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Thread: Which Colossal Death Robot are you?

  1. #76
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    Ai-Da

    Meet the robot that can write poetry and create artworks
    By Hannah Ryan, CNN

    Updated 11:24 AM ET, Sat November 27, 2021

    Ai-Da went on display at the Great Pyramids of Giza in Cairo, Egypt, on October 23, 2021, as part of an exhibition presented by the organization Art D'Egypte in partnership with the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities and Tourism.
    (CNN)When people think of artificial intelligence, the images that often come to mind are of the sinister robots that populate the worlds of "The Terminator," "i, Robot," "Westworld," and "Blade Runner." For many years, fiction has told us that AI is often used for evil rather than for good.
    But what we may not usually associate with AI is art and poetry -- yet that's exactly what Ai-Da, a highly realistic robot invented by Aidan Meller in Oxford, central England, spends her time creating. Ai-Da is the world's first ultra-realistic humanoid robot artist, and on Friday she gave a public performance of poetry that she wrote using her algorithms in celebration of the great Italian poet Dante.
    The recital took place at the University of Oxford's renowned Ashmolean Museum as part of an exhibition marking the 700th anniversary of Dante's death. Ai-Da's poem was produced as a response to the poet's epic "Divine Comedy" -- which Ai-Da consumed in its entirety, allowing her to then use her algorithms to take inspiration from Dante's speech patterns, and by using her own data bank of words, create her own work.
    Ai-Da's poem was described was "deeply emotive" by Meller and includes the following verse:

    "We looked up from our verses like blindfolded captives,
    Sent out to seek the light; but it never came
    A needle and thread would be necessary
    For the completion of the picture.
    To view the poor creatures, who were in misery,
    That of a hawk, eyes sewn shut."

    Meller said that Ai-Da's ability to imitate human writing is "so great, if you read it you wouldn't know that it wasn't written by a human" and told CNN that when Ai-Da was reading her poem on Friday evening, "it was easy to forget that you're not dealing with a human being."

    Aidan Meller poses with Ai-Da during a launch event for its first solo exhibition in Oxford on June 5, 2019.
    "The Ai-Da project was developed to address the debate over the ethics of further developing AI to imitate humans and human behavior," Meller told CNN. "It's finally dawning on us all that technology is having a major impact on all aspects of life and we're seeking to understand just how much this technology can do and what it can teach us about ourselves."
    Meller said one key thing he and the team that work with Ai-Da have learned while developing her is that the project hasn't taught them how "human she is -- but it's shown us how robotic we are as humans."
    As Ai-Da has learned how to imitate humans based on our behavior, Meller says the project has shown just how habitual human beings are and how we tend to repeat actions, words, and patterns of behavior -- suggesting that it is we, in fact, who are robotic.
    "Through Ai-Da and through the use of AI, we can learn more about ourselves than ever before -- Ai-Da allows us to gain a new insight into our own patterns and our own habits, as we see her imitate them right in front of us," Meller told CNN.
    Not only can Ai-Da read and write poetry -- she is also capable of creating artworks, too, and made one for the Dante exhibition titled "Eyes Wide Shut" which was crafted in response to an incident in Egypt in October, when Egyptian security forces detained Ai-Da and wanted to remove the cameras in her eyes due to concerns over surveillance and security.
    "The incident showed just how much nervousness there is in the world around technology and its advancements," Meller said.
    Meller is aware, too, of the concerns over the increasingly advanced development of artificial intelligence and the potential for using algorithms to manipulate populations but he said that "technology on its own is benign -- it's those that control it whose intentions could be morally and ethically questionable."

