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So that's how Skynet got started
By adamg on Wed, 02/24/2016 - 8:56am
Boston Dynamics posted this video to show off the abilities of its newest robot, but if you watch the whole thing, you'll see the poor automaton get tormented by some jerk with a hockey stick who winds up kicking it to the ground. A robot dog fares no better.
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Comments
I don't know what I'd do if I came upon this in the woods
I might have to change my shorts after though. There is something creepy about it, even though it's kind of cool. Truthfully, even the "tormentor" seems a little scared of it - like after he knocks it down, it's going to pop back up, turn around, and kick his ass.
On the one hand
This is quite technically impressive.
On the other hand, I'm just not ready for the world of iRobot or Chappie to intersect with mine - it's creepy.
It's all fun and games until
It's all fun and games until they build a turkey robot and Brookline is reduced to rubble in the ensuing rise of the machines.
why so creepy?
Why does Boston Dynamics insist on making their robots so scary looking? And why are they so mean to them? But I'm happy to see they taught this one to lift with its knees, not its back.
Uncanny Valley
It's usually referred to as "the uncanny valley" in computer graphics. Cartoons and caricature that approach the lifelike image of a person are strangely disturbing. The Boston Dynamics are building functional machines that work with the technology that's available now, not to be aesthetically pleasing. That not right but oddly similar triggers cognitive dissonance.
Hello Computer!
Keep in mind Boston Dynamics is now owned by Google. Google's chief scientist is inventor Ray Kurzweil. Ray is likely one of the premier developers of "pattern recognition." This is how this bot is able to do what it does. It recognizes patterns and based on input it makes choices of what subroutine to run. Highly impressive, and this in only a few years time since they came up with the trotting bot.
But can it whistle?
Hi. Computer Vision
Hi. Computer Vision roboticist checking in (ground platform specialist). Recognizing patterns, such as high-contrast stickers and barcodes that you see on the boxes in the video is fairly easy. Free-form object recognition (telling a box apart from a cinder block) is much more difficult. With that said, I'll make the claim that the kinematics demonstrated in the video are much more impressive and if not more, than as difficult as object recognition. Not only is the platform aware of where its limbs are in 3D-space (thanks, Hokuyo lidar), but the algorithms know exactly how to move the limbs to keep the robot upright on an uneven, slippery surface. That is not easy, considering that any recovery motion alters the state of the system, requiring additional recovery input. The work BD is doing with bipedals and quadrupedals is fantastic and very challenging (much different than steering a ground platform). Picking up boxes is icing on the cake.
correction re Kurzweil title and Boston Dynamics ownership
Ray Kurzweil is not Chief Scientist at Google, he is a Director of Engineering. His team is primarily focussed on natural language learning.
Boston Dynamics is owned by GoogleX, which is a seperate subsidiary of Alphabet.
pop goes the weasel?
pop goes the weasel?
Jobs of the future
I wonder how much the position of Senior Robot Bully pays. Full bennies, I hope?
Maybe not
But if your chief skill is waiting tables, flipping burgers, stocking shelves or driving a vehicle - you'd be well advised to get some new skills. Many of those jobs will be gone in 10-20 years.
Granted - in 20-40 years a lot more than that will be gone.
Best advice - get training in robot design and construction - although my guess is that will be automated in 20 years also.
It's not the trade agreements or immigrants.
Other than the creepiness aspect, discussed above, this was my primary thought. News for the mad-as-hell-and-not-going-to-take-it-anymore set: neither Donald Trump nor Bernie Sanders is going to save you from your robot overlords. As Stevil says, you need new skills asap. Vote accordingly.
Tee hee!
There's something about the phrase "Senior Robot Bully" that just cracks me up!
What a jerk!
Seriously, I worry for our safety if these things ever get free, considering the sequence that begins at 1:25.
Next Up
A robot ram that transports cats:
If robots are going to replace humans
Then they will need to serve our masters.
Jerk protection program
So does the guy in the video have to go into jerk protection program? Is he going to be the subject of death threats doing all those mean things to the robot?
It's certainly a lot quieter
It's certainly a lot quieter than the earlier gas-fueled four-legged ones, but it walks as though it needs to find a rest room.