“Boston Dynamics is a world leader in mobile robots, tackling some of the toughest robotics challenges. We combine the principles of dynamic control and balance with sophisticated mechanical designs, cutting-edge electronics, and next-generation software for high-performance robots equipped with perception, navigation, and intelligence. Boston Dynamics has an extraordinary and fast-growing technical team of engineers and scientists who seamlessly combine advanced analytical thinking with bold engineering and boots-in-the-mud practicality.” (From the Boston Dynamics website)
Part of the process for improving design and calibrating the Boston Dynamics robots includes stress testing the robots and examining their response to unexpected or adverse environments. This leads to videos like the one above where the robots are just being pushed, prodded, and kicked. It makes for an entertaining video but our discussions of Sci-Fi makes me wonder if this video will still be funny when artificial intelligence becomes a little too intelligent… For a sneak peak of what that day might look like, check out the parody “Bosstown Dynamics” by Corridor Digital (video below).
I have always found the robot abuse stuff disturbing, even though I know the scientists are testing the robots for balance, strength, agility, etc. If you watch the film “A.I.” you’ll see so much worse, though! Very painful to see, especially as those robots do have “consciousness.” The question of the “line” between inanimate and animate, conscious and unconscious, it getting blurrier and blurrier, which I think is good, as it will also get us thinking about the lines we draw between ourselves and people we perceive as different from ourselves.