Quarreling parents, an annoying kid, and a lovable robot make this short film a fun trip into the near future. Who hasn’t wanted a robot playmate of their own? Blinky is no Robbie, but at least he tries. Check the 12 minute movie out for a treat. Be sure to go full screen and turn on HD if your connection can handle it.
—Edit— The original video was taken down for quite some time, but is back!
Everyone knows (or should!) that Honda has tipped their hat to Isaac Asimov by naming their robot line Asimo. For those that have been living in caves for the past 50 years, he inadvertently invented the word ‘robotics’ in his story Runaround. He assumed it already was a word, but he is attributed for the first use of it in a publication. I remember seeing a YouTube video of these little robots a few years ago which caught my eye. This commercial tries to show the ‘human’ side of robots. I highly doubt that all of the actions in the commercial were autonomous, but I can’t see why it won’t be possible in the near future. Considering I am just a few days away from finishing my huge book project in Asimov’s Robot & Foundation Universe I was pleasantly surprised to stumble across this.
A quick look to related videos on YouTube showcased a technical demo of some new abilities in the new Asimo robot version. I’m very impressed to see the progress that has been made. Many of the tasks they show are fairly simple, but I think if they can make the robots use power efficiently they will be useful. It’s amazing that probably within 100 years of Asimov’s robot stories there might be a working model similar to his creations. Of course we are a bit behind robot production, since US Robotics and Mechanical Men had positronic robots in production in the 1990s.
Of course there are several videos of failed demonstrations with the Asimo prototypes taking spills while trying to do something as simple as walking up and down stairs. I’m confident that Honda will work out the bugs with the programming and balancing servos sooner or later. I know I will be keeping an eye on development in robotics.
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Wow, looks like I’ve had quite a few hits from StumbleUpon. Hopefully I can get some interesting feedback with this nice spike in visitors.
So, do any of you think that Robots can or will ever become self aware? If so, how soon do you think it could happen given the rapid development of technology? Would humans revolt and ban such machines? Asimov covers that last question in his science fiction, which is one of my favorite themes. Are there any authors you might recommend that focus on human/robot relations?
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I was recently stumbled an interesting page with quite a few quotes that define Science Fiction. The sources range from various famous authors that include Isaac Asimov, Frank Herbert, and Robert A. Heinlein, to unknown sources. There are a few explanations of the difference between Science Fiction and Fantasy which were quite interesting. It should be a very interesting read for any fans out there. Check it out!
I’m not a big fan of rehashing old game shows, but I will have to make an exception very soon. Deal or No Deal will be having a Star Wars theme on Monday April 28th at 8PM Eastern Time. The highlight for me will be the dozens of models in Slave Leia outfits. Hopefully my wife will understand when I tell her this episode can’t be missed. Aside from the Slave Leia outfits, Darth Vader will be the banker and Chewbacca and R2D2 are supposed to show up some time as well. Carrie Fisher (the original Leia) will even play some type of role. I think that Lucas is trying to drum up some more PR in preparation of the new Clone Wars series and theater premier. Found via TVGuide
This news story reminded me of a website I ran across a few years back. If dozens of models on TV in Slave Leia costumes isn’t enough for you, head over to the Leia’s Metal Bikini homepage. The link has some PG-13 pictures, nothing you wouldn’t be able to see on broadcast TV. There are links to plans for making the costume or even ordering it pre-made. Off of the video page I noticed the Slave Leia girls had a massive photo shoot at Star Wars Celebration IV last year. How did I miss this? Check out the video at GameTrailers.
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Well, the episode aired and I noticed the folks at Collider updated their post with video from the episode. Head over there and check it out.
The little robot had broken home syndrome, that’s sad!
heh. finally got around to watching this. nice.