Let’s Talk About That Video Of The Gun-Shooting Killer Robot

Every time I’m posed with the question, “But why do you neeeeeeeed an AR-15″, I’m tempted to reply, “Because I need something to take on our future robot overlords.” I’m only half-joking, by the way. I can’t watch a video by Boston Dynamics without getting a sinking feeling in my gut that we’re actually engineering the objects of our own demise, so when a video popped up on YouTube over the weekend featuring a gun-toting robot that can stay on target even while taking a hockey stick to the back, I had to stop myself from proclaiming to the world, “See, I told you so!!” before I even watched the clip.

I’m glad I didn’t actually say anything, because the video actually features a clever bit of CGI instead of a real hunk of clanking metal. In fact, if you watch the entire segment, it quickly becomes apparent that either the robot is fake or the guys at “Bosstown Dynamics” are terrifyingly ignorant of proper range safety. Do watch the whole clip, which is pretty amusing and an incredible example of just how realistic CGI can be these days.

Over at Mediaite, Caleb Howe notes that an awful lot of folks did think the video was real, at least at first glance. I don’t blame them, frankly. Not only were the visual effects outstanding, the idea of a robot that can shoot guns doesn’t seem so far-fetched once you’ve seen a robot parkour, open a door, or even nimbly run under its own power. It’s only a matter of time before the robot in the video above isn’t just a creation of visual effects artists, but a real hunk of cold, unthinking, unfeeling, metal that will do the bidding of...




Read More HERE