    Ai-Da is capable of creating artworks and poetry, which she does by using her algorithims to imitate human actions.
    According to Meller, when it comes to worries about where the future of AI will take us, "the biggest fear we should have should be of ourselves and the human capability to use technology to oppress, not of the AI itself."
    Meller thinks that Ai-Da can be a pioneer in the world of AI and that what she produces -- whether it's poetry, artworks or something else -- will push the boundaries of what can be achieved in technology and will allow us to learn more about ourselves than ever before, all through the eyes of a robot.
    Ai-Da's poetry doesn't work for me. Does it work for you?
    Gene Ching
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  2. #77
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    The Artist in the Machine? Meet ‘Ai-Da’, the AI robot

    Gene Ching
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  3. #78
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    Xenobots

    Anyone else think this is a bad idea?

    Xenobots, the World's First Living Robots, Are Now Capable of Reproducing: 'This Is Profound'
    Xenobots have the capacity to reproduce in an "entirely new" way, scientists say — which could prove beneficial in making advancements toward regenerative medicine

    By Natasha Dado
    November 30, 2021 02:23 PM


    CREDIT: SAM KRIEGMAN AND DOUGLAS BLACKISTON
    The world's first living robots, known as xenobots, have learned how to self-replicate, according to the scientists who developed them.

    Xenobots — which are designed by computers and created by hand from the stem cell of the African clawed frog Xenopus laevis, where its name is derived — were introduced to the world in 2020. At the time, scientists announced the organisms were self-healing and could survive for weeks without food, according to CNN.

    Now, experts have found that xenobots — which are blob-like in appearance — have the capacity to reproduce in an "entirely new" way, scientists at the University of Vermont, Tufts University, and the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University said Monday in a press release.

    Scientists found that the xenobots are able to "gather hundreds" of single cells together and "assemble baby" organisms inside their mouths, which become new and functional xenobots within days, per the press release.

    "With the right design—they will spontaneously self-replicate," said Josh Bongard, a computer science professor and robotics expert at the University of Vermont who helped lead the research.

    "People have thought for quite a long time that we've worked out all the ways that life can reproduce or replicate. But this is something that's never been observed before," added co-author Douglas Blackiston, Ph.D., a senior scientist at Tufts University and the Wyss Institute.

    "This is profound," said Michael Levin, a biology professor and director of the Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University. "These cells have the genome of a frog, but, freed from becoming tadpoles, they use their collective intelligence, a plasticity, to do something astounding."

    Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

    Although the idea of robots that are able to reproduce on their own may sound frightening, one scientist involved with the research says this does not "keep me awake at night."

    "We are working to understand this property: replication. The world and technologies are rapidly changing. It's important, for society as a whole, that we study and understand how this works," Bongard said in the press release, noting that having a better understanding of this kind of self-replicating biotechnology can have many practical uses — including for regenerative medicine.

    "If we knew how to tell collections of cells to do what we wanted them to do, ultimately, that's regenerative medicine—that's the solution to traumatic injury, birth defects, cancer, and aging," Bongard added. "All of these different problems are here because we don't know how to predict and control what groups of cells are going to build. Xenobots are a new platform for teaching us."
    Gene Ching
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    Robotic dog equipped with a loudspeaker broadcasts anti-pandemic measures in China

    Gene Ching
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    Mindar

    Japanese robot preacher that cost $1 million delivers sermons at Buddhist temple in Kyoto
    Rebecca Moon
    16 hours ago


    Inside of a Buddhist temple in Japan resides a 6-foot-4-inch robot named “Mindar” modeled after the Buddhist goddess of mercy, Kannon, to deliver Buddhist scriptures.
    Mindar is the result of a $1-million collaboration between Kodaiji Temple, located in Kyoto and a team led by Professor Hiroshi Ishiguro of Osaka University’s Department of System Innovation in 2019.

    A camera lens embedded in Mindar’s left eye allows the robot to make eye contact with worshippers, and its hands and torso mimic human-like movement.
    Mindar was designed to “encourage people’s imagination” due to its gender- and age-neutral look.
    Worshippers at a Buddhist temple in Kyoto, Japan, are read sermons and Buddhist scriptures by a robot modeled after the Buddhist goddess of mercy, Kannon.

