A bar-owner in Atlanta saw Robocop a few too many times, and invented a “Bum Bot” to annoy homeless people and force them to leave the area. The Bum Bot doesn’t look much like Peter Weller or a Terminator though– it looks kind of like that thing Capt. Pike would tool around in on Star Trek.
And now, here’s Stephen Colbert’s full investigative report on “Difference Makers: The Bum Bot”.
An elderly man commited suicide by programming a robot to shoot him in the head after building the machine from plans downloaded from the internet.
Francis Tovey, 81, who lived alone in Burleigh Heads on the Australian Gold Coast, was found dead in his driveway. According to the Gold Coast Bulletin, he had been unhappy about the demands of relatives living elsewhere in Australia that he should move out of his home and into care.
Notes left by Tovey revealed that he had scoured the internet for plans before constructing his complex machine, which involved a jigsaw power tool and was connected to a .22 semi-automatic pistol loaded with four bullets. It could fire multiple shots once triggered remotely. His notes suggested that Tovey chose to kill himself in the driveway because he knew there were workmen building a new house next door who would find his body.
The scheme worked, as carpenter Daniel Skewes heard gunshots and ran to Mr Tovey’s home. “I thought I heard three shots and when we ran next door he was lying on the driveway with gunshot wounds to the head,” Mr Skewes told the GCB.
A neighbour, who did not want to be named, told the newspaper that Mr Tovey had lived at his home on Gabrielle Grove since 1984. “He was a really marvellous man, an ideal neighbour and I will miss him greatly,” she said. “He was born in England, like I was, and we used to enjoy our tea together. He had visitors from England and family interstate from somewhere far away in Australia.
“There was no inkling of anything amiss, it is just very sad.”
We’ll never know the true extent of someone else’s secret pain.
From Times Online, UK edition.
Swarms of robots that use electromagnetic forces to cling together and assume different shapes are being developed by US researchers. The goal is to create swarms of microscopic robots capable of morphing into virtually any form by clinging together. Hmm, that sounds sorta familiar, doesn’t it? That’s the great thing about science fiction– a lot of the science doesn’t stay fiction for long.
Seth Goldstein, who leads the research project at Carnegie Mellon University, admits this is still a distant prospect. However, his team is using simulations to develop control strategies for futuristic shape-shifting, or “claytronic” robots, which they are testing on small groups of more primitive, pocket-sized machines. These prototype robots would use electromagnetic forces to manoeuvre themselves, communicate, and even share power.
But for now, the real stumbling block to creating an independent shape-shifting robot is the software, not the hardware. Goldstein explains, “Right now we just don’t know how to design a system that produces complex overall behaviours from a group of simple agents.”
Ultimately, Goldstein believes his claytronic robots may one day achieve this, and much more: “I’ll be done when we produce something that can pass a Turing test for appearance,” he says. “You won’t know if you’re shaking hands with me or a claytronics copy of me.”
You can see a preview of the claytronic robot prototypes below.
Popular Mechanics compares the merits of all the different killer robots from the Terminator franchise for your convenience. Follow the link to see who they think is the smartest, strongest, and the most formidable Terminator of all time.
Alright Terminator fans, the big premiere is here and the verdict is in– Lena Headey is the best thing about Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. She may not have Linda Hamilton’s muscles or Sigourney Weaver’s mech suit, but she has their gravitas– and that’s all that matters to me.
Meanwhile, Thomas Dekker hasn’t done much to impress me so far as TV’s John Connor. He’s a little “High School Musical” for my taste– and he would definitely get his ass kicked by Edward Furlong, the original squinty pipsqueak.
As for the rest of the show, I enjoyed the hot robot-on-robot action scenes, the time travel, and Sarah Connor scolding her future savior son– but I wasn’t a fan of the initial introduction of the Summer Glau character. Don’t get me wrong, I like the idea of a young sexy female Terminator protector for John, but why does she have to go undercover in high school and pretend to flirt with him before saving his life? Is this the new Terminator show or a remake of 21 Jump Street?
Also, I know Schwarzenegger is too busy running California to play Terminator anymore, but why do the new Terminator models look so wimpy? Where have all the cyborg muscles gone?
Lena Headey, it looks like the future of this show rests on your sexy shoulders.
I’ve been hearing rumors for awhile, but it was finally confirmed in the Hollywood Reporter today that Christian Bale will take on the role of John Connor in Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins.
Earlier rumors had Vin Diesel attached to the project, while others predicted that T3 star Nick Stahl would return as John Connor, or even T2’s Edward Furlong.
Instead we get a fresh start with Christian Bale. He’s probably the best actor of our generation, and already reinvented Batman– who knows what he can do with John Connor? The only thing he needs now is a director that can bring an exciting new vision to the franchise– someone on par with Batman director Christopher Nolan.
Unfortunately, the fate of the future still seems to be McG‘s hands. The director of Charlie’s Angels and We Are Marshall is still in negotiations to helm T4.
The teaser posters are out for the new tv Terminator spin-off, and I have to admit I’m pretty excited. The new show looks amazing so far– especially compared to that blasphemous Terminator 3.
Lena Headey stars as Sarah Connor, though she’s better known as the badass Spartan chick from 300 right now.
The Sarah Connor Chronicles debuts on Fox with a two-night premiere on January 13th and 14th. Looks like the future will be here in the new year!
Vote for your favorite poster at Fox.com And if you haven’t seen it already, you can check out the trailer for the show here.
Take a look at the new Terminator played by Owain Yeoman on the upcoming Fox show The Sarah Connor Chronicles. It looks like they’re staying true to the franchise…for now. But he’s going to need a hat to cover that exposed CPU lid.
From ComingSoon.net
From the creators of Roomba comes the terrifying iRobot Warrior X700, ready for urban warfare. It can lug a 500lb payload, carry 150lbs on it’s arm, travel ten miles an hour– and fire weapons like a machine gun or 40mm explosive round. And this isn’t just another armed robot that’s run by remote control–iRobot Warrior X700 comes with advanced software and will be able to perform some battlefield functions autonomously. He’s expected to hit the streets in late 2008.
Where’s Ally Sheedy when you need her? We need both her & Guttenberg to tame this guy.
From The Danger Room, a Wired Blog.
Secret of Nymph: The Robotic Sexual Revolution 