Science and Technology MEGA THREAD

[kajnrig]

I especially like that the curtain was folded on itself, rendering it just as malfunctioned as the robot it was meant to hide.

[Old_Nash_II]

Chinese robot, almost human, or a human?

 

[Dynaman]

The most interesting bit of that robotic fail is the handlers seemed to be VERY much expecting it to happen.  Makes me thing corporate demanded a demo for some reason when the techs said it was not ready yet.

[Big s]

15 hours ago, M'Kyuun said:

I like how the robot was still shambling after its faceplant- like an old wind-up toy.  The sheet of shame came a bit too late. 🤣

 

They probably shouldn’t have taken the robot out drinking before this. Probably watched too much Futurama

 

15 hours ago, M'Kyuun said:

Nice of the Russian censors to allow this bit of failure to go out unto the world.

I fear that some technicians may never be heard from  or seen ever again 

[M'Kyuun]

3 hours ago, Dynaman said:

The most interesting bit of that robotic fail is the handlers seemed to be VERY much expecting it to happen.  Makes me thing corporate demanded a demo for some reason when the techs said it was not ready yet.

Yeah, the thing is shaky from the very start and the techs are hovering very closely to it, so yes, it does appear that they were expecting failure more than success. Given the brutal and face-saving nature of the Soviet govt, I do feel concern for the folks who worked on this, as it's a very public embarrassment, and they likely will pay heavy penalties for it. And while we've seen the maturation of this technology from Japan, China, and US companies, it's ultimately not easy and they are likely working with small budgets, stolen hardware/software, minimal resources, and lots of unwelcome oversight and pressure.

That said, it was pretty funny on first viewing. I just showed it to my wife, but with these thoughts in mind, it was a bit more sobering.

[Big s]

2 hours ago, M'Kyuun said:

That said, it was pretty funny on first viewing. I just showed it to my wife, but with these thoughts in mind, it was a bit more sobering.

I was thinking the same thing, but then I kinda think that if I were gonna be executed, at least execute me for something hilarious 

[Bolt]

Lol. Or it's just propaganda to make us think they're flailing.  I thought the same thing watching the Chinese soccer robots.

[Valkyrie Hunter D]

At least it's a true robot, not like that dude they had in a suit a few years ago:

[Thom]

Actually, as a layman, that seems pretty impressive. A few more iterations of joins, actuators and software to get a smoother stride and this could be nearly indistinguishable from a human. Our AI replacements are coming together!

 

 

 

 

Edited November 15, 2025 by Thom

[Valkyrie Hunter D]

Back to robots, this was quite a display:

 

[M'Kyuun]

22 hours ago, Valkyrie Hunter D said:

Back to robots, this was quite a display:

 

Both impressive and just a little unsettling. Imagine those things connected to an advanced AI. At that point, you're not far from a Terminator-like potential.

I do have to wonder if the robots are acting under programming, or if they're being motion controlled by haptics or some other remote technology. 

[TangledThorns]

5 minutes ago, M'Kyuun said:

Both impressive and just a little unsettling. Imagine those things connected to an advanced AI. At that point, you're not far from a Terminator-like potential.

 

Yeah, same. I didn't know robots having been progressing so quickly. Won't be long before they ship them with rifles and other weapons. 

[M'Kyuun]

1 hour ago, TangledThorns said:

Yeah, same. I didn't know robots having been progressing so quickly. Won't be long before they ship them with rifles and other weapons. 

That is a historically poignant observation. For nigh everything that man has invented, if it could be weaponized, it was or has been. It's not for nothing that we regard a great deal of science fiction as prescient warnings- it oft speaks more about the mind of man than the technologies involved.

[Big s]

4 hours ago, TangledThorns said:

Yeah, same. I didn't know robots having been progressing so quickly. Won't be long before they ship them with rifles and other weapons.

Already seen spot with a shotgun.

I still think the humanoid design is more of a gimmick. If the robots ever really wanted to take over, they’d probably just use wheels or tracks and flying drones.

[Old_Nash_II]

Detroit Became Human Soon

[M'Kyuun]

Man, sci-fi is becoming science reality way too soon. In a way, I'm excited to see it, but OTOH, there's an element of fear that the price of ignoring countless tales of rogue A.I. and robot uprisings may be dire consequences for humanity if these advances continue to progress. Perhaps that's all the dystopian sci-fi that's coloring my perceptions, but maybe it's better to err on the side of caution.

I'd love to see bipedal battle mecha become a reality, though. Totally impractical compared to wheeled and treaded vehicles, but just so unbelievably cool!

[Big s]

17 minutes ago, M'Kyuun said:

I'd love to see bipedal battle mecha become a reality, though. Totally impractical compared to wheeled and treaded vehicles, but just so unbelievably cool!

Definitely cool, but bipedal=easy target. That’s why tanks kinda got lower to the ground in a lot of designs. I do love a good sci fi concept though and can’t deny that

[Old_Nash_II]

24 minutes ago, M'Kyuun said:

Man, sci-fi is becoming science reality way too soon. In a way, I'm excited to see it, but OTOH, there's an element of fear that the price of ignoring countless tales of rogue A.I. and robot uprisings may be dire consequences for humanity if these advances continue to progress. Perhaps that's all the dystopian sci-fi that's coloring my perceptions, but maybe it's better to err on the side of caution.

I'd love to see bipedal battle mecha become a reality, though. Totally impractical compared to wheeled and treaded vehicles, but just so unbelievably cool!

