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I, Robot, meet You, Tube
As technology develops, what first started as experimental becomes practical, what was once prohibitively expensive becomes commonplace, and what seems like science-fiction becomes true to life.
We put together a few of our favorite robot videos to see how far the sci-fi staples have come. Should we go grab John Connor, or rest easy for now? And might these automatons even help us one day?
Watch the robots in action on the pages that follow, and decide for yourself.
The Robo-Olympics
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), created by the US government to develop groundbreaking tech for the Department of Defense, hosts its own competition to spur development of autonomous machines.
Since each team's design is different, one droid that can turn valves painlessly could fall flat on its face dismounting from a stairwell, and vice versa. If nothing else, watching the entire thing is rife with robot pratfalls, a brand of comedy unique to the 21st century.
Sit, stand and defy your human masters
NAO robots, which are programmable robots built by Aldebaran Robotics, can pull of a number of tricks that range from participating in a soccer league to playing Tic-Tac-Toe.
While this is pretty much a case of "I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that," the tiny squeal the NAO makes at the end was cute enough to make us forget all about how we just saw a robot capable of defiance. What could go wrong?
Santa's cyber-reindeer give us a seasonal scare
Boston Dynamics, the engineering firm purchased by Google that's known for its quadruped robots, showed off some holiday cheer last year in what we can only describe as "fearfully festive."
We can't tell what makes this weirder: the use of cutting-edge military technology to make the video equivalent of a Christmas card, or the fact that the tinsel and strapped-on antlers really take the edge off the Metal Gear-esque design.
Wet your whistle with these robot bartenders
As the human race veers closer to mastering robotics, the age-old question still remains: "Can it whip up a Long Island Iced Tea?"
In fact, according to Alessandro Incisa, project manager for the company behind the Bionic Bar, the metallic mixologists are actually choreographed by professional dancers for smooth, graceful motion.
This was done to eliminate the sudden movements, "humanizing" the drink ordering process while ensuring your Martini doesn't get shaken when you asked for it stirred.
The walking, working robot is steady as a rock
Boston Dynamics is back at it again, this time with Atlas, a working-class droid built to handle labor tasks with an incredible grasp on its surroundings.
We wish we had Atlas' patience when it comes to people meddling with its work, but we hope it never becomes sentient. If it does, it may wind up holding a grudge against that guy who kept jabbing it with a stick, and seek its revenge.
This face is 'uncanny valley' to the max
Humans are pretty good at identifying what is and isn't human. However, as the line between human/not human becomes blurred, your brain tends to get really uncomfortable.
Nicknamed "Hans," the robot can read and convey a wide range of expressions, from joy to drunk. The idea is to have Hans provided care for people in assisted living who prefer seeing a person in place of a computer. That said, just take a look at Hans in action...
Watch MIT's cheetah bot catch some air
Just when you thought the secret to outsmarting the rise of Skynet was to outrun it, along comes MIT and its running, robotic cheetah.
Though it doesn't match the top speed of its biological counterpart, the robo-cheetah is the first robot capable of autonomously performing a running jump.
At this point, it's only a matter of time before the creation of a new event in the DARPA Robotics Competition - the 110m Intermediate Robo-Hurdles.
You can build your own breakfast machine!
Having an entire fleet of mechanical engineers is nice and all, but what of the hobbyist looking to get into the robotics game in the comfort of their own home?
While the final results are less than ideal, the result is hilarious and can be replicated by anyone with some time to spare and the right materials. You can even follow Giertz's design down to the letter - No DARPA fbacking required!