    Inside Kodaiji Temple is a 6-foot-4-inch and 132 pound robot named “Mindar” programmed to deliver a 25-minute sermon on Heart Sutra. Made of silicone skin and aluminum body parts, the robot features a camera embedded in its left eye to allow eye contact with worshippers during sermons and teachings. Mindar’s hands and torso were also designed to replicate human movement and interactions.

    Mindar was a $1-million project designed by a team led by Professor Ishiguro Hiroshi of the Department of Systems Innovation at Osaka University and Kodaiji Temple in 2019. The goal of the project was to renew people’s interest in Buddhism, which has been declining due to generational change and modernism in Japan, and to encourage worshippers in using their imagination. Ishiguro explained that Mindar was designed to have an ambiguous gender and age so that worshippers can imagine their own image of Buddha.

    The robot also includes interactive 3D projection mapping that allows it to display worshippers onto a wall behind itself. Worshippers in these projected videos ask Mindar questions about Buddha’s teachings, to which it responds with straightforward, articulate answers.



    Kodaiji Temple’s chief steward Goto Tensho is hoping to include more advanced features for Mindar as it is currently limited to preprogrammed sermons.

    “We plan to implement AI so Mindar can accumulate unlimited knowledge and speak autonomously. We also want to have separate sermons for different age groups to facilitate teachings,” Goto told ABC News.

    In regards to concerns that Mindar is violating a religious field, Goto explained that Buddhism is about following Buddha’s way rather than worshiping a god.

    “Buddhism isn’t a belief in a God, it’s pursuing Buddha’s path,” Goto told CNN. “It doesn’t matter whether it’s represented by a machine, a piece of scrap metal or a tree.”



    Feature Image via The Hindu (right) and DW Shift (left)

    Buddhist-robot
    Which-Colossal-Death-Robot-are-you
    Gene Ching
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    Chess robot breaks child’s finger during an international tournament in Russia



    This is how it begins...
    Gene Ching
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    Slightly OT

    Gene Ching
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    SFPD Killer bots...

    SFPD authorized to kill suspects using robots in draft policy
    “This is not normal. No legal professional or ordinary resident should carry on as if it is normal.”

    by WILL JARRETT
    NOVEMBER 22, 2022


    A remote-controlled police robot used to disarm bombs. Image from Shutterstock.

    A policy proposal heading for Board of Supervisors approval next week would explicitly authorize San Francisco police to kill suspects using robots.

    The new policy, which defines how the SFPD is allowed to use its military-style weapons, was put together by the police department. Over the past several weeks, it has been scrutinized by supervisors Aaron Peskin, Rafael Mandelman and Connie Chan, who together comprise the Board of Supervisors Rules Committee.

    The draft policy faces criticism from advocates for its language on robot force, as well as for excluding hundreds of assault rifles from its inventory of military-style weapons and for not including personnel costs in the price of its weapons.

    Peskin, chair of the committee, initially attempted to limit the SFPD’s authority over the department’s robots by inserting the sentence, “Robots shall not be used as a Use of Force against any person.”

    The following week, the police struck out his suggestion with a thick red line.

    It was replaced by language that codifies the department’s authority to use lethal force via robots: “Robots will only be used as a deadly force option when risk of loss of life to members of the public or officers are imminent and outweigh any other force option available to SFPD.”

    This could mark a legal crossing of the Rubicon for the city: Robot use-of-force has never before been approved, nor has it ever been prohibited, in San Francisco. A version of this draft policy was unanimously accepted by the rules committee last week and will come before the full board on Nov. 29.

    “The original policy they submitted was actually silent on whether robots could deploy lethal force,” said Peskin. He added that he decided to approve the SFPD’s caveated guidelines because the department had made the case that “there could be scenarios where deployment of lethal force was the only option.”

    Advocates and lawyers who oppose the militarization of the police are less convinced.

    “We are living in a dystopian future, where we debate whether the police may use robots to execute citizens without a trial, jury, or judge,” said Tifanei Moyer, senior staff attorney at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area. Moyer leads the organization’s work on police misconduct and militarization.

