We Use 'em to Spot Terminators

March 1, 2016 6:56 AM

Fido vs Spot [SLYT]
posted by chavenet (18 comments total)

BD has yet to show me a living organism vs. robot interaction that isn't disturbingly confrontational. It's like they just don't give a damn.
posted by bonobothegreat at 7:37 AM on March 1, 2016 [2 favorites]

Hmm, I prefer my dogs fluffy and slobbering.
posted by pwally at 7:40 AM on March 1, 2016

Spot needs expressive ears and a tail if it wants to make friends with Fido. Also needs to work in his play bow.
posted by achrise at 7:54 AM on March 1, 2016 [1 favorite]

These "robot overlords" are clumsy and energy inefficient. That dog is graceful and quick. It will adapt to whatever situation presents itself. Given time an opportunity that dog will create a whole pack of new dogs without any serious direct intervention by a person. With good treatment the dog will be loyal, it can be trained to perform similar tasks and will do so for kibble, water, and a demonstration of pack leadership.

Sure, they robot looks cool, but the dog is a far more sophisticated technology. It's difficult to recognize because the dog-tech is so ubiquitous we're blinded to it. It's the medium we live in. The robot is a dead end. The future is dogs. Telepathic, weaponized super dogs.
posted by roue at 8:10 AM on March 1, 2016 [14 favorites]

"Dog will friend with any1, you are too prejudice"

Just get him some scent and teach him to roll over, that's all!
posted by Countess Elena at 8:54 AM on March 1, 2016 [1 favorite]

The future is dogs. Telepathic, weaponized super dogs.

It will look a lot like this.

Except maybe a little faster paced...
posted by Naberius at 9:16 AM on March 1, 2016

Or this.
posted by gottabefunky at 9:55 AM on March 1, 2016 [1 favorite]

IT IS COLD. AND LONELY.
posted by FJT at 10:01 AM on March 1, 2016 [5 favorites]

TIL: The origin of the Bloodhound Gang band's name
posted by wyndham at 10:04 AM on March 1, 2016

Anybody here speak Dog? It looks to me like the dog tried to herd the robot once the robot started moving away -- the dog began herding it back towards the humans, like it was a sheep or cow.

A scary, whiny cow.
posted by Mogur at 10:18 AM on March 1, 2016 [1 favorite]

Well, it appeared that "Spot" was fully under the control of guy-off-to-the-side, and therefore not a truly autonomous robot (but then, the audience of Robot Wars never cared). I'd be more interested in seeing a robot dog reacting to and interacting with a real dog independently, like the video of Atlas responding to the bad human knocking the box out of his grasp. Then again, we'd need to have a much larger real dog - if not for the obvious human controller, I would've been afraid that Spot could've just stepped on Fido and squashed him... or kicked him across the parking lot.

But what I really want to see is a robot dog chasing a self-driving car. THEN we would truly be in the future.
posted by oneswellfoop at 11:12 AM on March 1, 2016 [2 favorites]

Notice nobody's trying to make a robot cat.
posted by Naberius at 11:32 AM on March 1, 2016

Notice nobody's trying to make a robot cat.
posted by Naberius at 11:32 AM on March 1 [+] [!]

Ahem.
posted by Sleeper at 12:40 PM on March 1, 2016 [1 favorite]

Cosmo (the little dog) probably has more experience with robots than the average dog...
posted by ancillary at 1:46 PM on March 1, 2016

Ahem.

Oh my god! You fools! You've killed us all!
posted by Naberius at 1:48 PM on March 1, 2016

Or like this
posted by Hactar at 1:55 PM on March 1, 2016

It looks like dogs can also sense the Uncanny Valley. Cosmo doesn't know what that thing is, but he sure doesn't like it.
posted by Kevin Street at 2:28 PM on March 1, 2016

There are many puppies. And they have a plan.
posted by deludingmyself at 9:42 PM on March 1, 2016 [1 favorite]