Tai Chi Robots

dknight writes "It seems that Chinese scientists are currently developing a robot which is capable of doing tai chi. The robot is being developed by the Beijing University of Science and Engineering, and is touted to be a great breakthrough in worker safety, as these robots could be used to perform dangerous work. They are supposedly able to sense changes in the slope of the earth around them (hills, etc.) and balance themselves out."

Comments

heh

[grub]

It's good to see that when they aren't busy making draconian filters and firewalls that they are doing something useful with their time.. Tai Chi robots. Sweet...

[/sarcasm]

Re:Hmm

[BitHive]

"Chai" means "Tea", so you are, in effect, asking for a robot that makes Tea Tea. It's like talking about DSL lines and PIN numbers.

Re:I'd only point out that. . .

[BluedemonX]

RE: First off you don't want to pit a boxer against a Kung Fu-like martial arts..

Correct, because the boxer would kick his ass.

RE: the boxer has the severe disadvantage that he can't kick or hit below the belt..

Most idiots who try those fancy kicks in biker bars end up smack face down in a pile of cigarette butts and broken glass on the wrong end of a beatdown.

RE: he'll lose almost by default at this point since the martial artist can pin him, grapple him, kick him in the legs, apply pressure points.. and you know, all that good stuff.

And the boxer can chew his ears off.

RE: Also, what you see at "4 mph" isn't how its really done, the quickness of Tai Chi masters will suprise you when applied (and can be almost deadly).

So deadly in fact, that they NEVER do so. Or could it possibly be that they don't want to ruin the illusion that Tai Chi is for nothing more than geeks in silk pyjamas and women on the Oxygen network?

RE: A more fitting match would be a to throw in a grappler (like a wrestler or brazillian jujitsu guy), then you just get the Ultimate Fighting Championships.. which turn out rather bland since both fighters just spend the entire time on the ground and in the bitch position..

Because the Gracies ensure that the fight's rigged. The floor is padded, so punchers and kickers lose a lot of their power. Add to that no biting is allowed, no fishhooking, no tearing, no eyeball gouging, you know, the kind of thing that'd happen in a real fight and make Mr. Gracie's "bitch position" look VERY VERY VERY stupid and suicidal like it is. It's one thing to be in a padded floor with rules and a referee and fifty of your brothers standing around, and another to be in a real fight.