Smiling Robots Are Bad Robots
Writing by Evan Ackerman on Wednesday, 1 of December , 2010 at 1:34 am
We wrote about Ruairi Robinson’s Bad Robot short film about a year ago, and now we’ve got this trailer to further pique our interest (and, let’s be honest, to freak us out). The movie is now called Blinky, and don’t forget the image on the original poster:
Yeah. Wow. I’m tempted to comment that a movie about a domestic companion robot turning into some kind of rampaging (or maybe just sneaky) death machine is probably not going to be the greatest thing to happen to the service robotics industry, but at least it’s a refreshing change of pace from the military killbot stories that have been so prevalent lately. Besides, maybe that’s not blood, but strawberry jam, and Blink was just making toast.
DEATH TOAST.
VIA [ io9 ]
Comments (4)
Category: Pop Culture
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Comment by Zool
Made Wednesday, 1 of December , 2010 at 4:05 am
Maybe Blinky just wanted you to think it was jam … then when your back is turned … you’re next!
Joking aside its interesting how a permanent smile is so disconcerting. That’s one more thing for robot designers to put on their check list of what not to do, if they want people to accept their robot design. Maybe that’s why clowns also appear so potentially evil.
The more I think about it, the more I’m wondering if this is hitting on something deeply primal. If any creature was smiling (in its own way) and showing signs of extreme happiness whilst also having a fixed stare, that’s going to unnerve any creature on the receiving end of that kind of behaviour!
Yeah the more I think about it, the more I think definitely one for the don’t do check list. :)
Comment by Joey1058
Made Wednesday, 1 of December , 2010 at 1:30 pm
The design of the bot is kind of creepy too. Another horror film for me to pass on.
Comment by Cherlindrea
Made Friday, 3 of December , 2010 at 10:58 am
@Zool: I always figured the primal fear of clowns was rooted in a mixture of “It” and John Wayne Gacy. But your explanation works too. Robots are just creepy regardless of the perma-smile, but that just takes it to all new levels of horror. All it needs now to be the creme de la creep is it needs to talk a small child’s voice. Preferably a girl’s.
Comment by Zool
Made Monday, 6 of December , 2010 at 1:22 pm
“All it needs now to be the creme de la creep is it needs to talk a small child’s voice. Preferably a girl’s”
Yes that would be terrifying. The only way they could make it even worse, would be for it to suddenly start singing and dancing!
… So a robot that sounds and behaves exactly like this !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcZJqiUrbnI
How’s that for scary! :)
