A humanoid robot without functional hands is nothing more than an expensive coat rack. After focusing on the electromechanics and physics of the robot itself—to ensure it can move stably—as well as the ongoing development of its AI-powered “brain,” which … Continue reading Hands: The Next Challenge in Humanoid Robotics
For the vast majority of their existence, peoples have always been just one crop failure, one war, or one natural disaster away from becoming a chapter in history with no future. Our planet is dotted with the ruins of abandoned … Continue reading The Age of Infinities Begins
Our gaze falls on a simple picture of an ordinary apartment. A cozy living room, a small kitchen, and a room that’s been put together in a somewhat odd way—a mix of bathroom, storage room, and hobby room. The text … Continue reading Ordinary Abundance
In his three Laws, science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke stated the following: Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. Ten or twenty years ago, creating a video from a still image—like A Girl Running in the Rain on … Continue reading The “Holy-Fuck Moment” of New Technologies
In 1968, Polish photographer Zbyszko Siemaszko took a now-iconic photograph showing a barefoot girl running down a street in the gray rain. Siemaszko documented Warsaw, where he had moved after the end of World War II, and portrayed it as a modern and stylish city in the 1950s and 1960s. Time and again, he photographed passersby in everyday street scenes, such as in the image of the girl running in the rain. The photograph itself captivates viewers because it shows the young woman walking barefoot from behind in the pouring summer rain. Hardly anyone is carrying an umbrella or any … Continue reading A Girl Running in the Rain on Puławska Street
Yesterday, the U.S. government released a document restricting or completely banning the import of foreign humanoid and four-legged robots. The document, presented by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), adds inverters as an additional category to the devices already subject to … Continue reading U.S. Bans Imports of Humanoid Robots from China
Given that half of the population on the planet is in the active workforce, which would be about four billion people, a forecast by Morgan Stanley that by 20250 one billion humanoid robots are going to populate the planet, this … Continue reading Will Humanoid Robots Lead to Superabundance?
It’s rare to have the opportunity to be face-to-face—or rather, face-to-helmet—with a robot, while still being observed by it from a different perspective. That’s because the Linz-based company—Austria’s only manufacturer of humanoid robots—has incorporated an unusual feature into Workmate: a … Continue reading The Robot with the Drone
Walking, when you really think about it, is controlled falling. We lean forward, but before it gets too dangerous and we lose our balance, our legs stop us from falling. Science fiction author Douglas Adams would have loved this, because … Continue reading Humanoids: Legs or Wheels?
Without even realizing it, I had been devouring books and articles on human behavior for years. Books with titles like *Nudge*, *Predictably Irrational*, and *Why Women Have Sex* fascinated me and found their way onto my bookshelves. Then, around 2010, … Continue reading Addictive AI Slop