NEWS: Robotics Moving in a Direction I Find Borderline Uncomfortable

omg, now i need one.

To be found here.

Chi??

I robot . Robots gone amuck

i'd be more inclined so say johnny 5. i mean he's a robot after all!

stay alive johnny 5!

i think the creepiest part is that they're talking about the hands SO much. i don't think it's weird that it has hands that won't bruise people when it malfunctions and crushes their arms.

15 minutes is more than enough time for me.

who in their right mind would install lasers on a rap bot, what does it need lasers for?

I had never thought of tactile sensation with regards to Uncanny Valley before, but I would say this column clearly shows that it is still applicable.

To put the biters in their place?

Hmmm...this changes everything.

Hilarious. Well done. Awesome. I think I peed my pants a little.

Sexy.

hey CoolerKing, over react much? while the subtle focus of the article does seem to be about the robot's soft touch, its still an article about a freakin robot. relax dude.

ugh. mimes. i hate mimes. i hope they all die. so creepy.

I know... Isn't it crazy how seriously these guys take themselves?1

Maybe this website isn't the best forum to ask this question, but why do some people feel the need, have an impulse to sexualize robotics? Don't you feel a bit like the man who was shown a series of Rorscach cards and asked why he was being shown so many dirty pictures?

From that I understand, since we live in a society that abandons its elderly to extremely lonesome and depressing institutions we call "nursing homes," old folks are pretty much happy to have anybody to keep them company. I'm sure more than a few of them would like a robotic friend to speak with rather than waiting around to die in solitude and silence.

And soft hands? Think about this: if the robots have hard, metallic hands, they'll just be able to kill you quicker when they eventually rise up to destroy us.

Eagerly do I wait for the day when I can run around capturing rogue robots in a gritty, noir kind of future.

I'm sorry, your insurance policy doesn't cover penis reattachment if the cause of removal was related to robot sex.

This is the funniest article I have ever read on SG.

That is all.

Someday they will probably be doing the jobs that today are hazardous to people, or even possibly as companions to people that wouldn't otherwise have a mate. I read about how they are learning how to read emotions, reading human body language, tone of voice, facial expression, and possibly respond to it. In the wrong hands it could be pretty ugly though so in a sense it is creepy.

Soft flexible hands... how thoughtful of dem robot development peeps!

This article was funny as shit. Keep 'em coming, TCK.

I love a good rant, believe me-I do plenty of it myself-but I really think you're missing the point. The advances in robotics in recent years has been astounding! Obviously there's the I, Robot or Terminator argument, but we're so far away from that it's not even a consideration....I think the thing that struck me most in that article was the fact that it can grip a loaf of bread and not crush it. To have a robot be able to sense and respond to such minute tactile stimulation is great (insert ridiculous sexual reference here). Just think of the other applications.....The editorial was funny, I'll give you that coolerking, but it wasn't focused on the right topic. Be afraid of the robot with soft hands now, but you'll be thanking them when they're helping you get to the bathroom when you're 90!
Oh, on a side note, apparently they're developing robotic exoskeletons for use by the military!! I about creamed myself when I saw that! Next stop: robots with pilots - bring on the Gundams!!!

^^Hm.

Is there any evidence that the weapons makers pay for particular movies to be distributed?
Or that they exert influence to see particular technologies depicted in popular media?

Because every time I see new military toys being reported, I see people here going "oh cool, I don't care if it's <parked on my lawn/pointing at my torso/monitoring my email/removing my toenails>, I saw it in <movie/comic/manga>, I think this is great".