Humanoid robot and moral concerns

As the technologies of computer science are moving forward, human beings now have substantial progresses in making robots. More attentions were paid in the developments of humanoid robots:

The followings are two robotic advances planned for commercial purposes or prototypes produced for analysis of robotic research adaptation in Japan.
1. Sony QRIO and AIBO

2. Honda ASIMO

Sony has long been recognized as a high quality producer for visualization, music and game industries. Now it makes a further research movement to the robot with characteristics and form of human and our pets (the closest starting from the dog). QRIO is amongst the first few prototypes of humanoid robot. The first impression for people to this new produce of Sony is probably light, small, and agile. From its information provided by the website and many public presentations, it can walk, dance, see, express certain emotions, listen and understand up to thousands of phrases, recognize the geometrical motifs for its motion landscape, react to several environmental changes (such as stand up again if it falls down). Although the dance occasions in public are obvious pre-programmed, this small robot does amazed people of its ability of motion. Of course this includes the ability of remain balanced.
I recon why Sony makes their first few prototypes in such a tiny sizes as ABIO and QRIO, it is because the smaller the size the less concern to the influence of gravity. The reason is simple.
Firstly, the lighter the robot, the less impact it will suffer when it fall from a certain altitude. For example, when a small cat falls from two stories height it can often still stay alive and not hurt so much like if a human falls from that altitude. If you are a grown-up, you can also notice that when you are a kid, doing working out is easier than you are now.
Secondly, the robot has no worry about retaining heat like animals (in fact they mostly have problem in heat exchanging as the central unit usually produces excess heat in the current technology). The small body will not make them feel cold if they are in room temperature. The current domestic prototype researches do not consider the adaptation conditions of extreme environments; therefore, size is not a strict problem if it is small.
Thirdly, small bodies are easier for triggering. The producer will meet fewer problems between lubrication and damping in the hinges and joints.

Honda had spent more time in human-sized (presumably not weight) robots. Apparently, the robots are not as agile as the prototypes of Sony’s ABIO and QRIO. However, their strategies are different. Domestic robots are now starting to raise their arms and trying to stand up. One day, they will act like us human beings, cashing in front of the cash machine and drink charger refreshments in the fast-food shops.
Many new robots are introduced into the market every year. When we looking forward to the influences that more advanced robots could apply to our living and society, problems are still submerged beneath the surface.

So far I can think about problems are mostly moral aspects. Moral concerns are displayed by several movies such as “I, Robot” in 2004 and “Artificial Intelligence” in 2001. In the films, people started to think about the impact that robots may pose to our lives. However, these films are still unaware about many imminent problems that may destroy our society, which are different from the aspects represented by the “Terminator” series by Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The point is “the robots are not human beings”. To say, if robots are eventually made very similar to us, in the beginning, they can only obey commands from an intellectual body such as another robot, an animal, or a human. The problem rose from several facts.
First, they have few abilities to distinguish between right and wrong. To tell the truth, even a matured human can not avoid making mistakes even he or she is well educated.
The influences are very likely to start from the adoption of humanoid robots into the domestic area. Children although will be told the difference between a man and a robot, but they are most likely to be spoiled by the companionship of the robot. Either treating the robot as a human or a robot can both cause problems. The reason is “Robot has no human right”. It is actually based on individual morality -- there is no law to protect them. A robot can be killed as what criminals do to the real human nowadays without the confliction to any law. So, where is the red line?
If a child is used to a family not to say killing robots but ignoring the right of the robots, what would he do to the human? If the adults told the little child that he or she does not need to care about the feeling of the robot, what would she interact with friends after finally enter the school?
Second, when the manufacturer making the robot, how much amount of knowledge would he give the robot to think? Can a robot protect itself by attacking a human? On the other hand, is a robot only allowed to suffer if it is tortured by man? Can a robot decide which is right or wrong to teach a child if it meets a moral problem? Would a robot’s emotion influence a child’s early experience?

I support making advanced robot to help boosting our living qualities, but there seems to be more difficulties for us to think about in the future.