HUBO Stabs Self In Head With Foam Sword
Writing by Evan Ackerman on Monday, 16 of November , 2009 at 2:59 am
Could someone please explain to me why, exactly, roboticists seem to think that it’s such a good idea to give their creations swords? Like, I get that it’s a way to demonstrate grasping and dexterous movements, but if you start with robots demonstrating swords, you move on to robots fighting each other with swords, and this will be our terrifying future. And swordplay seems to be a bad idea for HUBO here more than most, since it repeatedly hits itself in the head with a sword that is thankfully not made out of anything dangerous.
HUBO is one of an elite group of humanoid robots able to perform complicated dynamic tasks like running. Also in this group are Toyota’s Partner robots, and Honda’s ASIMO (of course). I understand that these robots are very complicated and expensive and stuff, but I can’t imagine a better way to convince people whether they’d really rather buy a Toyota Prius or a Honda Insight than sticking a couple of these bots in a ring with some swords or tasers or something and just letting them go at it. Yeah, they’d get damaged, but you’d totally recoup all of that through ticket sales and car sales. Just trying to make a helpful suggestion… You know, for the good of the car companies.
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Comments (5)
Category: Research
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Comment by Steven
Made Monday, 16 of November , 2009 at 11:33 am
Is anyone else really disappointed that all the modern “running” robots still seem to move the way 1940s wind up robot toys walked? I mean, its neat that a bipedal walking robot can move almost as fast as a Roomba, but if Sony can make a little toy biped that can perform a group dance routine like nobody’s business, surely businesses who focus only on state of the art robotics can make a robot that doesn’t have to do a weird squatty hoppy dance in order to go fast enough to qualify as a run…
Comment by teflon3d
Made Tuesday, 17 of November , 2009 at 7:30 am
I agree. As an animator all these robots (while technologically amazing) IMHO walk/run like they have a load in their pants. I guess their price negates a true “bend your toes” push-off gait.
Comment by Foreigner1
Made Tuesday, 17 of November , 2009 at 7:48 am
I think at this stage of programming-capacity they are just over the moon happy that their creations don’t fry their brains above 2.5mp/h because of all the computations on stability and forward movement….
The reason you see Japanese and Korean robots wield swords is just because any corporate kid remembers his or her anime/loony-toons/manga Heroes and most those did and do martial arts with swords and all. And those corporate kids are where the money comes from. So…
I’d imagine that if a Swiss comany would make such a robot, it would show Wilhelm Tell movements. And if an American company would make a similar robot with about the same dexterity- they would make it do “Gunslinger” movements with a plastic (I hope!) revolver….
Comment by Foreigner1
Made Tuesday, 17 of November , 2009 at 8:26 am
Okay- This one I couldn’t think of- The Yanks weaponise their walking robot with longhorn-horns—
www dot techeblog dot com slash index dot php slash tech-gadget slash boston-dynamics-bigdog-weaponized
Comment by Kyle
Made Tuesday, 17 of November , 2009 at 12:36 pm
On the subject of unnatural walks, keep in mind the substantial difference in density between locomotion components of robots and carbon-based life forms. Motors, especially ones strong enough to allow walking, are generally quite heavy. So are batteries.
So there’s my $0.02
