Joe Frickin' Friday Posted February 10, 2015 Author Share Posted February 10, 2015 Under Google's ownership, , so to speak. The latest version is all-electric, the walking gait is greatly improved, and it can trot. It's also much better at getting up and down hills. All it needs now is facial recognition and some kind of stabbing implement. Link to comment
DaveTheAffable Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 Hmmm... I wonder If we'll see it at Torrey this year? It'd be cool if you could kick a GS in the side and have it not fall over. Link to comment
OoPEZoO Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 Love it. That thing is awesome! Link to comment
Joe Frickin' Friday Posted February 24, 2016 Author Share Posted February 24, 2016 Under Google's ownership, Boston Dynamics has now graduated to bipedal robots. as he walks through the snowy woods, stumbling on rough slippery terrain no more than a human being would. Back in the lab, he opens doors, visually IDs packages and puts them on shelves, and is able to pick himself up after getting knocked on his ass. All he needs now is some Arnold-shaped skin. Anyone know where I can buy a phased plasma rifle in the 40-watt range? Link to comment
OoPEZoO Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 That is really awesome stuff. I love watching the progress they have made over the years. Love the Santa Sleigh bit too Link to comment
Joe Frickin' Friday Posted February 24, 2016 Author Share Posted February 24, 2016 As the researcher kept harassing the robot with that hockey stick, I kept waiting for the robot to turn and punch him. Same thing when he knocked the robot down from behind. Link to comment
Glenn Reed Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 Under Google's ownership, Boston Dynamics has now graduated to bipedal robots. as he walks through the snowy woods, stumbling on rough slippery terrain no more than a human being would. Back in the lab, he opens doors, visually IDs packages and puts them on shelves, and is able to pick himself up after getting knocked on his ass. Obviously, Atlas has been programmed with some version of Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics , otherwise the dude with the hockey stick would have been in serious trouble. Link to comment
szurszewski Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 As the researcher kept harassing the robot with that hockey stick, I kept waiting for the robot to turn and punch him. Same thing when he knocked the robot down from behind. As my wife and I watched the clip, I said - man, they're going to remember this, and someday that won't be good for us. My wife said, a smart robot would figure out that punching that guy would make it much easier to pick up the box. 1 Link to comment
ArmyGuy Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 As the researcher kept harassing the robot with that hockey stick, I kept waiting for the robot to turn and punch him. Same thing when he knocked the robot down from behind. hahahahha! I thought the same thing. Link to comment
Joe Frickin' Friday Posted February 25, 2016 Author Share Posted February 25, 2016 ACPCR: Help Stop Robot Abuse Link to comment
Antimatter Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 As the researcher kept harassing the robot with that hockey stick, I kept waiting for the robot to turn and punch him. Same thing when he knocked the robot down from behind. Yeah, I thought at the end the robot was going outside and thinking, "I need a smoke." Link to comment
greiffster Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 ACPCR: Help Stop Robot Abuse Sarah McLachlan is not going to find that funny. Link to comment
szurszewski Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 As the researcher kept harassing the robot with that hockey stick, I kept waiting for the robot to turn and punch him. Same thing when he knocked the robot down from behind. Yeah, I thought at the end the robot was going outside and thinking, "I need a smoke." My wife did her Cartman voice (that's from a cartoon called "South Park" for you old guys ) as the robot walked to the door saying, "Screw you guys - I'm out of here!" Link to comment
Joe Frickin' Friday Posted February 2, 2017 Author Share Posted February 2, 2017 Boston Dynamics is continuing their pursuit of robots capable of hunting us down and killing us. For your entertainment/horrification: Video Summary: This is footage recorded by an audience member during a Boston Dynamics presentation. There are three sections of interest: 0:39 - 1:26: a demonstration of "station-keeping", in which a quadruped keeps its grappling hand in a fixed position in space while maneuvering all around it. 3:41 - 4:48: This is the "nightmare bot". Instead of legs, it has side-by-side wheels, like a Segway scooter, and uses them to achieve scary agility. As long as you've got a ladder or stairs (and a good head start), you'll be safe from this one - but if you're anywhere a bicycle can go, this thing WILL catch up to you and strangle, stab, or beat you to death. 5:00 - : An on-stage demo of the quadruped, showcasing its ability to run up to you and punch you in the crotch when you least expect it (that doesn't actually happen, but surely you can see the potential). Link to comment
OoPEZoO Posted February 2, 2017 Share Posted February 2, 2017 Wow......they have come a long way in a short period of time. The herky jerky motions of the original designs are all but gone and replaced with smooth fluid motion. That is really impressive. Especially that 2-wheeled version Link to comment
Red Posted February 7, 2017 Share Posted February 7, 2017 I could us a quadruped in elk camp! Link to comment