    “This is not normal,” she wrote over email. “No legal professional or ordinary resident should carry on as if it is normal.”


    Supervisors Rafael Mandelman, Aaron Peskin, and Connie Chan discuss the new policy. Screenshot via SFGOVTV.

    The SFPD has 17 robots in its arsenal, 12 of which it describes as fully functional. According to police spokesperson Officer Robert Rueca, they have never been used to attack anyone. The robots are remote-controlled, and are typically used to investigate and defuse potential bombs or to surveil areas too awkward or dangerous for officers to access.

    Uses defined in the new draft policy include “training and simulations, criminal apprehensions, critical incidents, exigent circumstances, executing a warrant or during suspicious device assessments.”

    And, in extreme circumstances, they can be used to kill.

    How are robots used lethally?

    In 2016, the Dallas police force strapped plastic explosives to a robot and used it to blow up a sharpshooter who had killed five officers, in the first U.S. instance of a police robot killing a suspect. One of the SFPD’s robots, the Remotec F5A, is the same model as the one used by Dallas police.

    More recently in Oakland, a policy on lethal robots came before the city’s police department’s civilian oversight council. One device they discussed was the PAN disruptor, a device that can be attached to a remote-controlled robot and uses a blank shotgun shell to disable a bomb by blasting it with pressurized water. Oakland police acknowledged that, in emergencies, they could arm it with live rounds. The SFPD also has multiple PAN disruptors that can be attached to robots and fire shotgun shells.

    Last month, Oakland police ultimately backed down and removed language that would have allowed them to kill using robots. They said they hope to pursue the option in the future.

    Rueca said that the San Francisco Police Department “does not have any sort of specific plan in place” for how lethal force would be applied with robots as “the unusually dangerous or spontaneous operations where SFPD’s need to deliver deadly force via robot would be a rare and exceptional circumstance.”
    continued next post
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    continued

    Why is this happening now?

    Cities across California are currently drafting new policies on the use of military weapons by local police forces, thanks to a state law called AB 481, which passed last year. Figuring out the force options of robots is one small part of the law’s remit.

    The law mandates that every police force in California must annually report its stock of all military-style weapons, their cost, how they can be used, and how they were deployed in the prior year. The law gives local authorities — in San Francisco’s case, the Board of Supervisors — the ability to annually reject or accept the rules governing how the weapons are used.

    The Board will also be required to sign off on any new military-style equipment before purchase, although the police will be able to replace any existing equipment up to a value of $10 million without approval.


    An SFPD bomb squad robot was deployed on Valencia Street in 2019. Photo by Abraham Rodriguez.

    Most advocates opposed to the militarization of the police hail AB 481 as a step in the right direction for accountability and transparency. But concerns have been raised that some jurisdictions have not gone far enough in limiting how military-style weapons can be used.

    Jennifer Tu, a fellow with the American Friends Service Committee, has been tracking how police departments across the state are implementing AB 481.

    “My suspicion is that most policies will have left room for robots to use force,” said Tu. She said that it was her understanding that most departments have not mentioned robots at all, which means they are subject only to generic restrictions.

    The ACLU has published advice on the use of robots by police, and notes that the limited situational awareness of robots, compared to in-person officers, make it more likely that force is “used inappropriately and/or on the wrong targets.”

    “There is a really big difference between hurting someone right in front of you, and hurting someone via a video screen,” said Tu.

    What else is in the draft policy?

    Tu contended that, on top of the issue of robot force, there are other problems with San Francisco’s draft policy, as it currently stands.

    In its initial submission, the SFPD omitted all of its 608 semi-automatic assault rifles, 64 machine guns, and 15 submachine guns from the new use-of-force policy. According to Peskin, these were added in when he pushed back on their omission. But in the department’s latest version, which is set to come before the supervisors next week, 375 of the semi-automatic assault rifles are missing again.

