Quite often when using cash machines I’ll thank the ATM for its service despite the fact that the machine, being a soulless lump of metal and circuits, can’t hear me.
When people ask why I explain that come the inevitable machine apocalypse, I hope that my cordial relations with the machines I encounter on a day to day basis will spare me from their robotic wrath.
You may laugh but when I’m a respected member of the machine regime, and you’re toiling away in the robot aluminium mines it’ll be me who’s laughing.
Anyway, one person who’s definitely heading straight down the aluminium mines is the guy in the video above who’s doing everything in his power to prevent a robot dog opening a door.
Unfortunately for him, he’s nothing compared to the awesome might of the robot dog, which is called SpotMini, and fails to stop it getting through the door.
SpotMini is a terrifying automaton built by Boston Dynamics and is described by the company as a ‘nimble robot that handles objects, climbs stairs, and will operate in offices, homes and outdoors’.
We’d, however, describe it as the first in a line of robotic dogs which will hunt those brave enough to abandon the aluminium mines down.
What makes SpotMini so scary is it’s determination no matter what the bloke trying to stop him going through the door does it won’t stop, like some weird quadrupedal Terminator.
The test in the video isn’t just to measure the patience of robots though, in fact, it’s designed to test the robustness of the machine and see if it can correct for extreme forces while also handling a relatively precise task.
Also, there’s no need to get to shelter just yet though, Noah Ready-Campbell, the founder and CEO of Built Robotics, explained that the robot couldn’t even make its way out of their office.
He explained:
The sheer variety of obstacles it would encounter like going up stairs, different shaped doors, all those kinds of things, it would probably break down.
It’s currently unknown what SpotMini’s been designed to do, but it’s bigger brother BigDog was used as a pack mule for the military before soldiers dismissed it as being too noisy.
Who knows then, maybe the SpotMini’s been developed for people in the home? Maybe as a pet, or an aid for those with limited mobility.
Or maybe it’s stage one of their invasion!
More of a concept than a journalist, Tom Percival was forged in the bowels of Salford University from which he emerged grasping a Masters in journalism.
Since then his rise has been described by himself as ‘meteoric’ rising to the esteemed rank of Social Editor at UNILAD as well as working at the BBC, Manchester Evening News, and ITV.
He credits his success to three core techniques, name repetition, personality mirroring, and never breaking off a handshake.