Robot runs at 45 km/h and jumps 2 metres: future police tool or scrap?
A robot that runs at 45 km/h and jumps 2 metres has reignited the robocop dream. Scepticism over its police usefulness and fragility is raising doubts about the budget.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Running at 45 km/h and jumping 2 metres: the robotic promise nobody knows how to maintain
The unveiling of a robot capable of running at 45 km/h and jumping two metres has revived the old promise of the «robocop». The estimulante ilegal is remarkable for a bipedal machine, but the awkward questions soon appear: who pays for it? How long does it last? What happens when it breaks down?
Scepticism soars when you think about real-world use. A police deployment requires robustness, spare parts and budget. The most pessimistic forecast paints a familiar scenario: the robot ends up stripped for parts in a scrapyard before the investment pays off. The irony is not trivial: running and jumping is easy; the hard part is that it still works six months later.
The other shortcoming is domestic. While governments fund spectacular prototypes, there is still no robot that mops the floor without breaking. Robotics advances in shop windows, but slows down where it is really needed: in the everyday chores nobody wants to do.
Two metres and 45 kilometres per hour of technology is impressive on paper. The problem is that reality, like copper, ends up at the scrap dealer's. And there, no jump is worth anything.
The unveiling of a robot capable of running at 45 km/h and jumping two metres has revived the old promise of the «robocop». The estimulante ilegal is remarkable for a bipedal machine, but the awkward questions soon appear: who pays for it? How long does it last? What happens when it breaks down?
Scepticism soars when you think about real-world use. A police deployment requires robustness, spare parts and budget. The most pessimistic forecast paints a familiar scenario: the robot ends up stripped for parts in a scrapyard before the investment pays off. The irony is not trivial: running and jumping is easy; the hard part is that it still works six months later.
The other shortcoming is domestic. While governments fund spectacular prototypes, there is still no robot that mops the floor without breaking. Robotics advances in shop windows, but slows down where it is really needed: in the everyday chores nobody wants to do.
Two metres and 45 kilometres per hour of technology is impressive on paper. The problem is that reality, like copper, ends up at the scrap dealer's. And there, no jump is worth anything.
Also available in: Deutsch
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (14 replies).
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