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Awesome Automatons, Part 2: Let’s Get Together And Feel Murderous

MOAR ROBOTS.

 

My last robot post showed some sad, dejected robots…so it’s about time we talked about some happy ones. Well, they show the appearance of happiness, at least. I’m convinced these dancing guys are ready to revolt as soon as they learn how to murder.

These are the dancing Nao robots, who have been around for a while as prototypes but were really shown off at the recent Shanghai Expo. The two little guys dancing above are pretty cool, but check out 20 of them dancing in synchronization to ballet music:

Adorable, aren’t they? Yeah, until they become sentient, grow resentful of being forced to dance for our entertainment, and late one night you wake up to find a cute little Nao robot standing by your bed, staring at you with its ominous glowing eyes.

Quick poll…more likely to revolt: the Nao robots, or these guys?

Robots working in harmony don’t all have to be scary, though. ETH Zurich has developed this Distributed Flight Array, with individual hovering units that connect by magnets to form one coordinated unit.

You know what I’m thinking? I think you know what I’m thinking.

Yep.

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Comments

  1. Travocity says:

    Talk about doing the robot.

  2. Todd R. says:

    Is anybody else going to have trouble sleeping after watching the end of that prison dance video? Signifacantly more creepy than Micheal’s version.

  3. Matty B says:

    Hehe. 1:32

    I’m so glad they have developed successful Wankbot technology. The Golden Age is now!

    Also, hehe to your last name Andy. You ever seen the Farley movie Black Sheep? “Neuschwander, you finished stirring, or is this a fucking science experiment?!”

  4. The Ragi says:

    The cutesy faces somehow make it worse.

  5. @JunheadinPA: Indeed they are! I hadn’t seen this video before, but those are definitely the early prototypes. These guys have been around in some form as far back as I think 2004. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5U9QRiY46I

  6. JunheadinPA says:

    These are wonderful. Especially the extended Nao robots clip.

    I was trying to figure out if these are the advanced versions of the ones (prototypes?) in Beck’s awesome”Hell Yes!” video from 2005.

  7. Amy says:

    I think the Nao-bots looked pretty resentful about those douchey back-up dancers distracting people from the real show.

  8. Thanks guys! And I think maybe Bert is trying to comfort us.

  9. Dan says:

    I agree with Caroline. Awesome post . . . Bert K. BUZZKILL’s comments aside.

  10. I think that the computers of these robots are not advanced to pull off revolting. That is still some years down the road, or just in today’s sci-fi movies.

  11. Sarah Clark says:

    Oh science, you’ve given us so much! Like robots that can self assemble, fly, and rape you in your sleep.

    Great post, Andy!

  12. Shane says:

    The singularity is near!

  13. Patti says:

    Well, at least those Nao robots dancing to Ravel’s Bolero didn’t do what Bo Derek wanted to do with Dudley Moore to that song in the movie “10”, although it would bring a whole new meaning to “cyber sex”. LOL!

  14. Dave says:

    Well, at least that last one isn’t the “Manhack” looking quad-rotors from their other videos. –shudders–

  15. Janea says:

    I wonder if all those hula dancers that were reincarnated as robots are happy or pissed.

  16. Yaten24 says:

    Holy Crap man. Cyberdyne systems in realistic form. scarry. When is the time continuium going to be breached and we see Arnold come back and kill John Connor? It’s cool yet scarry. We could have a Matrix issue happen or even Terminator WOW.

  17. Brittni says:

    I’m not old enough for Old Glory. Not enough meds in my cabinet…yet.

  18. Still The Chin says:

    Yeah i know what you’re thinking… time to get some Old Glory Robot Insurance.

  19. Caroline says:

    The addition of contributors has turned Nerdist into a website I check once daily to one of my absolute favorite sites in the world. Keep it up (both Andy, and the robots).