As I said a few weeks ago in a column on EEJournal.com (see Do Robot Dogs Dream of Cyborg Cats?): “Were you wondering if anyone was in the process of using decentralized artificial intelligence (AI) to create a pack of robot dogs? If so, I can put your mind to rest by informing you that the answer to your question is a resounding ‘Yes!’”
More recently, here on the Cool Beans Blog, we saw a video of humanoid and canine robots dancing together and I commented: “It’s a sad day when you get to watch a video of a dancing humanoid robot that has better moves than you, especially if your dad used to be a professional dancer” (see Do You Love Me?).
Well, after seeing the video in the Do You Love Me? column, my chum Alvin Brown sent me an email saying “Here’s a poor man’s version of the dog from Boston Dynamics,” along with a link to the Bittle Bionic Open-Source Robot Dog created by those clever guys and gals at Seeed Studio. Oooh, I have to say that I do fancy one of these little beauties.
Strange to relate, just a couple of minutes later, my chum Jay Dowling sent me another email saying “So now we have robot dog breeds,” coupled with a link to this video of the Unitree A1 Robot Puppy. Oooh, I REALLY fancy one of these little scamps.
As always with YouTube, one thing leads to another, and I soon found myself watching a video of Nine Mini Cheetahs, quickly followed by a video of a Robot Sheepdog.
Totally off-topic, but I need to share before I forget, Jay also sent me a link to a DIY Arduino-powered e-Paper Smartwatch, while my friend Martin Rowe pointed me at a mindboggling article Scammers Sell 5G Repellent Cream Online and People Actually Buy It.
Regarding the e-Paper Smartwatch, I want one! Regarding the 5G Repellent Cream, two thoughts spring to mind: (a) Where are these people when I want to sell one of my own stupid creations? and (b) does this cream come in different flavors and scents (I like vanilla and lavender)?
Ok, I realize I might get cancelled due to the following comments, but I am willing to take the risk. This type of robot bothers me much more than a human-form robot. I don’t know why, but maybe because it just seems creepy. Besides, I don’t like dogs. Yes, they have intelligence, their personality can be great and I can understand that dogs are faithful and loving. How is it though that dogs can’t take care of their duties without having to ruin the grass, plants, and other objects that they love to pee and poop on! Seriously, cats are easily trained to use litter boxes. Cripes, as smart as dogs are supposed to be, I don’t know why humans can’t train them to use a freakin’ toilet!
What? Me cancel you? Don’t be silly. Did you see the first season of the latest incarnation of “War of the Worlds” on the Epic streaming channel? That was pretty good, and the “Martians” (extraterrestrials) employed devices that look strangely like our robot dogs (we come to find they have living biological brains).
I haven’t seen that show. Have you read Orson Scott Card’s short story “In the Doghouse”?
I haven’t — I’ll keep my eyes open for it. Did you ever read “A Boy and His Dog” by Harlan Ellison (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Boy_and_His_Dog)? They made a film about it (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Boy_and_His_Dog_(1975_film)), but that was pretty rubbish.
The fact that you prefer
vermincats over dogs means we can never be friends LOLActually, I am allergic to cats. Way back in the early 2000s in Colorado, we had 2 cats and I turned a backyard playhouse into a 2 story home for them (even had a heating system) so they wouldn’t go in the main house (or get eaten by coyotes at night).
You old softy
I just Googled “can dogs be trained to use a litter box” and the answer is YES. Maybe Biden can write an Executive Order requiring litter box training of 100 million dogs in 100 days.
Have you seen those Cat Toilet Training Systems whereby the cats use regular human toilets so you never have to use a litter-based system again? https://www.wayfair.com/Litter-Kwitter–Cat-Toilet-Training-System-LK1-L1175-K~LKQ1000.html
This has the added advantage that there’s always a chance the cat will fall in, thereby entertaining any onlookers.
Awesome! If it works for a stupid cat, it should work for a dog as well. But maybe dog owners actually like walking the dog around the neighborhood and picking up their stuff.
What’s your street address again (I’m sure our dog-loving community members would like to pay you a visit and explain the error of your ways LOL)
These “cheetahs” look more like locusts. And every dog that I have ever owned (that’s only 4, including my grand dog) would have ruined their teeth killing these insects.
in South Africa there was an insect officially named a
“King Cricket” aka Parktown Prawn ( https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1994-02-10-1994041061-story.html) which was brown/red and the size of a large locust. If trapped is would squirt a stinky black liquid and they were impossible to kill. You could stomp on it, beat it with a space and it would crawl away. Couldn’t swim though, so you would have to fish the bodies out of the pool. They were the inspiration behind the aliens in The movie “District 9”.
my dog figured out a way to smother them by lying on them with his chest. Very effective, but he would stink afterwards.
OMG I hope I never get to meet a Parktown Prawn — they sound horrible — I’m squirming in my seat thinking about them.
New marketing from Boston Dynamics, with lots of bumpf, but also capabilities of Spot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvTdNwyADZc&feature=youtu.be
OMG I’m blown away — did you see the part with three Spots playing jump-rope? https://youtu.be/WvTdNwyADZc?t=1078