May 16 2008Philisophical Question Of The Day: Can We Use Robotic Suits To Defeat The Robots Of The Apocalypse, Or Will They Turn On Us?
Okay, I posted on the Sarcos Exoskelton Robot Suit back in November, but this week I've been flooded with tips to show it again, so here she blows. Raytheon, impressed with the Sarcos suit, purchased the company, and continues to develop the exoskeleton suit as part of a $10 million Army contract.
The suit can multiply its wearer's strength and endurance as many as 20 times, with relatively little loss of agility, by sensing and almost instantly amplifying every movement the wearer makes.
The suit itself weighs 150 lbs. and the biggest hurdles Raytheon has yet to overcome are the unit's short battery life, incredible cost of production, and clunkiness.
When a soccer ball was thrown at him, he bounced it back off his helmeted head. He repeatedly struck a punching bag and, slowly but surely, he climbed stairs in the suit's clunky aluminum boots, which made him look like a Frankenstein monster. "It feels less agile than it is," Jameson said. "Because of the way the control laws work, it's ever so slightly slower than I am. And because we are so in tune with our bodies' responses, this tiny delay initially made me tense." Now, he's used to it. "I can regain my balance naturally after stumbling -- something I discovered completely by accident." Learning was easy, he said.
"It takes no special training, beyond learning to relax and trust the robot," he said.
Over my dead body. The day you learn to trust robots is the day they turn on you and blast a powerful burning laserbeam straight through your domepiece. I'd rather trust my girlfriend, and she cheats on me like it's her job (which it kind of is, she's a hooker).
So today's philosophical question of the day is this: Can the human race battle robots with robots? Wow, did that just make your head explode? I know, I'm fucking deeper than a well. Suck it, Descartes.
Another video of the suit in action after the jump.
Robotic suit amplifies human strength [cnn]
Thanks to Indo, Robert, Matt, and Lee, all of whom don't need a stupid robotic suit to lift cars and jump over buildings
Reader Comments
1. fsd - May 16, 2008 10:32 AM
...you know what?.... let's put a little Hot Rod red in there.... ;)
2. God - May 16, 2008 10:42 AM
Depends on if our robotic suits have AI and if the robot uprising have developed the ability to "inject" AI into other robotic AI-less machines.
3. Momboelitist - May 16, 2008 10:59 AM
@2, as you are probably deranged let me just be the first to inform you that you are not God. You are however quite the blasphemer, so you will have that going for you in hell.
4. Guy Smiley - May 16, 2008 11:02 AM
I inject my AI into yo mamma all weekends.
5. justin - May 16, 2008 11:20 AM
What if robots start wearing the robot suits? then what will we do?
6. SmokingGirl - May 16, 2008 11:52 AM
*sigh* More robot posts....
7. JohnnyIrish - May 16, 2008 1:10 PM
SmokinGirl.. Its good for you. You need to get your recommended daily dose of vitamin R (obots).
It builds strong bones and healthy bodies!
No wait.. thats milk..
8. Tyler J - May 16, 2008 2:30 PM
You fools! Vitamin R(obot) crushes strong bones and healthy bodies!
If Terminator 2, or "The Gospel According to John Connor" as it will be known after Judgement Day, has anything to say on this subject, it is that the only way to beat the machine is to totally reprogram that bitch and send it back in time to crush all the other machines. I'm sending my robot back to crush the following:
1. Thomas Edison
2. Bill Gates
3. Steve Jobs
4. ASIMO
5. My next door neighbor... damn your ranchero music and love of loud bass!
Doing so will obviously prevent the technological breakthroughs that lead to the Robocalypse.
9. Guy Smiley - May 16, 2008 3:11 PM
I'm still doin' it with yo mammas!
10. The Devil - May 16, 2008 6:56 PM
@3, Correction: Number 2 is actually God. Trust me I know. As for the robot suit, let ME be the first to inform you that they serve no protection from the upcoming robot uprising and that all your souls will be MINE!!! MUHAHAHAH!
11. tmhs - May 16, 2008 8:59 PM
In the Halo universe, the first suit of power armor ripped the wearer to pieces so we should be glad with what we have.
12. SmokingGirl - May 17, 2008 7:32 AM
So far we've had Satan post, now we have the Devil posting, if you guys can get Lucifer to post then we'll have a nice unholy trifecta going on.
But then next thing you know we'll have the False Prophet, the Beast, and the Antichrist posting...and that just wouldn't be any fun.
13. InstinctSage - May 18, 2008 10:42 PM
This isn't a robot. I'm all fine with discussions about robots and their attempts to destroy humanity, but get the terms right. This doesn't even constitute a cyborg.
That said, I totally think we're moving into Heavy Gear territory (anyone remember that game?). Walking tank exoskeletons. It's the future, man.
14. Cyberwulf - May 20, 2008 3:45 PM
It's almost cute how relious nuts seem to think there is a place for them on the internet... anyways, these might give us a fighting chance against the robots! yay!
15. groonk - May 26, 2008 1:19 PM
exo-suits are the Judas' of the robot rebellion