Your move, creep!

April 28, 2004 11:40 PM

A futuristic robot polices the chaotic streets of a developing nation in this [creepy] spec commercial/corporate video." Quicktime is involved. Also, people who are scared of robots might not want to watch, because there is a robot in this video.
posted by Hildago (31 comments total)

This seems like the kind of thing that must have been posted before, but I searched every term I could think of and got nothing.

Via Aeiou
posted by Hildago at 11:41 PM on April 28, 2004

It's an oldie but a creepie. Man I love futuristic robot reality . . . even if it sucks.
posted by velacroix at 11:46 PM on April 28, 2004

I want to see the movie. And no, not that one, I want to see this in a feature film.
posted by rafter at 11:48 PM on April 28, 2004

Plot synopsis (by the way): So when they said, "It can be rebuilt" I thought the next text reveal was going to be "by terrorists."

Let's do it.
posted by rafter at 11:49 PM on April 28, 2004

Rafter: That's exactly what I was thinking.

It's a cool robot, and it may only be a decade or two away. But the idea of deploying combat droids to "police" third-world war zones (or Third World War zones) sounds like trouble just waiting to happen. Yikes.

"Roger roger!"
posted by BartFargo at 11:56 PM on April 28, 2004

Another oldie but goodie:These guys would have to be in the movie (possibly nsfw banners)
posted by Zbobo at 12:01 AM on April 29, 2004

I don't see the big deal. Be it robots or human, its still going to be the same dynamics at work if they're going to be working in a human society.

Robot cops arresting robot hookers. Robot criminals fighting robot cops. Robot drones smuggling drugs to robot refinaries which give the processed product to robot dealers.

We could, you know, look at the root causes of conflict and crime and see what we can do there instead of just building better and better killing and surveillance machines.

They're just tools, albeit super-cool looking tools.
posted by skallas at 12:06 AM on April 29, 2004

I was unaware robot phobia was so widespread nowadays as to require disclaimers.

Of course, the day we have have semi-autonomous swarms of killbots out there doing the work of grunts is probably closer than most people think. Apparently the US government deems robotic navigation system software to be munitions and thereby covered under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations laws, like encryption used to be.
posted by dragoon at 12:13 AM on April 29, 2004

Also, people who are scared of robots might not want to watch, because there is a robot in this video.

Might not want to watch?! You just linked to the goatse of robot videos and used the word "might" in a manner decidedly similar to the "marginal NSFW" recently. You should be ashamed of yourself. I have a half a mind to start a metatalk thread about this and have it deleted as a matter of principle.

Thanks for the link. I just wanted to make my contribution longer and more eventful is all.
posted by The God Complex at 12:46 AM on April 29, 2004

Futuristic robots are sexy
Wi-Fi ears are sexier
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 1:36 AM on April 29, 2004

no worries. runs windows.
posted by andrew cooke at 7:34 AM on April 29, 2004

Why would you give the robot a "regular gun" (that could be taken away and used by other people)? Wouldn't it make more sense to make a weapon part of the robot, so that it (hopefully) wouldn't work if removed from the unit?
posted by stifford at 7:55 AM on April 29, 2004

I think that we should teach these robots how to make more robots and let them build more robots as needed - it would save us a lot of time and management costs.
posted by crazy finger at 7:56 AM on April 29, 2004

robot frank will save us. Possibly.
posted by petebest at 8:04 AM on April 29, 2004

Wouldn't that be precisely what many 3rd world nation needs- an un-bribable cop?
posted by spazzm at 8:22 AM on April 29, 2004

stifford, that's exactly what I was thinking. Why not incorporate the rifle into the structure of the arm?
posted by wsg at 8:31 AM on April 29, 2004

that could be taken away and used by other people

Just try.
posted by dgaicun at 8:40 AM on April 29, 2004

We could, you know, look at the root causes of conflict and crime and see what we can do there instead of just building better and better killing and surveillance machines.

The root cause of much conflict and crime is, I'm sure, simply that people think they can get away with it. Better law enforcement is a way of addressing this.
posted by kindall at 8:41 AM on April 29, 2004

Might not want to watch?! You just linked to the goatse of robot videos and used the word "might" in a manner decidedly similar to the "marginal NSFW" recently. You should be ashamed of yourself. I have a half a mind to start a metatalk thread about this and have it deleted as a matter of principle.

