I understand that robots and drones are going to play a big role in our future lives, but why are the more advanced ones always so creepy?
A Swiss outfit known as the Laboratory of Intelligent Systems, or LIS, has created a drone that can map and navigate unknown spaces. In theory, this could be quite useful for, say, taking stock of the interior of a collapsed structure. The AirBurr, as it's called, flies around the space crashing into things, like a fly or mosquito, and then uses those collisions to mark where the obstructions are:
(Is it just me, or does that narrator need to clear his throat for the entire video?)
Not to be outdone in the freak factor department, robo-overlords Boston Dynamics have tricked out their BigDog robot so that the thing can now hurl cinderblocks, presumably as a means of expressing rage:
It will get worse before it gets better. Gizmag is reporting that Italian Institute of Technology researchers are toying with the idea of a quadripedal robot kitted out with a pair of arms to provide a measure of manual dexterity. I'm interpreting that to mean they are creating a robot centaur, which I just don't think is a good idea. Let's look at a non-robotic centaur:
Now picture him made out of metal and imbued with powerful emotions, and ask yourself, do you want to fight that thing? Yeah, I didn't think so.
Hit the jump to see more of what's in store for our futures.
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