Robo-Falls from the DARPA Robotics Challenge

Maybe our new robot overlords could use a hand up. The DARPA Robotics Challenge is going on today and tomorrow. There is a $2 million prize up for grabs, and the most advanced robots in the world are competing. Each robot is tasked with doing all these things in order:

1  Walk to a vehicle
2   Drive a vehicle
3   Open a door
4   Find and close a valve
5   Bust through a wall
6   A surprise task
7   Navigate some rubble
8   Climb up stairs

(YouTube link)

That’s a lot to ask of a machine. Popular Mechanics has 11 short videos of robots who did not quite perform perfectly. The overall impression is that of people who’ve had way too much to drink. And those are only from Friday morning, so there may be more added before the contest is finished. -via Digg


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I've said it before, I'll say it again...
I'm not sure why anyone would pursue replicating the human form factor with robotics. As Harrison Ford's character explained in The Mosquito Coast, the human body is horribly designed, accentuating (rather than protecting) all of its major weaknesses and foibles, always just a hair's-breadth away from a small mistake that leads to total failure (death).
The fails of these robots illustrate exactly what those weaknesses are and they are rooted in the weaknesses of the human form itself. Why not instead design to perform said tasks with a more robust form factor? It's only via millions of years of evolution that we've overcome our limitations by the minimum amount necessary to perform these actions ourselves. If you don't agree, try taking one misstep on a top stair. Take that tumble and realize how our bodies haven't adapted to even falling 15 feet in 1g without significant damage. Combining more animalistic traits (quadruped, etc) would make a more robust apex creature.
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This is a pocket fidget, it's made in China for discrete fidgeting. I have one, I use it to fidget, obviously. Some advice with the use of this pocket fidget: you should really heed the warning on the packaging about recommended fidget allowances because I got a blister on my thumb from fidgeting it through a really long boring meeting once. It is great for use at bus stops. All in all, this is a suitable, discrete fidget for the fidgeter on the go. I recommend it.

Metal Neatorama, black XL
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Deluxe pencil sharpener collection, because it's back to school time! Never again will your child's anachronistic wooden pencil go dull!

This is the pierce-free model: the metal hoop allows the deluxe pencil sharpener collection to be attached to your child's lip, ear lobe, belly button, or ... other ear lobe ... without the shame (and expense!) of having a piercing!

I Heart Yeti, Ash Grey (or thereabouts), M
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Well, it used to be a robot centipede, before some cruel little fiend pulled all its legs off and made it into a keychain. Some people shouldn't be allowed to have nice things.

retro grinder monkey, ser grn, xl
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Hottest toy fad of the 80s! Billion Bubble Maker. Dip it entirely in the bubbles bottle, remove, then spin it like crazy on your keychain. So much fun, it'll be like you're tripping on acid!

Cold Hearted (medium)
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Pretty sure it's a tapeworm trap. Tapeworms can't resist slaloming through such things (they're born slalomers) and once they're halfway through, you extract the trap, tie the ends together and dispose of properly. The hook and chain have to do with extraction but I intentionally glossed over that part.

retro grinder monkey, ser grn, xl
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