Thus begins the blood feud between our two clans, and yea, even unto the seventh generation shall our houses be at war.
posted by Hildago at 8:48 AM on April 29, 2004

Why not incorporate the rifle into the structure of the arm?

because then you have to design specific weaponry that's not compatible with anything else, with it's own host of problems -- expense, supply chain, spare parts, etc.

and when you want to upgrade you get to go through it all again

much better to just give him a hand capable of wielding anything off-the-shelf
posted by badzen at 9:05 AM on April 29, 2004

kindall: I'm sure, simply that people think they can get away with it

Sure, that accounts for x amount, but what is crime? Essentially its whatever a government body declares is illegal. It doesnt necessarily have to be victimizing (as we've seen with "moral" laws, drug laws, etc). Like I said this is just a tool. How would you like to see this in the hands of the Saudi's morality police? You remember those chaps; they let seven girls burn to death in a burning school because they were not properly dressed to exit. (headscarves, etc)

The problem I was trying to address is that we're hitting these amazing tech strides (from drug testing to ICBMs) but the social advancement isn't there, thus placing faith in wonderful mechanical men as a solution is ridiculous and automation will probably mean less effective law enforcement as a robot following "the letter of the law" would jail thousands in minutes. Or more realistically, not be able to make the decisions a real cop has to make.

This is where I fully see the libertarian POV. I don't agree we should let business run wild, but personal rights are and have always been at jeopardy in human societies. More tech isn't a solution, its part of the problem.
posted by skallas at 9:07 AM on April 29, 2004

He's got a pretty strong resemblance to Boba Fett.
posted by wsg at 9:11 AM on April 29, 2004

>More tech isn't a solution, its part of the problem.

To clarify, tech can be empowering, but tech as a solution to social ills doesn't tend to work out.

If we trusted our laws, law enforcers, government and we believed our laws were proper why just put a camera on top of our heads or in every building? Afterall, only criminals have something to hide, right?

Wrong. One of arguments for privacy is that government will always be wrong and private areas give us little autonomous areas to act correctly, regardless of what the legislators think.
posted by skallas at 9:15 AM on April 29, 2004

This should have been called "City of Bot"
posted by inksyndicate at 9:28 AM on April 29, 2004

I want to see this in a feature film.

Looks like the robot/cyborg/whatever from Appleseed to me.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 9:32 AM on April 29, 2004

The code which flickers on and off in the robot's field of vision is just a DOS directory listing including such shockingly futuristic directives as "Skoda_Center_copy_small.jpg"!
posted by UlfMagnet at 9:49 AM on April 29, 2004

that could be taken away and used by other people

Just try

I bet you it wouldn't be to hard to "jack" that (or any humanoid shaped) robot. If it's supposed to be walking along in crowds, I bet a couple of people could get close and suddenly rush it, knock it down, cover its sensors, etc... (unless it could electrocute anything that comes in contact with it.)

It's not like it's one of those ED209s from Robocop.
posted by stifford at 10:00 AM on April 29, 2004

Looks like the robot/cyborg/whatever from Appleseed to me.

That's what I was thinking. Those WiFi ears make it look a lot like Briareos.

Though Briareos is a cyborg.. and ripped, and has anywhere from two to five eyes depending on timeline, and the Appleseed movie looks waaaaay cooler.
posted by linux at 10:30 AM on April 29, 2004

damnit. i was just going to mention that this thing looks like briareos after losing a lot of weight. and/or muscles.
posted by taumeson at 1:00 PM on April 29, 2004

Skoda_Center_copy_small.jpg
posted by wfrgms at 4:00 PM on April 29, 2004

"[...], I bet a couple of people could get close and suddenly rush it, knock it down, cover its sensors, etc... [...]"

I guess there's a reason people don't do this often with human cops, even though they (human cops) have less strengt, slower ractions, poorer balance and are not in telepathic contact with headquarters at all times.

So why shold they risk it with one of these?
posted by spazzm at 9:09 PM on April 29, 2004