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robot

Sophia, the First Robot Citizen

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Sophia

In a video that’s as unsettling as it is awe-inspiring, Sophia — the world’s first robot citizen — breaks down everything from gender to ethical robot design. Sophia spoke last month at a festival of the future called Brain Bar in Budapest, Hungary. Since Sophia was activated in April 2015, she has appeared publicly to speak about women’s rights issues, her own citizenship and other topics. The android made big news in October 2017, when she was granted citizenship in Saudi Arabia at the tech summit Future Investment Initiative (FII). And more recently, Sophia spoke at Brain Bar, which describes … Read more

SCIENCE: Flies With Frickin’ Laser Beams

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Robotic Fly

A new type of flying robot is so tiny and lightweight — it weighs about as much as a toothpick — it can perch on your finger. The little flitter is also capable of untethered flight and is powered by lasers. This is a big leap forward in the design of diminutive airborne bots, which are usually too small to support a power source and must trail a lifeline to a distant battery in order to fly, engineers who built the new robot announced in a statement. Their insect-inspired creation is dubbed RoboFly, and like its animal namesake, it sports … Read more

Robot Learns the Meaning of Love

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Alex and Bina48

It’s been a typical week for typical college student BINA48. On Monday, BINA attended her robot ethics class. On Tuesday, the second-semester student had an excused absence to ring the bell at the stock exchange, and soon BINA will be assistant-teaching a kindergarten class and getting a face-lift at Hanson Robotics. So maybe BINA’s schedule isn’t that typical, and maybe the artificial-intelligence-driven robot isn’t the average college kid. But that hasn’t stopped the robot, which looks like the bust of a flesh-and-blood woman, from completing a Philosophy of Love course at Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont, California. Programmed … Read more

TECH: Today In Creepy Robots

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Boston Dynamics

We’ve seen Boston Dynamics robots open doors before, but this egress is different. Outfitted with an articulating arm and clamp similar to the one it used to wash dishes in the original video, we see the new SpotMini locate, recognize, and deftly operate a door handle, and then hold the door to let its arm-less sibling march through. It’s a more delicate operation than when the Atlas robot brutishly muscled its way through a push-bar door in 2016, which means we might have to reevaluate our original assessment of the new SpotMini as “slightly less terrifying.” By Joe – Full … Read more

TECH: Humans One, Robots Zero

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Tech - Robot

Yes, Robots may have come for your job, and if no, they may be coming for it soon. But here’s a bit of bright news. They may not be very good at it. A security robot keeping a watchful eye on an office in Washington DC fell into a fountain and ended it all. Maybe it was a faulty design. Or maybe the poor thing was just bored to death with its job. Either way, it’s a small slice of hope for humanity. The company that made the robot took it all with grace, tweeting: “Security robot, yes. Submarine robot, … Read more

Announcement: Built for Pleasure, by Thursday Euclid

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Built for Pleasure

QSFer Thursday Euclid has a new sci fi MM romance book out: Retired military officer Malcolm Torvik runs a rehabilitation facility for malfunctioning pleasure cyborgs. When WLF-6759—Wolf—arrives at Reboot Camp, the former battle cyborg presents problems Malcolm’s never faced before. Most pleasure cyborgs are sensation junkies, constantly high on the chemicals sex releases into their bloodstream, but Wolf’s faulty refit means it’s spent a decade suffering through unwanted encounters—and sometimes fighting back despite the consequences. At first Wolf’s rebellion frustrates Malcolm even as Wolf’s undeniable physical perfection draws him. Then Wolf’s unexpected vulnerability and need open a whole new dynamic … Read more

For Writers: Adjust-a-Bot

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Today’s writer topic comes from QSFer Freddy MacKay: Freddy flagged this article: For perfectionist cosplayers, trying to create the ideal costume can be frustrating. If you don’t have a mannequin, then you’re stuck using a table and rulers and guessing your size. If you do have a mannequin, then it might be too big or too small, still resulting in rulers and guessing and potential tears the night before the convention. But now, there is hope! The Hong Kong Polytechnic University’s Institute of Textiles and Clothing has recently shown off their latest creation that combines robots and fashion in the … Read more

Is This Robot Cool? Or Scary as Shit?

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Boston Dynamics has impressed the internet for years by showing off its robot technology which is stunningly and sometimes terrifyingly lifelike. Its mechanized canines and big cats have been shown prowling the forests and running in unison, allowing us to imagine a someday era when these robots will be regular inhabitants of our world. Their latest creation Atlas, is shown in a new video in which it navigates a treacherous outdoor wintry landscape and is then put to the test lifting boxes. This time, one of Boston Dynamics’ employees tests the robot by knocking the boxes out of its clutches … Read more