At Long Last: Zombie Robots

A robotics company called Cyclone Power Technologies Inc. (doesn't sound evil at all) has been forced to deny allegations that it is developing a flesh eating robot. No shit.

The robot, called Energetically Autonomous Tactical Robot (or EATR for short), is being designed to refuel itself from biomass. The implications are terrifying indeed.

"We completely understand the public’s concern about futuristic robots feeding on the human population, but that is not our mission,” stated Harry Schoell, Cyclone’s CEO. “We are focused on demonstrating that our engines can create usable, green power from plentiful, renewable plant matter.

Of course, it's only a matter of time before one of them eats a corpse flower and develops an unholy appetite.

Don't Talk To Robots

Some important PSA's from the future:


[via io9]

Real Gundam Towers Over Japan

The Japanese continue to fetishize robots more than anyone else. Now they've gone and built a full size Gundam suit that lights up, moves its head, and spews steam from its many vents. You can tell Japanese are only waiting for technology to catch up to their desire to make their childhood dreams a reality and build one of these for real. If they have anything to say about it, future wars will be fought with enormous robots (and Michael Bay won't have anything to do with it).


[via AICN]

Obama Really Is A Robot!

...Sort of.
Here's a behind-the-scenes video of Barack Robama's induction into the Hall Of Presidents at Disney World. The animation is very impressive. Much more so than when I visited the attraction twenty-two years ago.


[via Boing Boing]

RoboGeisha

The creators of The Machine Girl have outdone themselves (and possibly every other movie ever made) with their new film, RoboGeisha. I don't think there's any way the movie can live up to this amazing trailer. If you are easily offended or grossed out do not watch this! Everyone else, prepare to have your minds blown:

Could be the best movie ever. And whoever did the voice over for this trailer must do all movie trailers from now on.

[via Boing Boing]

Tweenbots

As part of a student thesis at Tisch School of the Arts in NY, these tiny robots require humans to point them in the right direction:

About the Tweenbots:

"Given their extreme vulnerability, the vastness of city space, the dangers posed by traffic, suspicion of terrorism, and the possibility that no one would be interested in helping a lost little robot, I initially conceived the Tweenbots as disposable creatures which were more likely to struggle and die in the city than to reach their destination...

The results were unexpected. Over the course of the following months, throughout numerous missions, the Tweenbots were successful in rolling from their start point to their far-away destination assisted only by strangers. Every time the robot got caught under a park bench, ground futilely against a curb, or became trapped in a pothole, some passerby would always rescue it and send it toward its goal. Never once was a Tweenbot lost or damaged. Often, people would ignore the instructions to aim the Tweenbot in the 'right' direction, if that direction meant sending the robot into a perilous situation. One man turned the robot back in the direction from which it had just come, saying out loud to the Tweenbot, 'You can’t go that way, it’s toward the road.'"

I'm sure this experiment will be reviewed by our robot masters when they take over, selecting those humans which will be deemed worthy of saving. Don't walk away from a robot in need, is all I'm saying.


[via Boing Boing]