Technology and Innovation

BE AFRAID. BE VERY AFRAID

Extreme killer robots know the way to San Jose

Mark Pauline makes robots that look like they want to kill you. Head of the Survival Research Laboratory, the body that organised the Art Of Extreme Robotics exhibition in San Jose, he gave visitors a view of robot art at its most terrifying. The SRL staged demonstrations have provoked criticism since September 11 .As Pauline often presents his work within enclosed environments;the results create the same claustrophobic terror felt by the people trapped inside the World Trade Centre. Another exhibitor was Eric Paulos. As part of his Experimental Interaction Unit, he developed the l-Bomb. Firing a magnetic pulse that destroys all magnetic media within its cone, you wouldn’t want this robot anywhere near your credit cards.

You’ll also be able to program the biped to move around as you see fit, by hooking it up to a PC over a wireless link. Even if our mechanical friend takes a tumble, don’t worry, it possesses the mobility to stand up again.
Using image and voice recognition to respond to people’s faces and voices, it can also recognise up to ten different individuals through front facial image capture, even against complex backgrounds.This is achieved by using seven microphones placed inside the robot’s head to locate a sound source and recognise individual speech and tone.