Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

DARPA and Boston Dynamics unveil a new humanoid robot

extremetech.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

61–70 of 92 posts

Re: DARPA and Boston Dynamics unveil a new humanoid robot

#61

Post by finnw »

robotresearcher wrote: post #21
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 t…

> ...without the ethical problems...

I think that is a bit too optimistic. Political battles over robots' rights are inevitable.

Edit: I think this is also relevant: http://www-formal.stanford.edu/jmc/robotandbaby/

Re: DARPA and Boston Dynamics unveil a new humanoid robot

#62

Post by sanoli »

I'd like to know about its energy consumption, and how long would it operate with today's best battery technologies. That seems to me to be one of the bigger hurdles for turning this into something operational, but I might be wrong. Still, it's 330 lbs to move on two legs (future versions of course will be lighter, but, being military, it probably can't be all lightweight stuff). Anyone here with more knowledge about this care to give their opinion?

Re: DARPA and Boston Dynamics unveil a new humanoid robot

#63

Post by robotresearcher »

finnw wrote: post #61
robotresearcher wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 t…

> ... without the ethical problems ... I think that is a bit too optimistic. Political battles over robots' rights are inevitable. Edit: I think this is also relevant: http://www-formal.stanford.edu/jmc/robotandbaby/

OK, how about "greatly reduced ethical problems".

As long as we're still killing and eating animals, we can make robots work for us.

Also, ideally we'll build them to like it. Then it'd be unkind to let them rest.

Re: DARPA and Boston Dynamics unveil a new humanoid robot

#64

Post by incision »

speeder wrote: post #56
lmg643 wrote: post #13

Terminator has always been one of my favorite movies, and reality has an uncanny way of getting us closer and closer to the fantasy. We justify this new technology in the same way - "it's for our protection"! Dictators run into trouble when the armies decide they won't attack a local population because, hey, it's their families and friends we're talking about. Robots eliminate that pesky detail. Imagine how a secessi…

One day my dad spotted me playing Mech Warrior, and asked: "Why bipedal war machines? That is stupid, just push them over and they now are useless." After that, I never figured why someone would build a bipedal war machine, even though I still have my nerdgasms watching all the mecha anime, movies and games... Anyone has a idea of why the hell someone would build a bipedal war machine?

>Anyone has a idea of why the hell someone would build a bipedal war machine?

Off the top of my head...

1.) I'd have think there's something to bipedal locomotion considering the evolutionary success it has had.

2.) We're bipedal. As long as pilots we'd recognize as human are involved, having an analog to the kind of movement they've necessarily trained a lifetime for seems sensible.

Re: DARPA and Boston Dynamics unveil a new humanoid robot

#65

Post by shubb »

mikegioia wrote: post #20
lmg643 wrote: post #13

Terminator has always been one of my favorite movies, and reality has an uncanny way of getting us closer and closer to the fantasy. We justify this new technology in the same way - "it's for our protection"! Dictators run into trouble when the armies decide they won't attack a local population because, hey, it's their families and friends we're talking about. Robots eliminate that pesky detail. Imagine how a secessi…

I think this all hinges on when or if these things can get produced/maintained for less than or close to the cost of a human soldier. Imagine if these got down to $10,000 to produce. Then it would be cheaper to arm a 1-2MM unit militia of humanoid robots than it would actual human marines.

The value of a combat robot is in avoiding casualties rather than cost savings. Casualties lose America wars, because it is a democracy, and it fights without an existential threat.

However, I think your numbers for the cost of humans are way low. The US army put the cost to train a soldier at $150'000. In addition, there is pay, and veterans benefits. The US will spend 1.5 trillion on veterans between now and 2022.

Re: DARPA and Boston Dynamics unveil a new humanoid robot

#66

Post by drakeandrews »

dm2 wrote: post #52
dicroce wrote: post #30

Used to think these things were cool but now that I can't trust my government anymore... I find them deeply disturbing.

Just because they are being transparent with their research? 50 years ago the US govt had amazingly cool technology (SR-71, satellites, nukes, computers, submarines, lasers, chemical weapons) but it was kept halfway secretive. Just because some people are uncomfortable with new technology shouldn't mean that the government is untrustworthy or evil. If anything, the transparency makes them more trustworthy. The stuff…

I think a video tour of the CDC's vaults would be quite interesting, personally.

Re: DARPA and Boston Dynamics unveil a new humanoid robot

#67

Post by incision »

uncoder0 wrote: post #2

I'm getting tired of extremetech blogspam and sensationalism. This source video was posted yesterday by me and didn't really make it anywhere. It seems I should get a voting ring and embellish my titles a bit more. If anyone wants to read up on the DRC the two latest press releases are here: http://www.darpa.mil/NewsEvents/Releases/2013/07/11.aspx http://www.darpa.mil/NewsEvents/Releases/2013/06/27.aspx .

Timing perhaps [0].

0: http://nathanael.hevenet.com/the-best-time-to-post-on-hacker...

Re: DARPA and Boston Dynamics unveil a new humanoid robot

#68

Post by krapp »

speeder wrote: post #56
lmg643 wrote: post #13

Terminator has always been one of my favorite movies, and reality has an uncanny way of getting us closer and closer to the fantasy. We justify this new technology in the same way - "it's for our protection"! Dictators run into trouble when the armies decide they won't attack a local population because, hey, it's their families and friends we're talking about. Robots eliminate that pesky detail. Imagine how a secessi…

One day my dad spotted me playing Mech Warrior, and asked: "Why bipedal war machines? That is stupid, just push them over and they now are useless." After that, I never figured why someone would build a bipedal war machine, even though I still have my nerdgasms watching all the mecha anime, movies and games... Anyone has a idea of why the hell someone would build a bipedal war machine?

That is stupid, just push them over and they now are useless.

That depends entirely on whether said machines can right themselves after being tipped over.

But, the way I see it, human cities and human technology are made for our bipedal forms, two legs and hands with five fingers and such. Having a robot match that form makes it easier to exploit urban terrain and implements in the environment. I mean, which would you theoretically rather have, a robot that is a vehicle, or a robot that can operate any vehicle it comes across?

Re: DARPA and Boston Dynamics unveil a new humanoid robot

#70

Post by mpyne »

drivers99 wrote: post #53
sbarre wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks for the clarification

Both, really: 'ARPA, was renamed to "DARPA" (for Defense) in March 1972, then renamed "ARPA" again in February 1993, and then renamed "DARPA" again in March 1996.' (Copied from wikipedia.)

And each time some General somewhere noted 'Reorganized unit to align with modern mission goals' as a performance evaluation bullet item for themselves.
Post reply on HN