Video of Murata Boy the bike riding robot
Today BB Gadgets showed a video ad for a bike riding robot. Weirdly, the commercial doesn't show the robot riding a bike (perhaps the same agency that made the Seinfeld Microsoft commercials is responsible). Here's a video of the Murata Boy earnestly pedaling around in an empty room. It's like an outtake from Spielberg's AI.
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Look out Lance!
I kept expecting a robot cop to knock him over.
He's gonna have knee problems if he doesn't raise that seat...
he pedals like a muppet!
why make a simple robot to deliver papers? make one thats 10 times more complicated that does less!
Robots will never replace paperboys until they learn how to scowl when they get a lousy tip.
be aware when you ride(of who/what else is riding next to you)
A.I. biking, I'll just sit on the back while my a.i. rickshaw does the driving
amazing balance,neh? next i want to see it go downhilling, your robot versus mine
Darn, someone already beat me to the muppet comment. Henson already did it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3WV2Z_9qW8
I wouldn't suppose that big wheel/fan in the robot's chest is a gyroscope?
Could that be why he apparently can balance while standing still?
tokyomango has more the other one (his little cousin) is even more impressive
So a robot riding a fixed gear? To complete the messenger chic, version 2.0 will pound pabst blue ribbon and talk shit about other bikes. I look forward to the day I get to draft behind one of these.
So, why is it some wierd bike? Can it pedal a regular crappy 10-speed from a garage sale?
Wow! 13 posts on a BB robot article and not one mention of the uncanny valley yet! I'm shocked!
Can it be programmed to ride a bike with no handlebars?... with no handlebars?... with no handlebars?...
Wow, I'm really getting a strong image in my mind of fleets of these robot cyclists flying around Toronto streets on errands for their masters. Of course some would get beat up in dark alleys for entertainment, or have their bikes stolen after picking up an urgent document, or be re-programmed by pranksters to do demented things.
"I wouldn't suppose that big wheel/fan in the robot's chest is a gyroscope?"
That's good. Because for starters, it's on the wrong axis.
I want to see the robot walk up to the bike, get on, ride around and get off. Then lock his bike to a street sign.
I still don't understand why things like this are so "impressive"... It really shouldn't be that difficult to design a robot to ride a bike, or walk, or do some of the more basic human functions. I think having it actually navigate a house full of furniture in a reasonable time span would be more impressive. Or like someone else said, go off road, down hill, something besides riding in circles in a large room....
Besides it's going to be a couple of decades before we will have humanoid robots that aren't just built to display interesting new features like this...engineers and companies should be focusing on making bot that can do tasks now easier and cheaper.
Do you think he's riding the bike whilst thinking 'Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!'
I don't understand the compulsion to create anthropomorphic robots at all. The human body is horribly designed and far from ideal for the completion of many tasks. I think Allie's speech near the end of The Mosquito Coast covered it all completely and concisely.
Concentrate on making robots that do the things we do, but *better* than we are able to do them. Walking upright bipedally is the first big mistake and a complete waste of time.
This is a great development. Now I don't have to ride a bicycle myself.
I'll have more free time to devote to leisure activities, like computer debugging.
Wow, even robots are moving away their dependency of oil.