Sometimes the present is just like the future was supposed to be
June 10, 2009 6:30 PM   Subscribe

Robot penguins of the water and air are manufactured by German robotics manufacturer Festo, as well as aquatic and airborn rays (as in the fish). Here's another aquapenguin video from Festo's YouTube channel. These videos are so futuristic they don't seem real. [via, fittingly enough, William Gibson's Twitterfeed]
posted by Kattullus (34 comments total) 22 users marked this as a favorite
 
Previous post on Festo.
posted by Kattullus at 6:30 PM on June 10, 2009


The water penguins are very cool, but the air penguins look suspiciously CG'd. Not that it couldn't work, but I want to see a less slick video of them.
posted by Popular Ethics at 6:57 PM on June 10, 2009


That was my first reaction to that video too, Popular Ethics, but watching it again fullscreen and in high quality made it more real, you can really see the creases and the flimsiness of the wings.
posted by Kattullus at 7:07 PM on June 10, 2009


Too much flappin' not enough swooping from those robot penguins. In some shots where they were coasting, it seemed like the camera was moving towards them to heighten the sense of speed.
posted by bonobothegreat at 7:21 PM on June 10, 2009


Yeah I guess it's cool if you like conventional animal robots, but I'll be unimpressed until they make a robotic narwhal.

Come on MetaFilter! We are living in the future and it has GODDAMN PENGUIN ROBOTS.
posted by The White Hat at 7:40 PM on June 10, 2009 [1 favorite]


Crow: "Here at Phillips Petroleum, we've found ways to replace the environment. Take these self-cleaning, plastic ducks."
posted by JHarris at 7:46 PM on June 10, 2009


Yes! Novelty robots! I demand more pointless feats of robotics!
posted by TwelveTwo at 7:52 PM on June 10, 2009 [1 favorite]


The other stuff is cool too, but man, I love those air penguins.
posted by ErWenn at 7:56 PM on June 10, 2009


Someday, when it's unearthed, Festo's warehouse is going to confuse the fuck out of alien biologists.
posted by evidenceofabsence at 7:57 PM on June 10, 2009 [1 favorite]


Look up the Festo Air Ray, it is far spookier than the air penguins.
posted by Krrrlson at 7:58 PM on June 10, 2009


Now I need to get a Lunocet so I can go swimming with these robots.
posted by homunculus at 8:13 PM on June 10, 2009


Krrrlson, an air ray other than the one in the fourth link?
posted by brundlefly at 8:16 PM on June 10, 2009


Man, those electric penguin robots will be a valuable commodity when the planet's flesh penguins are extinct.
posted by Loudmax at 8:21 PM on June 10, 2009 [1 favorite]


These would be quite the hit entertainment at 'shroom parties.
posted by netbros at 8:35 PM on June 10, 2009


Oh yeah, I missed that -- that's the one. What an awesome prank it would be to just unleash fifty of those in a major city, maybe have them play spooky sci-fi sounds.
posted by Krrrlson at 9:12 PM on June 10, 2009


What an awesome prank it would be to just unleash fifty of those in a major city

Terrorism!
posted by maxwelton at 9:22 PM on June 10, 2009 [1 favorite]


I saw the air ray at MoMA's Design and the Elastic Mind exhibit last year. It's really awesome in person.
posted by vibrotronica at 9:23 PM on June 10, 2009


Ter-RAY-ism?

Sorry.
posted by brundlefly at 10:21 PM on June 10, 2009 [1 favorite]


But(t) -- what about the GAY PENGUINS?
posted by ericb at 10:32 PM on June 10, 2009


It needn't be a little penguin. It can be the biggest penguin you've ever seen. An electric penguin, twenty feet high, with long green tentacles that sting people, and you can stab it in the wings and the blood can go spurting psssssshhhh in slow motion.
posted by emeiji at 10:54 PM on June 10, 2009 [1 favorite]


Oh, there's very little doubt you'd be in a Gitmo equivalent within days. Especially if you did it in Boston.
posted by Krrrlson at 10:55 PM on June 10, 2009


You know, when Skynet becomes self aware this is what's gonna do us in.
posted by Extopalopaketle at 1:18 AM on June 11, 2009


Eh, just throw 'em some robot fish, they'll leave you alone.
posted by JHarris at 1:34 AM on June 11, 2009


I, for one, welcome these incredibly fragile and easily breakable robot overlords. They are much better than the bulletproof duralloy ones.
posted by moonbiter at 2:45 AM on June 11, 2009


I love how bland the narration is, just like it's from a sixties corporate film that Devo would have parodied. My favorite line is "Molicubes a fascinating way for young people to program their own robots."
posted by bendybendy at 4:25 AM on June 11, 2009


The whole vibe of the first link- the narration, music and subject matter really felt like a promotional video from blade runner world. I just came a little.
posted by ryaninoakland at 4:47 AM on June 11, 2009


I heard Tanya Gold is going to have like fifty Festo Air Rays flying about at her wedding.
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 5:42 AM on June 11, 2009 [1 favorite]


Mad Science is our friend, and would never do anything to hurt us! The rumors of pain-ray armed robotic penguins are mere propaganda!
posted by GenjiandProust at 6:12 AM on June 11, 2009


I was a lot more impressed with the Air ray then the air Penguin. I can just picture like the inside of a mall with robot fish floating around in the big open spaces. Also are these things autonomous? Can they navigate an environment on their own or do they need an operator? How long before they need to be charged?

I think if you released them outside, the wind would just blow them away, it doesn't look like they are capable of very high speed.
posted by delmoi at 6:13 AM on June 11, 2009


Whoa. It really is 20XX. Next!
posted by ignignokt at 7:22 AM on June 11, 2009


Yes! Novelty robots! I demand more pointless feats of robotics!

I would put my money on a pack of these guys crammed with C4 vs. a carrier strike group.
posted by Meatbomb at 7:32 AM on June 11, 2009


NEW AND BETTER FISH AWAIT YOU OFF-WORLD!
posted by The Whelk at 8:00 AM on June 11, 2009 [2 favorites]


holy shit
posted by orme at 8:57 AM on June 11, 2009 [2 favorites]




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