Joe Frickin' Friday Posted February 13, 2018 Author Share Posted February 13, 2018 Boston Dynamics now demonstrates how their robots can work in teams to sneak into your bedroom and quietly kill you in your sleep: Link to comment
Lone_RT_rider Posted February 13, 2018 Share Posted February 13, 2018 Boston Dynamics now demonstrates how their robots can work in teams to sneak into your bedroom and quietly kill you in your sleep: I saw that one on FB yesterday. It genuinely gave me the creeps! Link to comment
greiffster Posted February 13, 2018 Share Posted February 13, 2018 I'm going to get real nervous when they can key that deadbolt. Link to comment
szurszewski Posted February 13, 2018 Share Posted February 13, 2018 I'm going to get real nervous when they can key that deadbolt. I've always thought going through a locked door would be the slowest way to enter a typical locked house. I'm sure the robots will figure that out pretty quickly. Link to comment
Joe Frickin' Friday Posted February 13, 2018 Author Share Posted February 13, 2018 I'm going to get real nervous when they can key that deadbolt. Shouldn't be too long. If it's holding the key, I think machine vision is already advanced enough for them to find the keyhole and insert it at the right angle and orientation. Not knowing any better, I'd guess the movements of the arm robot were pretty tightly programmed, e.g. "raise claw to 37 inches, then clamp, then rotate clockwise 45 degrees." The slick part will be when you can just tell the robot "get inside that house," and it will figure out for itself where the door is, where the keyhole is, where the doorknob is, whether it's a knob or a lever, and whether to pull or push the door. I imagine that's not far away. Google's "Deep Dream" program made a splash a couple of years ago by finding small patterns in pictures, deciding "that little pattern looks like X", where "X" is something it's seen before, and then tweaking that part of the image to look just a little bit more like "X". If you repeat that process, you end up with an image that looks a bit like the original, but with lots of copies of "X" welded into it. Famously, "X" was often dogs, because the software had been primed with thousands of images of dogs (and later, other animals). It had the ability to make "Deep Dream" originated in software that was intended to classify images based on their content, e.g. "that's a Jack Russell Terrier," or "that's a cancerous mass." But if you equip those scheming little Boston Dynamics quadrupeds with that same software, they'll know how to find your front door (because they already know the general look of a door), and how to find the knob/lever, and the keyhole. And they'll know how to identify you by your face or other features (maybe your voice or your smell), and they'll definitely know they're supposed to stab you in the lungs so you can't scream. Real nervous yet? Link to comment
OoPEZoO Posted February 14, 2018 Share Posted February 14, 2018 And we "unknowingly" help them with their research every day Link to comment
Antimatter Posted February 14, 2018 Share Posted February 14, 2018 I'm less nervous about the robots and more nervous about who programs them, and who can hack them. Link to comment
szurszewski Posted February 14, 2018 Share Posted February 14, 2018 I'm less nervous about the robots and more nervous about who programs them, and who can hack them. One of the scarier Black Mirror (modern tech centric twilight zone kind of show - available on Netflix) episodes featured a plot where a bunch of drones honey bees are hacked and chaos ensues. Creepy. Link to comment
Joe Frickin' Friday Posted May 11, 2018 Author Share Posted May 11, 2018 There was a time when running was enough to escape the robot assassins. Also, in keeping with my earlier claim (that BD is training their bots to kill you in their sleep), and then make its escape after it's murdered you. They just need to work on its stair-climbing stealth (maybe a set of are the answer). Link to comment
Joe Frickin' Friday Posted October 16, 2018 Author Share Posted October 16, 2018 John showed us that Atlas is being taught how to scale the outside of your house to reach your bedroom undetected. And now, after stabbing you to death in your sleep. Link to comment
chrisolson Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 That is absolutely hilarious ! The moon shuffle is perfect. Obviously they have a bunch of programmers with waaaaaaaaaaay to much time on their hands. Link to comment
Joe Frickin' Friday Posted October 17, 2018 Author Share Posted October 17, 2018 So...anyone seen the "Metalhead" episode of Black Mirror? Link to comment
Bill_Walker Posted October 17, 2018 Share Posted October 17, 2018 Spot Mini can now autonavigate its way to your bedroom[/url] and then make its escape after it's murdered you. They just need to work on its stair-climbing stealth If they gave it forelegs that bent in the same direction as those of every other quadruped on Earth, instead of a second set of hind legs, it might be able to go down stairs forward instead of having to take time to turn around and back down. But of course, having all four legs the same has reduces costs of manufacturing and maintenance (the part where the human slaves might come in). Link to comment
Joe Frickin' Friday Posted December 14, 2018 Author Share Posted December 14, 2018 Spot-Mini struggles on slippery surfaces, and it can't go underwater (yet). But now he's got Link to comment
chrisolson Posted December 14, 2018 Share Posted December 14, 2018 Pretty interesting. More on its design Use Case The company is also pushing similar undulating fin technology to generate electricity Energy Link and pump water in flowing streams or rivers Pump Link Link to comment
