Welcome to Blue Monday, Robotic Satisfaction Episode. This week featuring:
- Beastie Boys “Intergalactic”
- Groundislava “The Dig”
- Virtual Boy “Mass”
- Crystal Castles “Air War”
- Brazilian Girls “Good Time”
Tag Archives: robots
The Now Future: Flying Robot Birds
Forget flying cars (so passé!) – how about some flying robot birds?
Au revoir, Spirit
A bittersweet announcement from last week: NASA has exhausted all attempts to re-contact the Mars rover, Spirit. As Universe Today put it:
Spirit, the plucky rover that landed on Mars on January 3, 2004, overcame many difficulties and endured waaay past her 90-day warranty. For nearly six years, she traveled long distances, climbed hills — something the rovers weren’t really designed to do — she roved and stopped at interesting rocks along the way, all the while beaming back the information she garnered, enlightening us all about the nature of Mars, past and present.
Spirit became embedded in soft Martian soil in May of 2009 and that was the beginning of the end. The team spent months planning for her extrication, and then months again attempting to drive her out, but they ran out of time and power in the approaching Martian winter. The team was unable to put the rover in a favorable position to catch rays of sunlight on her solar panels, and after another freezing, grueling winter, Spirit has now likely succumbed to the harsh environment on Mars.
While it’s hard not to be saddened about Spirit’s end, I prefer to celebrate its astounding accomplishments.
And fact is, a human being will someday reach out a glove and affectionately brush some dust off the rover, preparing it for transport to the first Museum of Mars.
The Now Future: robots inspect Fukushima reactors
Not every aspect of The Now Future features robots, but it’s hard not to see just how profound of an impact our simulacra have had and will continue to have on human civilization. Exploration in the oceanic depths and in deep space. Giving surgeons even more god-like powers (or just operating themselves). Providing the elderly with helpers and companions.
And even to boldly go where we can’t.
BBC: “Robots record high radiation levels at Japan reactors”
Remote-controlled robots are being used at the quake-hit Fukushima nuclear plant to measure radiation levels.
The readings from two reactor buildings showed a “harsh environment” for humans to work in, complicating efforts to stabilise the damaged reactors.