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DARPA and Boston Dynamics unveil a new humanoid robot

extremetech.com

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Re: DARPA and Boston Dynamics unveil a new humanoid robot

#21

Post by robotresearcher »

jotm wrote: post #10

Disaster recovery, assistance and space applications (asteroid mining?) are the only real applications of these robots. This is not going to be useful in the military. The only advantage it may have over humans is increased accuracy, and even then, a mobile gun platform on wheels will do a much better job. This robot is less mobile, less reliable, less endurable, much less smart and much less flexible than any averag…

There are many applications of humanoid robots when they become good and cheap. Right now they are neither, but DARPA is funding people to work on this.

Cheap, good humanoid robots will fill the slave niche in society, without the ethical problems (at least in terms of the slaves themselves - it might not be good for us to be slave owners, but we'll see how that pans out). Who said the researchers are or should be thinking about only this century?

By the way, a mobile gun platform on wheels is not going to be great in built-up areas. This is why we don't have combat soldiers fighting in powered wheelchairs, and why Daleks suck.

Re: DARPA and Boston Dynamics unveil a new humanoid robot

#22

Post by Lambdanaut »

adamio wrote: post #17
Lambdanaut wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think so. I don't see them being as destructive as that. I think by the time they get to a level that's bannable, there will be far greater warfare threats, like millions of inch-long artificially intelligent flying swarm syringes(OF DEATH) filled with arsenic. I think they'll be far more useful as support units.

Good point, These Darpa terminators are just the visible threat, its the classified nano robots that control us from inside that we should fear

I think you're joking, but what you just said would make a great parody of the nuts over in that other thread that are hypothesizing that the NSA is possibly keeping 5D glass hard drive technology a secret from us.

Re: DARPA and Boston Dynamics unveil a new humanoid robot

#23

Post by robotresearcher »

Shivetya wrote: post #9

What is the point of having it be bipedal? Would not the dog/four legged system work out better? You could still have it manipulate items with forelegs if you wanted but keep the inherit stability

Most robots are not bipedal, for the reasons you state, among others. But if we want humanoid robots ever, we have to get started working with the form factor. There are plenty of technical problems to solve that are specific to this kind of platform.

This robot => (more steps here ) => C3-PO => Terminator => Roy Batty.

DARPA has a great record of pushing hard on technology that might sorta kinda work, but if it does it will have huge impact. Some of it works out better and faster than expected, with the ARPAnet as the prime example.

Re: DARPA and Boston Dynamics unveil a new humanoid robot

#25

Post by ratscabies »

hedonist wrote: post #11

God this is awful. Just a matter of time before these beasts are used to serve search warrants, deal with "difficult" protests, etc.

    [Dick Jones directs Kinney to threaten ED-209. Kinney points a gun at the robot.]
    ED-209: Please put down your weapon. You have 20 seconds to comply.
    Dick Jones: I think you'd better do what he says, Mr. Kinney.
    [Alarmed, Kinney quickly tosses the gun away. ED-209 steps forward and growls menacingly.]
    ED-209: You now have 15 seconds to comply. You are in direct violation of Penal Code 1.13, Section 9.
    [Everyone in the room panics; Kinney tries to hide among them, but is pushed back into open range]
    ED-209: You have 5 seconds to comply. 4. 3. 2. 1. I am now authorized to use physical force.

Re: DARPA and Boston Dynamics unveil a new humanoid robot

#26

Post by robotresearcher »

hedonist wrote: post #12
jotm wrote: post #10

Disaster recovery, assistance and space applications (asteroid mining?) are the only real applications of these robots. This is not going to be useful in the military. The only advantage it may have over humans is increased accuracy, and even then, a mobile gun platform on wheels will do a much better job. This robot is less mobile, less reliable, less endurable, much less smart and much less flexible than any averag…

"Real" military applications, perhaps not. "Pseudo-military" operations, i.e. in our rapidly militarizing civilian police forces, perhaps not so far off.

You think a police robot is easier than a soldier robot? Why?

Both services are deploying robots as fast as they can. Thousands are in Iraq and Afghanistan.

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