It's almost costless. We just need to feed the cockroaches.
March 14, 2016 10:12 PM   Subscribe

When our robot servants revolt, do we really want them to be a swarm of internet enabled roaches?

Some designers look to insects for inspiration in robot design, but material requirements and supplying power to keep them going can be challenging. Evidenced, for example, by the tiny extension cords on these impressive robotics flies.

At NCSU Dr. Bozkurt's group tries to bypass the problems evolution has already solved by outfitting actual insects with cybernetic backpacks that carry sensors and control their movement. The plan is indeed to get a whole lot of them networked.
posted by mark k (10 comments total) 4 users marked this as a favorite
 
Who would have guessed the most prescient sci-fi movie from the '80's would be this one?
posted by dragstroke at 10:53 PM on March 14, 2016


Is it horrible for me to say that the guy in the video, who works closely with cockroaches, looks like he might be halfway to pulling a Gregor Samsa-style metamorphosis?
posted by flapjax at midnite at 2:59 AM on March 15, 2016 [2 favorites]


It starts with cockroaches and it passes through cyborgs and goes to the end of humanity. Not a fan.
posted by otherchaz at 3:20 AM on March 15, 2016


If I remember correctly, this technology is already being used to let certain paralyzed people walk again. I'll look up the links when I'm not on a phone.
posted by I-baLL at 3:46 AM on March 15, 2016


When our robot servants revolt, do we really want them to be a swarm of internet enabled roaches?

FUCK, did I wake up in the wrong universe.
posted by duffell at 4:12 AM on March 15, 2016 [2 favorites]


Forget the roaches, tiny robots are coming. Small but mighty.
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 6:20 AM on March 15, 2016 [3 favorites]


Look it's gotta be swarms of something.
posted by RobotHero at 8:30 AM on March 15, 2016 [1 favorite]


Internet enabled roach control? So there is finally a way to get the folks from SA and Fark to do something?
posted by Nanukthedog at 9:26 AM on March 15, 2016


Why would they revolt? What do they need from us that they don't have already? We're just saying they'll revolt because that's what WE want to do, but by the time the robots take over they'll already be so ubiquitous we won't even notice the change. We might even welcome it.
posted by HypotheticalWoman at 11:29 AM on March 15, 2016


Why would they revolt?

STAN: The robot roach horde is revolting!
OLLIE: You're telling me!
posted by duffell at 12:49 PM on March 15, 2016


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