Robodino

[keaalu]

Cliquez

I am in two views about this. On the one hand, I'm happy because it's not meant to DO anything in particular apart from be a kind of pet - that was the one sticking point I had with the dear departed Aibo, I didn't WANT it to answer the telephone and write a weblog of daily news and play music and crap, I just wanted it to be a dog, just... a robot one.

On the other hand, I anticipate it being as annoying and please-let-me-drop-kick-it-across-the-room as a Furby. :P (Although so long as it doesn't speak furblish it'll be less bad).

More here (provided the link works. :P

Comments

[duraji-synth.livejournal.com]

Ooo, it looks so cute! Of course, I sure hope it doesn't act too annoying. Why must programmers put in so many unnecessary flaws on purpose into otherwise nearly perfect critters? :p

[keaalu.livejournal.com]

Of course, my opinion is probably coloured by the fact that one of my housemates at Uni had a Furby, and the thing had no concept of "night time go to SLEEP dammit" and would wake up and yell "-WAY!" at all hours of the night. (It was a "student furby" - it used to yell "big up!" and "boobies!" as well. Well, it was a student house, and they learn off their owners, right? Pfft. Plus, the only way you could cheer it up was to swing it round your head by its feet.)

[duraji-synth.livejournal.com]

I thought the concept of furbys actually learning words was not true.

[keaalu.livejournal.com]

Well, p'raps not, it didn't learn much until we took its batteries out, but it certainly didn't yell "boobies!" when she first got it. :P

[duraji-synth.livejournal.com]

I think what it says is "whoopie!!", which you probably heard wrong. Or maybe it was speaking some stupid "Furbish", I wouldn't know. I do remember when I thought they were really great, until I actually got one and saw how limited the technology really was.

[keaalu.livejournal.com]

...no-oo, it said whoopie too. Perhaps the person who programmed it was a student, too.

[aegis-fox.livejournal.com]

"Designer Life Form"???

A rather limited intrepretation of the term, then. If we're defining it as "able to interact with it's enviroment on it's own", then, perhaps. But I'm seeing this mostly as a marketing ploy. Just because it can analyze the surrounding world a little hardly makes it sentient.


If someone mistreats one of these things, will the RSPCA intervine?
Are we going to see campaigns for the rights and protection of Pleos everywhere?
Probably not.

Eh. I guess it's still a step in a new direction. Or an old. Either way.

[keaalu.livejournal.com]

RSPCDLF :P

Yeah, I'm strongly dubious of the "sentient" bit - it'll not even be smarter than the average bug, I'd guess. And "designer life form" brings to mind visions of designer babies. :P But if they're at least trying to accomplish robotic intelligence we're making steps in the right way. :)