Sep 5 2008UPDATE: Now With Video And Cat Picture: Helicopters Teach Themselves To Fly, Hilarity Does Not Ensue, PEW PEW PEW Does
Mad scientists at Stanford have created helicopters that can teach themselves to fly difficult acrobatic maneuvers simply by watching another helicopter perform them. Start building that bunker.
The dazzling airshow is an important demonstration of "apprenticeship learning," in which robots learn by observing an expert, rather than by having software engineers peck away at their keyboards in an attempt to write instructions from scratch."I think the range of maneuvers they can do is by far the largest" in the autonomous helicopter field, said Eric Feron, a Georgia Tech aeronautics and astronautics professor who worked on autonomous helicopters while at MIT. "But what's more impressive is the technology that underlies this work. In a way, the machine teaches itself how to do this by watching an expert pilot fly. This is amazing."
Jesus, so all the robots need is one crazy asshole to teach them how to do something, and it's goodbye humanity. This is depressing. So, to cheer you back up, I'll tell you a funny story.
I'm working from home today and one of the cats (affectionately known as The Terrorist) won't leave me alone. He keeps trying to pull the keys off my keyboard while I type. So I lightly squeezed one of his back legs to see if it was big enough for a meal, and you know what the little Kitler did? He dribbled a little wet shit out his cookie cutter -- just to spite me. Then I had to chase the bastard around the house with a paper towel for five minutes trying to wipe it out of his fur before he sat on something. And that, dear reader, is my life. Happy lunch!
Hit the jump for a picture of the loveable little a-hole after I pawcuffed him.
UPDATE: Video added after the jump, thanks to Whitey, who's way paler than you are.
'Autonomous' Helicopters Teach Themselves To Fly [sciencedaily]
Thanks Amanda and Jack, either one of you looking to adopt a cat. Real cute, great personality, goes by The Terrorist.
Reader Comments
1. cadilac Jack - September 5, 2008 10:44 AM
LAST!
2. Bryan - September 5, 2008 10:53 AM
*ensue
3. butterbee - September 5, 2008 11:06 AM
Soooo... I'm supposed to watch a video of something else, I guess...
4. daveatfernie - September 5, 2008 11:15 AM
damn! you know reading that i just wet myself a little : D
/wipes tear from eye
5. Icon - September 5, 2008 11:18 AM
All three of those dudes, especially the one in front, has never been with a woman.
6. theotheraaron - September 5, 2008 11:28 AM
great. I'm getting in my bunker right now. damn robots.
7. bar room hero - September 5, 2008 11:31 AM
I'm building a bomb shelter, who's with me???
8. bernard fleming - September 5, 2008 12:22 PM
Do you think the helicopters will be working with the giant spider to kill off the liverpudlians?
After they are gone, can we switch on the giant magnet to stop the crazy metal beasts?
9. monkeymuscle - September 5, 2008 12:32 PM
I cryed laughing, at that story. Fuckin hilarious.
10. oishii - September 5, 2008 12:55 PM
where does one buy pawcuffs? i woke up to a huge chunk of hairball (shaped like a turd no less) on my carpet.
11. Somebody - September 5, 2008 4:40 PM
Aw...great. All signs point to a future Skynet. So I'm starting my Christmas early this year before armaggedon happens. Happy Christmas everyone!
12. Paul - September 5, 2008 4:45 PM
That Asian guy's accent is creeping me out! WTF is it? SA? NZ? When Stanford build their robot helicopter army to kill us all off, that dude HAS to be the evil genius front-man.
13. Mitchell Guzman - September 5, 2008 5:50 PM
How do you pronounce his last name?? En Gé?
14. Lobster - September 6, 2008 5:38 AM
#10 I believe that those may be thumb cuffs for humans used on a cat. Or they could just be purchased from a cat bondage website.
15. guate6 - September 6, 2008 11:29 AM
#14: close, it's a pet bondage site...I got my turtles some turtle cuffs...not completely effective as they just slip into their shells...I'm waiting for the new bungee-type cuffs to arrive to cuff them all together and make them swim in synch.
The choppers are neat and all, but I see the Matrix happening...soon, oh very soon. That, or as it did in AI (the movie), and/or Terminator (we we've discussed before). Damn Skynet.
I was really hoping for a video of the shit-encrusted cat being chased by a wet wipe...Save the neck for me!
16. groonk - September 6, 2008 11:04 PM
that was beyond beautiful..i need some for my air robot army...i er.. mean peacekeepers.
17. Anya - September 7, 2008 4:09 AM
Is it disturbing for me to find joy in a photo of paw cuffed cat?
+ More evidence to add to the, Robot Takeover Theory.
18. GoGoRainbow - September 8, 2008 11:11 AM
ah HA! you haz a hitler cat
http://www.catsthatlooklikehitler.com/cgi-bin/seigbest.pl
19. Kevin - September 8, 2008 3:43 PM
Load some machine guns on that and you're done.