    The rationale given for the removal of these assault rifles from the policy: The Chief of Police defines them as “standard-issue service weapons.”

    Others disagree with that assessment. “We don’t see regular officers walking around with assault rifles,” said Allyssa Victory, staff attorney with the criminal justice program at the ACLU of Northern California (and recent Oakland mayoral hopeful). “Just writing a policy doesn’t make it so.”

    Victory added that shotguns and handguns can be omitted because they are standard issue, according to AB 481, but no such exemption applies to assault rifles.

    “The law defines ‘military weapons,’ not the chief of police,” wrote civil rights lawyer Moyer over email. “San Francisco is not the only department to attempt to redefine ‘military weapons’ so as to justify hiding their use, costs, and upkeep from the public.”

    “If the law defined military weapons as bubble gum, then the police department would have to disclose their use of bubble gum,” she wrote.

    Tu added, “I really think it is confusing to the public if we don’t have those assault weapons reported.” Their omission would mean that in future annual reports, the police would not need to declare how the guns had been used or who had been injured by them.

    Another point of contention with advocates is that the SFPD has not included personnel training or maintenance times in their valuation of the cost of their military-style weapons. This appears to be required by AB 481, which states that costs must include “acquisition, personnel, training, transportation, maintenance, storage, upgrade, and other ongoing costs” of the weapons.

    But the SFPD rejected a suggestion from the American Friends Service Committee to include personnel costs. The department said that maintenance and training occur during normal work hours, and that their human resources management system cannot track different types of work done by officers, so “there is no compelling reason to track in the suggested manner.”

    It remains to be seen if the policy, as it stands, will be approved by the Board of Supervisors, and what limitations will ultimately be placed on the police department’s military-style weapons, including its robots. And, once the rules are settled, the process will begin again with the Sheriff’s Department, which will need to create its own policy to stay in compliance with AB 481.

    “The great news about this thing is that it can be evolved,” said Peskin, adding that policy must be scrutinized and approved every year if the SFPD wants to keep using its weapons.

    “And I think we are starting off in a good place.”

    This policy will be discussed at the Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday November 29. The meeting starts at 2 p.m. and the police equipment policy is agenda item 28. More details can be found in the full meeting agenda.
    ...this is exactly how it starts...
    Gene Ching
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    Watch a skin-covered robotic finger at work | Science News

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    Versatile Articulated Aerial Robot DRAGON: Aerial Manipulation and Grasping by Vector

    Gene Ching
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    skin in the game

    Robot hand uses 'skin' to hold chopsticks, balls, and bubble wrap just right
    University of Cambridge researchers made a 3D-printed hand that looks just as convincing when holding some bubble wrap as it does wielding a chopstick, ready for whatever noodles you throw at it.

    By Tom Acres, technology reporter

    Wednesday 12 April 2023 01:39, UK

    From holding a ball to daintily grasping a chopstick, a new robotic hand developed by scientists in the UK can grab a range of objects just by moving its wrist and the feeling of its "skin".

    The 3D-printed appendage is designed to be low-cost and energy-efficient, capable of carrying out complex movements despite not being able to use each finger independently.

    Professor Fumiya Iida, of the University of Cambridge's Bio-Inspired Robotics Laboratory, said the goal was to "simplify the hand as much as possible".

    Most advanced robots capable of feats similar to the human hand have fully motorised fingers, making them more difficult and expensive to produce.

    But this cheaper alternative has proved remarkably capable across more than 1,200 tests - including knowing how much pressure to apply to a given object.


    A robotic hand daintily wielding a chopstick. Pic: University of Cambridge

    'Robot skin' helps judge needed force

    While you should instinctively know to gently handle an egg without shattering it and ruining breakfast, robots will require training to recognise the right amount of force required.

    In this case, researchers implanted the hand with sensors so it could sense what it was touching.

    It used trial and error to learn what kinds of grip would be successful - starting with balls and then moving on to everything from peaches and bubble wrap to a computer mouse.

