| Wednesday, April 23, 2008 |
10:47 - Tomorrow's Tech, Yesterday's Post
http://gizmodo.com/368651/new-video-of-bigdog-quadruped-robot-is-so-stunning
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I completely whiffed on this when it was posted over a month ago, but it's too damn cool to let pass by entirely without comment.
I for one will pass on the obligatory "humanity is doomed" comments, but I will say that this more than anything I've seen in some time is proof positive of the "Uncanny Valley" theory that says the more humanlike or "realistic" a robot is, the creepier we find it. The way it can recover when the engineer kicks it in the side is downright chilling, and the unearthly buzzing of the engine is no help either (nor is the name "BigDog", for that matter). I have to keep reminding myself that for all its smarts, this thing is still only programmed to do one thing: walk (and it's not like it can fight back or hide or run or anything). But of course that's only the beginning, and walking is the hard part. The rest, in the words of Dr. Orpheus (Venture Bros. is renewed for at least two more seasons, woo-hoo!), is cake.
Remember the Imperial Probe Droid from Hoth? Yeah. All I can say is that I'm glad DARPA is behind this—a) that they're still doing cool stuff, and b) that they're on our side.
Anyway, don't you dare miss the parody that a couple of guys made of this video, either. Once they figure out the hardpoints, they'll be the first in the robot's crosshairs...
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Brian Tiemann
