2009 November | Robot Armageddon

Intel Thinks Everyone Will Want to Become a Cyborg

November 29th, 2009 :: 5 Comments

Will our brains soon have computer chip implants?

Have you ever sat at your computer and wished you could explore the wonders of the internet without touching a mouse or keyboard? You may have thought ‘It sure would be the coolest if I could just sit here and think about what site I wanted to visit.’ Well your dream may be coming true, with the only drawback being that you have to have a computer chip implanted in your brain.

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Barack Obama Understands the Robot Threat

November 25th, 2009 :: 7 Comments

Obama and the Cougar Cannon

President Obama recently visited Oakton High School in Washington D.C. to view their Cougar Cannon robot and speak about the importance of math and science education. He offered up a great quote saying:

“As president, I believe that robotics can inspire young people to pursue science and engineering. And I also want to keep an eye on those robots in case they try anything.”

Awesome. It’s comforting to know that despite all of the duties and distractions of being in charge, President Obama still understands the threat that robots pose.

::from Boing Boing::
::Speech Transcript::

The Weapon of Choice For Robots Are Being Rapidly Developed

November 20th, 2009 :: 4 Comments

The Laser Avenger. Cool name, terrifying technology.

The title of this post might make you wonder “So what is the weapon of choice for robots?” I think the answer is obvious – lasers. Most depictions of robots in science fiction involve the copious use of lasers. Even Michael Jackson wanted his robot to have laser eyes. So far weapon based lasers have been limited to books and movies, but DARPA and the US military are making great strides in the development of weaponized laser systems.

The Air Force Research Laboratory have conducted tests of their M.A.T.R.I.X. system (Mobile Active Targeting Resource for Integrated eXperiments) that involved a truck mounted laser shooting down unmanned drones in mid-flight. With robotic military systems being used more and more in military campaigns, how much longer will it be until autonomous robots will be armed with lasers cannons?

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Cyborgs in Pop Culture

November 14th, 2009 :: 8 Comments

From pre-60's Cyberman...

...to the kickas Machine Girl in the 2000's...

...to the head 'sploding Machine Girl in the 2000's...

...and everything in between.

io9, a sci-fi blog, has posted a very comprehensive listing of cyborgs in pop culture. It lists cyborgs from pre-1960 into the 2000’s. It is seperated by decade and includes picture examples to show just how much cyborgs have evolved in pop culture through time. Visit Pop-Culture Cyborgs Through The Ages: A Gallery @io9 to see for yourself.

Just remember – although they look human, it does not mean they are your friends.

::from io9 via GoRobotics::

Become a Rich Celebrity and You Can Have Your Own Robot Army

November 13th, 2009 :: 4 Comments

Have a spare million dollars?

A few years ago, Michael Jackson had plans to build a 50 foot robotic replica of himself in Las Vegas to help promote any concert he might do in the area. The robot would be large enough to be seen by people as their airplanes landed in Las Vegas. He also wanted it to shoot lasers out of its eyes while surrounded by human cyborgs. Sound ridiculous? I certainly think so, partly because he had enough money to be able to have this built despite as of his well documented lack of money at the time, and also because a 50 foot Michael Jackson robot that shoots eye lasers alongside a cyborg army is terrifying.

Apparently he had his body 3d-mapped in 1996 so that the robot could be as real as possible, and blueprints were even made up. From a 2007 Yahoo story:

Luckman Van Pier, his partner at the company behind the proposal, claims blueprints have been drawn up for the show and seen by the star.

“Michael’s looked at the sketches and likes them,” he told the New York Daily News.

On the subject of the robot, he continued: “It would be in the desert sands. Laser beams would shoot out of it so it would be the first thing people flying in would see.”

Now the blueprints are up for sale for $1 million. This story proves two things: 1) If you are super rich and famous you can do damn near anything and 2) Beware of super rich celebrity’s ideas for world domination via robots.

::from The Register::

‘Robopocalypse’ Book and Movie Coming Soon

November 6th, 2009 :: 2 Comments

From "How to Survive a Robot Uprising" by Daniel Wilson

From Daniel H. Wilson, the writer of “How to Survive a Robot Uprising: Tips on Defending Yourself Against the Coming Rebellion” comes a new book, “Robopocalypse”. It is being published in 2011 by Doubleday, and the movie rights have already been secured by Dreamworks.

“Daniel H. Wilson’s cautionary tale of man vs. machine grabbed us from the very beginning,” said DreamWorks co-president of production Mark Sourian. “Wilson’s background in robotics and artificial intelligence grounds his story with a frightening level of realism.”

“Robopocalypse” deals with how humanity copes after a robot uprising. Wilson has a Ph.D. in robotics from Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute and has written numerous science fiction books, so he knows his robots.

I’m very excited for Robopocalypse, since robots taking over the world is obviously a topic I’m rather keen on. Hopefully the book and movie get the word out and make more people realize that robots really just want to kill humans.

:from Variety via BotJunkie::

Another Reason You Can’t Hide From Robots – They Will Smell Your Fear

November 4th, 2009 :: 5 Comments

Does this scare you? It should, it will find you because of it.

This robot eats souls, and it wants yours

Does the robot to the left invoke fear in you? It should, and officials at the University of Reading thought so too. Its name is Morgui, and it was deemed to frightening to let anyone under the age of 18 view it.

Now imagine the future, where an army of these terrifying robots are hunting you down. You think you find a good hiding spot, but think again. If scientists at City University of London finish a new project, the robot army will be able to detect your fear in order to find you.

The project is in a preliminary stage, but the British scientists working on the “Fear Detector” hope to have it finished before the 2012 London Olympics. There are two parts to the system; the first works with laser absorption and the other is a portable fiber optic sensor. The scientists hope that by using the two parts simultaneously they will be able to detect fear pheromones emitted by terrorists, drug smugglers and other criminals. What happens if robots get this technology and view all humans as criminals?

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Robot Navigates Obstacle Course and….Gives Free Hugs?

November 3rd, 2009 :: 0 Comments

Below is a video of a robot demonstration to what looks like an elementary school class. When I was in elementary school we never got cool robot shows, just Number Munchers.

In the video, a robot navigates an obstacle course until it comes upon a wooden statue of a human. The robot then proceeds to give it a big robo-hug and carries it a short distance. I can’t imagine a robo-hug would be very comfortable, and personally I would be terrified as to where it was taking me.