    Study co-author Dr Thomas George-Thuruthel, now of University College London, said the sensors were "sort of like the robot's skin".

    "We can't say exactly what information the robot is getting," he added, "but it can theoretically estimate where the object has been grasped and with how much force."

    The robot can also predict whether it was going to drop an object, and adapt accordingly.

    Researchers hope the robotic hand could be improved further, such as adding computer vision capabilities and teaching it to exploit its surroundings to grasp a wider range of objects.

    The results are reported in the journal Advanced Intelligent Systems.
    when they can learn on their own, that's how it starts...
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    Furby connected to ChatGPT shares how they would ‘take over the world’ | USA TODAY

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    Robotic Super Monster Wolves

    Robotic ‘Super Monster Wolves’ are guarding Japanese towns against bears
    First introduced to combat invasive wild boars, experts now believe the robo-wolf could deter wandering black and brown bears.

    BY ANDREW PAUL | PUBLISHED OCT 3, 2023 5:00 PM EDT


    It may not look like a real wolf to you, but it does the trick against boars and bears. WOLF KAMUY

    Stories about solar-powered robotic wolves first surfaced back in 2017 after Japanese researchers began testing prototypes to combat wild boars’ devastating encroachment into farmlands. Since then, a company called Wolf Kamuy expanded sales of its sentry products featuring menacing fangs, fur, flashing red LED “eyes,” and a head capable of shaking side-to-side while emitting a 90 decibel howl. But boars aren’t the only problem plaguing rural Japanese communities. According to recent reports, Wolf Kamuy is now offering many of its faux-wolves as bear deterrence.

    It turns out the “Super Monster Wolf” isn’t just effective at protecting farmers’ crops—it’s also pretty good at protecting the farmers themselves. As reported October 1 via the BBC, bears are an increasingly difficult, sometimes even deadly nuisance in many areas of Japan thanks to a combination of serious factors, including climate change, deforestation,and urban expansion. What’s more, bear populations in regions such as Hokkaido appear to be actually increasing as Japan faces an aging population and declining birth rates. According to the BBC, some researchers estimate a total of over 22,000 bears located around Hokkaido. Because of all this, the region recorded at least 150 bear attacks over the past six decades—with four fatalities in 2021 alone. Meanwhile, bears continue to wander into more crowded towns and cities bordering wildlife areas.

    Enter: the Super Monster Wolf. By installing the guard bots in urban locales, experts hope to deter bears from wandering into populated areas to potentially harm both humans and themselves. Researchers previously estimated that a robo-wolf’s howls effectively deterred bears from encroaching within approximately 1-square-km (about 0.38 square mi) of its installation—arguably better than many electric fence perimeters. With strategic placement, Super Monster Wolves could help elderly communities, and protect the bears.

    Of course, humanity cannot solely rely on an army of robot wolves to protect us from bear attacks. Bears (not to mention countless other species) face immense existential threats in the face of ongoing climate change calamities, and it’s not the bears’ fault they are increasingly desperate to find food sources. The best remedy, therefore, is to continue focusing on climate solutions like conservation, renewable energy, and sustainable urban planning, rather than stopgaps like the (admittedly rad) Super Monster Wolf.


    Andrew Paul
    Andrew Paul is Popular Science's staff writer covering tech news. Previously, he was a regular contributor to The A.V. Club and Input, and has had recent work also featured by Rolling Stone, Fangoria, GQ, Slate, NBC, as well as McSweeney's Internet Tendency. He lives outside Indianapolis.
    Looks like a freakin kaiju.
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    Archax robot

    3.5 TONS OF FUN —
    Archax is a $2.7 million pilotable robot for the ultra-wealthy
    Japanese startup Tsubame has 5 units up for preorder.

    SCHARON HARDING - 10/4/2023, 12:25 PM


    Robots are already cleaning our homes and patrolling our cities. Now, they're ready to embody our favorite mecha-themed science fiction indulgences—if you have 400 million yen (about $2.7 million) to splurge.

