10 Weird & Amazing Robot Facts

1. Elektro, the world’s first humanoid robot, debuted in 1939. Built by Westinghouse, the seven-foot-tall walking machine “spoke” more than 700 words. Elektro later appeared in the 1960 B movie Sex Kittens Go to College.

2. The first known case of robot homicide occurred in 1981, when a robotic arm crushed a Japanese Kawasaki factory worker.

3.  Leonardo da Vinci drew up plans for an armored humanoid machine in 1495. Engineer Mark Rosheim has created a functional miniature version for NASA to help colonize Mars

4. Archytas of Tarentum, a pal of Plato’s, built a mechanical bird driven by a jet of steam or compressed air—arguably history’s first robot—in the fifth century B.C.

5. There are currently 4,000 robots serving in the US Military, including reconnaissance Talon bots that scout for roadside bombs in Iraq and PackBots that unsuccessfully poked around for Osama bin Laden’s hideout in Afghanistan.

6. Chris Melhuish of the Bristol Robotics Laboratory created robots that use bacteria-filled fuel cells to produce electricity from rotten apples and dead flies. The goal: robots that forage for their own food- essentially they wouldn’t need humans to survive.

7.  Mini Me: Australian researchers are trying to build a micro robot that would mimic the swim stroke used by E. coli bacteria. It would be injected into a patient so it could take a biopsy from the inside.

8. Cybernetics professor Kevin Warwick calls himself the world’s first cyborg, with computer chips implanted in his left arm. He can remotely operate doors, an artificial hand, and an electronic wheelchair.

9.  Winebot, built by Japan’s NEC System Technologies and Mie University, can ID scads of different wines, cheeses, and hors d’oeuvres . . . up to a point. It recently mistook a reporter’s hand for prosciutto. (In Winebot’s defense, that guy was a pig.)

10. Robotics expert Henrik Christensen predicts humans will be having sex with robots within four years. If you’re thinking, “Finally, no strings attached…” keep in mind that Hans Moravec, founder of Carnegie Mellon’s Robotics Institute, predicts that robots will emerge as their own species by 2040, with feelings and expectations. In other words, if you don’t call your robot fling the next morning, you’ll be disassembled.

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Comments

[handsomeboy]

I've got an amazing robot fact too: did you know that in Rocky III, Rocky bought a Robot servant? That's pretty amazing.

[juantuffgai]

AWESOME-O! article (get it South Park fans)

[Marty Ferguson]

Please don't start the argument (again!) about machines taking over, okay? HAL, MU-TH-UR, COLOSSUS, THE MATRIX,... If man forgets that he can UNPLUG A MACHINE, then we are really a doomed species.

[ak]

Cool facts...are all of them real? uantuffgai I don't think robots will take over because there made by humans...I guess you never know people do always want to go beyond what they can do so they might try to make it really realistic and then the robots have there own feelings and everything so they might be some bad(like humans) and some good.

[ak]

Cool facts...are all of them real? uantuffgai I don't think robots will take over because there made by humans...I guess you never know people do always want to go beyond what they can do so they might try to make it really realistic and then the robots have there own feelings and everything so they might be some bad(like humans) and some good.

[AK]

Im sorry for the 2 comment but I dont know how to delete(if you can) and also I meant Marty Ferguson not juantuffgai in above comment.

[tanya bedding]

this is great plase send me more information

[tanya bedding]

this is great plase send me more information

[NONA]

THX THX I WAS GOING 2 DIE
BUT YA STIIL MORE INFO

[Hayley]

OMG number 10 is really disturbing.

[Hiro]

wow..... Cool facts!!!, but i dont think they will help with my Robotics report..... ugh... Oh well... But the facts do help me better understand the Past of robots. and there.... not.. so.. Understandful people.... -^^-

[Marty Ferguson]

AK,

I guess my car and computer both have feelings and emotions, then. Robots are MACHINES, NOTHING MORE! You can not build a robot with emotions any more than you can sharpen a pencil and say that it loves, hates, cries...or even kills without compunction. For Pete's sake, PUT YOUR FEET BACK ON THE GROUND AND GET YOUR MIND OUT OF THE MOVIES!!

M

[Abbi]

Omg Number 10 is reallч disturbing , but heчa everчone , mч name is Abbi Thompson and i am new to this , i am 11 чears old , And i think this site has some good facts but not helpful for mч work at school ,

but thankz enчwaч's

Abbi
xxxxx

[Abbi Thompson]

well i guess this site can be helpful at sometimes , :L

[Emma]

number 10 is rather sad...

[erixx317]

im making clay coated robots with real techno micro capabilities in my livingroom with mirrors and phone microlens of 5 cellphones i never used v/sattalite and its black,white,tan,and silver its cooked then to be at 250 degrees and is going to statue like my dream with munch rocks at the feet and eerie sounds that scare the living red tar outta you if you want, its going to have aluminum feel and toothn pix and foolage and eat like a real human all the rollie pollie shit that comes out of its butt ,it wilol wear condoms and have a sex mate burnt at 197 percent celcious shes going to have pink blue lite sky touch sexy appel food lovves bannaas grapes rasberries i like carrots celery lettuce salad and wheels and handle bots bars that go poof smokeing the weed with green abilities and hot green smokey marijuana foggin out its ass runn of tertaquarters these robos i imprive are the shyt captical wire hands guts mpotos logos legs pogo abilities reddragon next franken stein jingobot pedobot robotonic

[Darin Kalev]

Wow! cool but num. 10 disturbing and sad. i am 11. this is helpful info.

[achieve orgasms]

I am constantly telling my oldest (almost 5) that she can't play games, because I am not available to play with her, and the two year old will just keep messing it up if he plays with us. Anyone relate?
Thank you very much for that information. I liked your blog, the topic is very interesting and I would love be more aware.

[vertigo symptoms causes]

I believe robots are the future of humanity ,we should really look in to the possibilities they can grant us in the near future.

[jacuzzi bathtubs]

Although robots bring convenience to our lives, we cannot igore its downsides as well...

[elliptical machine]

Cool shots.. I remember when I was traveling for this kind of university gathering. It's nice!

[none of your buissness]

fact 10 is weird wouldnt it hurt....

[mussie]

the fact which is written above about robotic technology could be fact to some extent my personal view on this topic would be; robots will be made accurate like humans in term of interaction to the environment like communication, mobility, understand command, perhaps sexual activity with humans further most of the jobs will be taken by robots if we have to give examples big company like BBC or CNN will employ robot to read the news 24 hours with low expenses and when you came to relationship with human people will consider having intimacy with humanoid my biggest argument will be about the feeling. Will a robot love you or miss you for real or is it programmable and artificial love are they going to show you I doubt it if anybody can be convince the emotions are real to conclude my idea this robots will be developed and will be ready in the market perhaps in fifty years time robots will be walking on the street in the city alone without any guidance

[free business listings]

You always take a very sharp picture. What kind of camera you use anyway?

[Brooklynn Navvy]

weird much? i think so :)