I understand that science fiction is something speculative, but seeing so many things that have emerged from it, you start questioning the subject.
I think since the 1930s, with those pulp magazines that in a way "inspired" space exploration, or even earlier, like in the book The Brick Moon from 1869 (as far as I know), which creates the concept of a space station.

[M'Kyuun]

3 minutes ago, Old_Nash_II said:

I understand that science fiction is something speculative, but seeing so many things that have emerged from it, you start questioning the subject.
I think since the 1930s, with those pulp magazines that in a way "inspired" space exploration, or even earlier, like in the book The Brick Moon from 1869 (as far as I know), which creates the concept of a space station.

Well, a lot of what makes sci-fi fun is indeed its speculative nature. In other words, the concepts proposed are cool, but often have a dark bent to them, especially in the hands of unethical corporations or politicians who'll take even the most benign technology and find a way to twist it for gain at the expense of society's welfare. In a fictional setting, that's great fun. However, when those technologies emerge for real, caution and apprehension are necessary lest we find ourselves collectively in a quagmire. I think a lot of these corporate execs and politicians feel like they're above it all, as if their wealth can insulate and protect them, and in the short term, it likely can. But they're human, too, they have families, and we all live on this ball of rock with no other options. Eventually, the consequences will reach them or their successors, and that's reality. One need only consider the proliferation of micro-plastics in nearly every body of water on the planet or climate change (I don't believe for a second that thousands of scientists got together to create a phenomenon on false pretenses. There may be a bad egg here or there among them, but I'm inclined to believe that most scientists are diligent in their methods, well-meaning and honest in their ethics, and are evidence driven. They're curious by nature, guided by the scientific method, and interested in putting forth the data as they make discoveries. OTOH, a bellicose wealthy politician with no scientific background nor interest therein, but only an interest in furthering profits for fossil fuel companies, with a long history of prevarication and convictions for fraud inspires no confidence whatsoever).

[Dynaman]

28 minutes ago, Big s said:

Definitely cool, but bipedal=easy target. That’s why tanks kinda got lower to the ground in a lot of designs. I do love a good sci fi concept though and can’t deny that

And hard to put armor on.  Tanks generally only have strong armor in the front now (part of the reason it is kept low profile).  Armoring a humanoid that way would still take up a lot of the surface area and on parts that need to be flexible.

[M'Kyuun]

Just now, Dynaman said:

And hard to put armor on.  Tanks generally only have strong armor in the front now (part of the reason it is kept low profile).  Armoring a humanoid that way would still take up a lot of the surface area and on parts that need to be flexible.

Well, we can argue the impracticalities all day. 😄 No denials here. But, to my very core, I have always loved the idea of robots, especially bi- or multi-pedal ones, and most especially, those that transform from one form into another. A real-life valkyrie would likely inspire an aneurism of pure joy in my brain were it to manifest for real. For me, that would be the pinnacle of technology- nothing else would summit that advance except perhaps cybernetics at the GitS level.  I'd love to see either-or come to fruition in my lifetime, but I'm dubious of both. I definitely don't trust Elon Musk's Neuralink, mostly due to my distrust of Elon Musk and his motives. If this was happening at MIT or some other high-level institution of learning and science, I'd be less apprehensive. However, even if Neuralink proves moderately successful, we're still in the embryonic stages of that technology. We're still a loooong way from GitS level cybernetics, although folks like Tilly Lockey and her incredible cybernetic arms developed by Open Bionics are advancing the technology in impressive ways. Ms. Lockey strikes me as a rather impressive young woman; she's conquered what for most would be a debilitating condition and with incredible optimism, grit, and technology, has emerged as a positive and capable influence for amputees and those born with congenital lack of or disfigured limbs. I think it's no hyperbole to say she'll be a leading figure in the advancement and co-opting of bionics as we've only known it in sci-fi.

[Valkyrie Hunter D]

5 hours ago, Old_Nash_II said:

Detroit Became Human Soon

Bimbot technology is accelerating at a scary pace.

[Big s]

2 hours ago, Valkyrie Hunter D said:

Bimbot technology is accelerating at a scary pace.

That’s the real reason why they’re working on the bipedal robots. Gotta train em in martial arts to learn dexterity, and the next gen will learn how to………

[M'Kyuun]

This topic devolved quickly....🤣

[electric indigo]

Please stop trying to make humanoid robots look like humans. I mean, what's the point? I'd rather interact with a cool looking droid than a not-quite-there plastic zombie doll.

[Big s]

1 hour ago, electric indigo said:

Please stop trying to make humanoid robots look like humans. I mean, what's the point? I'd rather interact with a cool looking droid than a not-quite-there plastic zombie doll.

But that might chafe down there or pinch in the bad way, but I guess whatever you’re into. Lando seemed to have similar taste and really liked the wider hips.

[TangledThorns]

My wife used to teach dance (jazz, hip hop, ballet, etc) and I showed her the dancing Chinese robots and her concern is the same as ours. In the video below is the Chinese robots from last year that is nowhere near as maneuverable from what we just saw this year. 

At this rate it won't be long before we see robots walking or working among us doing whatever they are supposed to do, hopefully safely too. 

 

 

Who’s laughing now? China’s humanoid robots go from viral stumbles to kung fu flips in one year

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/20/china-humanoid-robots-spring-festival-gala-unitree-tesla-ai-race.html

 

This is from last year!!