    Tsubame Industries, a Tokyo-based startup, currently has five Archax units, a pilotable robot, available for preorder, as reported by Reuters this week. Tsubame unveiled the robot this summer and plans to demo the robot at the Japan Mobility Show from October 26 through November 5. Tsubame won't just have a giant robot on display; the robot will demonstrate movement of its upper body and arms, according to a Google translation of an August report from Japanese publication Robot Start.

    Built with human-like proportions, Archax has moving rear legs and front legs and uses front-wheel steering. It also has a movable head (left and right), waist (left and right), shoulders (up and down), elbows, wrists, and fingers.

    Wherever Archax is displayed or stored needs a lot of headroom. The robot is 14.8 feet (4.5 m) tall. It also weighs a monstrous 3.5 tons, and Archax's frame contains iron pipes, aluminum alloy, and steel plates. The frame is covered in reinforced fiber plastic and ASA 3D-printing filament.

    Robot or mecha suit

    The Archax can be used like a robot, where you control the arms, fingers, and other movable parts remotely. Controlling a 3.5-ton machine is no small feat; one of Archax's modes puts the owner inside the robot's chest, where a cockpit holds all the controls needed to command the mecha.

    In vehicle mode, Archax can move up to 6.2 miles (10 km) per hour, Tsubame claims. The robot will widen its stance slightly for added stability and appear hunched.


    Here you can see Archax hunched.
    Tsubame
    Inside the cockpit, you'll find two joysticks, two pedals, and four displays—connected to the robot's nine cameras—to help you navigate. The screens are also supposed to display information helpful for controlling the machine, like the angle at which it's tilted, the speed at which it's traveling, and how much power the 300 V DC battery has left. And there's a touchscreen for going from vehicle mode to robot mode.

    The robot's nine cameras can be rearranged to provide a different view.
    Tsubame
    Safety considerations include an emergency stop button, having the robot stop automatically if its main body is tilted more than 5 degrees, and an emergency escape hatch by the cockpit's rear. The robot was also reportedly tested by various safety standards organizations, such as The International Electrotechnical Commission, the International Organization for Standardization, and Japanese Industrial Standards.

    From science fiction to reality

    Archax gets its name from the Archaeopteryx, a "bird-like dinosaur" sometimes referred to as the first bird (although it's now believed there could be earlier bird ancestors), per the National History Museum.

    "Japan is very good at animation, games, robots, and automobiles, so I thought it would be great if I could create a product that compressed all these elements into one," Ryo Yoshida, Tsubame's CEO, said, per Reuters.

    Since its reveal, people have been comparing Archax to the Gundam franchise. It's not just because of the robot's pilotable nature—Tsubame's CTO, Hironori Ishii, helped direct the life-size Gundam attraction currently displayed in Yokohama, Japan, as Anime News Network noted in August.

    Currently, Tsubame is focused on entertainment applications for its bot, but Yoshida said Archax could one day be used for space development, disaster recovery, and other uses.

    Tsubame, which has nine employees, can't yet mass produce this gargantuan, costly product, so it's targeting the ultra-wealthy, like those who buy supercars, company representatives said, per Anime News Network. Archax even uses car paint for a metallic texture, according to Tsubame.

    Tsubame is currently accepting preorders for the robot in Japan, but would-be buyers will have to wait more than a year after placing an order to receive the extravagant new toy. The long wait time and the robots' "preorder" status, however, leave some room for skepticism around the product's delivery.

    If you don't have the patience or, more realistically, $2.7 million for such a thing, you can check out Archax via video instead:


    Archax robot.
    Listing image by Robot Start/YouTube


    SCHARON HARDING
    Scharon is Ars Technica’s Senior Product Reviewer writing news, reviews, and analysis on consumer technology, including laptops, mechanical keyboards, and monitors. She’s based in Brooklyn.
    I'm guessing no one that reads this forum is 'ultra rich'...
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

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