El Reg readers of a more fatalistic disposition may be dismayed, but probably not surprised, to hear that Cyberdyne – the company that invented Skynet and ultimately the murderous “Terminator” machines – has just listed on the Tokyo stock exchange. Of course, it’s not the shadowy defence firm of the iconic Arnie films, which unwittingly brings about the virtual destruction of mankind.
Of course, Skynet cannot triumph over humanity until a corporation solves the problem of how to create sentient killer machines. We are now one step closer to the end game as a company called Cyberdyne has indeed become a publicly traded firm in Tokyo. Ominously enough, its first product involves ”Hybrid Assistive Limbs” (or HAL,ironically) that are meant to help nursing home employees lift heavy objects. This seems like a fairly plausible cover story for manufacturing murderous androids, of course. In a stroke of demented genius, the company seems to be masking its grim ultimate goal by addressing the very real problem of how to cope with health needs of Japan’s aging population.
