Author: Daniel H. Wilson
Cover Artist: Richard Horne
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Binding: Paperback
Publication Date: 2005
Does your robot disobey you? Make repetitive stabbing motions? Does it have glowing red eyes?
If so, then it and its fellow machines could be on the path to outright rebellion against you, and the human race. Activate your escape plan: head for the country, don’t forget your supplies and your copy of How To Survive A Robot Uprising, by Daniel H. Wilson.
The first thing you notice about the book is its stylish design (by illustrator Richard Horne). That, combined with the intriguing title, makes it very pickupable.
I knew that I just had to buy it from reading the table of contents, an extensive list of chapters with names like:
- How to survive a car chase with an unmanned ground vehicle
- How to escape from a smart house
- How to fool a thermal imaging target tracker
- How to treat a laser wound
- How to establish a hidden base in robot territory
What makes this book so great is that the author, Daniel H. Wilson, has a PhD in robotics, and has consulted extensively with other experts in writing the guide.
If you wanted to find someone who knows more about robot attacks, you’d have to speak to Doctor Who. Or an actual robot (and after reading this book, I’m wary of getting too close to one).
The author presents a wealth of information in a series of bite-sized chapters, and he makes it a delight with his references to popular culture and a hilarious sense of humour reminiscent of Douglas Adams.
I’d recommend HTSARU for anyone who wants to know about the current state of robotics, as well as predicted developments. The device of linking descriptions of robot abilities to discussions of how to thwart them works particularly well.
The overarching defensive message of the book is that robots have a clear advantage in some areas, like reaction speed, and chess playing, but that humans can make use of their adaptability and native cunning to win through.
Reading this book would help any prospective resistance fighter to pick their battles wisely and to use their strengths and robot weaknesses.
Science fiction authors will find this an especially useful volume if they want to add realism to their depictions of robots (even in non-hostile circumstances).
Wilson’s intentions aren’t to spread uncritical robophobia. He reminds us at the end that most roboticists are working to make our lives better – except for the evil roboticists, who are sowing the seeds of apocalypse.
Hmm …
Get your hands on a copy of How To Survive a Robot Attack. It’s an excellent addition to your collection of popular science books, and is also available as an audio book.
