it. See more in question 2:

How do you propose to address the ethical problems of technological intervention into nature?

Well one way I addressed the ethical problems in my previous proposal is that I changed it: after some research it became apparent that meddling with such delicate environmental boundaries (involving the seeding of plants) is simply too much of a liability. I realized that the performance of the previous model of robot would be essentially acting as what it was working against (artificial subversion of artificial landscapes). In the end, the Growbot concept ended up simply too negative for my liking.