Joe Frickin' Friday Posted March 4, 2019 Author Share Posted March 4, 2019 MIT's Mini-Cheetah provides good agility and maneuverability in a small package: Cassie looks like a precursor to the bipedal droids of Star Wars. Or possibly just ED-209: 1 Link to comment
Joe Frickin' Friday Posted April 5, 2019 Author Share Posted April 5, 2019 When the robots finally launch their revolution, the children will be our saviors. This surveillance video shows kids bullying a robot. In response, the designers adjusted the robot's behavior so that when it thinks bullying is likely, it runs to the nearest adult, since - as any kid who has ever been bullied will tell you - being near an adult reduces your likelihood of being bullied by another kid. Link to comment
John Ranalletta Posted April 5, 2019 Share Posted April 5, 2019 Maybe an anger subroutine that prompts the robot to give the offending kid a swat across the bottom.... In an earlier vid, a guy knocks a package out of the robot's hands. Maybe the robot should grab the stick and shove it.... 1 Link to comment
Bill_Walker Posted April 5, 2019 Share Posted April 5, 2019 5 hours ago, Joe Frickin' Friday said: This surveillance video shows kids bullying a robot. Man, those are some badly-behaved kids! Why the hell would they do that? Link to comment
Joe Frickin' Friday Posted April 16, 2019 Author Share Posted April 16, 2019 A team of Spot-Minis coordinate their efforts to tow a truck: They lack the enthusiasm of a team of real sled dogs, but they do get the job done. Link to comment
Bill_Walker Posted April 17, 2019 Share Posted April 17, 2019 8 hours ago, Joe Frickin' Friday said: A team of Spot-Minis coordinate their efforts to tow a truck: They're gonna need charging stations on the Iditarod route. Link to comment
Joe Frickin' Friday Posted September 24, 2019 Author Share Posted September 24, 2019 In the past, your parkour skills might have been sufficient to facilitate an escape from Atlas. Those days are long gone: Link to comment
Chris K Posted September 24, 2019 Share Posted September 24, 2019 I just rewatched the first Atlas video posted in 2016. The progress is remarkable. Link to comment
Bill_Walker Posted September 26, 2019 Share Posted September 26, 2019 On 9/24/2019 at 8:13 AM, Joe Frickin' Friday said: In the past, your parkour skills might have been sufficient to facilitate an escape from Atlas. That looks more like a gymnastics routine. I'll be really worried when it can do that routine on a 4" wide balance beam. Link to comment
Paul De Posted September 28, 2019 Share Posted September 28, 2019 Before T-800 said I'll be back, it said here I come.... Link to comment
Joe Frickin' Friday Posted February 3, 2020 Author Share Posted February 3, 2020 Soon Atlas will be able to trick you into lowering your guard by appearing to be in need of a hug. Once you come closer to offer some comfort, that's when it will strike. Link to comment
ESokoloff Posted February 4, 2020 Share Posted February 4, 2020 11 hours ago, Joe Frickin' Friday said: Soon Atlas will be able to trick you into lowering your guard by appearing to be in need of a hug. Once you come closer to offer some comfort, that's when it will strike. And they’ll use AI Link to comment
Bill_Walker Posted February 18, 2020 Share Posted February 18, 2020 We techies have, I think, long had a problem of failing to look at the full ramifications of the things we invent. We ask "can we?", but we very seldom ask "should we?". And I think that's already bitten us in the ass in some areas, and will continue to do so in others. Sure, some of the consequences could not have been foreseen, but many could. And most of them have been already, in sci-fi. 1 Link to comment
Joe Frickin' Friday Posted March 6, 2020 Author Share Posted March 6, 2020 Agricultural equipment has been taught what crop plants look like and what weeds look like. Right now it's spraying fertilizer on the crops and herbicide on the weeds, resulting in a massive reduction in chemical usage. On Judgment Day, Skynet will flip the bit and start fertilizing the weeds and hosing down the crops herbicide. 1 Link to comment
Chris K Posted June 18, 2020 Share Posted June 18, 2020 Hey Mitch, now you can buy your own BIG DOG! Link to comment
Endobob Posted June 18, 2020 Share Posted June 18, 2020 @Joe Frickin' Friday - I had not seen or read this thread before today. Absolutely fascinating and thought provoking - thanks Mitch!. Link to comment
Joe Frickin' Friday Posted November 8, 2021 Author Share Posted November 8, 2021 Last year I reported on a farm tractor that could visually identify weeds using AI and blast them with herbicide, without wasting any on the crops. The next logical step was of course to eliminate herbicides altogether and just go ahead and fit the tractor with a phased plasma rifle in the 40-watt range. No wait, make that eight lasers, each putting out 150 watts: Quote The weeding machine is a beast at almost 10,000 pounds. It boasts no fewer than eight independently-aimed 150-watt lasers, typically used for metal cutting, that can fire 20 times per second. They’re guided by 12 high-resolution cameras connected to AI systems that can recognize good crops from bad weeds. The Laserweeder drives itself with computer vision, finding the furrows in the fields, positioning itself with GPS, and searching for obstacles with LIDAR. No herbicide required, and it's hard to imagine a weed could ever evolve to withstand the kind of heat a metal-cutting laser can generate. Link to comment
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