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Robotcop III Set to Fight Crime in Hong Kong
Roland Piquepaille writes "There is a new cop patrolling the streets of Hong Kong and teaching children how to prevent crime. But it's a robot named Robotcop III, designed and built in Hong Kong, according to Channel Newsasia. Robotcop III can walk, dance, move in any direction, display videos and answer questions asked in Cantonese and English. The previous versions of Robotcops, introduced in 1988 and 1995, were imported from the U.S. and taught 800,000 school children how to fight crime. The promoters of Robotcop III hope it will do even better. More details and references are available in this overview including a photo of Robotcop III patrolling on Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) campus."
And hopefully they haven't programmed it with hundreds of conflicting directives.
No, that's not it.
What is cantonese for "Your move, creep", again?
Rune -- Change is good, you go first
dance, move in any direction, display videos and answer questions
My local copper just sits in his panda car eating donuts.
"It's not your information. It's information about you" - John Ford, Vice President, Equifax
I give 'em about 2 days before they get sued for using such a similar name without permission.
Cooper
--
I don't need a pass to pass this pass!
- Groo The Wanderer
Better hope no kids were scared by Dr.Who, cos that thing looks too too familiar.
Daleks take hong kong!
this thing will fight crime by making criminals laugh to death?
It looks like a bad episode of Lost in Space.
Je n'ai pas d'avenir Je n'ai qu'un destin Celui de n'être qu'un souvenir C'est pour demain
I wonder if it pushes criminals down the stairs, and subsequently says they fell? Mind you, given the lack of legs on the robot, running down stairs is a sure fire way of avoiding the robot if they ever decide to convert this from a show and tell to an ass-kicking 'bot.
Yeah, then can dance, but they can only do The Robot. Why couldn't these guys be in Japan? I'd like to see them on the DDR machines.
Policing HK has become a nightmare. The Chinese mafia has essentially taken over the islands and controls crime and legitimate business from the top rungs of society down to the street gutters.
This is more of an acknowledgement of the lack of police power than some dream-like Robocop thing.
What's more sad is that the romanticizing of the gangster lifestyle there has lured some of the best and brightest of HK into the underworld where there is more money to be made than in the legitimate world. The parallels between the HK gangster culture and the US rapper/gangster culture are striking and both seem to have a significant detrimental effect on the Chinese and ethnic American communities.
I have been pwned because my
Robocop did in the third crappy movie. ;)
Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
I can't take any asian Robo-"Anything " seriously unless it is at LEAST 15 meters tall, with 6 missiles and a giant sword.
A flame thrower would be nice, be obviously that could look silly.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
.. I mean Hong Kong. There must be something wrong there... robots coming out of anywhere *but* Japan?
Let me be the first to say that I, for one, welcome our new cyber-policeman overlords.
...to just let the schoolkiddies watch a Jacky Chan movie?
Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
Yes, yes, I know it's from a South Park Episode link to script
.. how they'd stop it being vandalized. Presumably it's not so good to have a cop that needs protecting itself, escorting around and generally stopping people spray-painting it etc. I wonder how much dried gum this guy accumulates?
So it's been twelve YEARS. Admittedly, the original RoboCop was released in 1987, so this 1988 creature was certainly a copy... but either they've already reached an agreement with the producers, the "t" is legally enough variation, or being in China changes things.
Hong Kong wasn't part of China is 1988, so I'm guessing the "t" is enough.
I am better than the Robotcop III robot, I shove Chinese kids down the stairs.
like the story here.
I guess one can reasonably expect the robot to be corruption free. But I guess they are using pirated software, so even that cannot be asured.
Indefinitely Detained US Citizen
Yeah yeah, he can speak in Cantonese and English, but can he sing like the Sexual Harrassment Panda
Rock that crushes, Paper & Scissors that don't matter.
Or maybe the Hong Kong trademark laws are different and allow this; after all, China has its Tiempo tissues...
Maybe it is just some audio player, with some preset mechanical actions, in some look nice cover.
I mean, how is it different from Honda ASIMO Humanoid?
Hey, that's my password you are typing
He better watch out for TED-209
The Slashdot Paradox: "100% Overrated"
Great! So when will we get Robocowboy, Roboindian, Robosoldier, Leatherbot and the rest of the Village Androids?
Huxley
For starters, what cop is it modelled on, the one from the Village People? Not suprised that all it does is dance.
So is there are credit card reader for it to accept bribes? So many other optional extras could be made available - black people detection and elimination systems, patronizing voice intonation module, JINI network to allow a gang of them to whale on an unarmed suspect etc.
${YEAR+1} is going to be the year of Linux on the desktop!
I wonder if it runs SkyOS....
An even better effect would be to open it up to reveal the little Chinese guy wearing the robot suit. So lifelike!
It might cost around HK$300,000 to develop and build, but the service it provides the Hong Kong crime prevention drive is priceless.
Wanna add more drive to crime prevention? How about giving Robbie III here a Shaolin kung-fu expansion module complete with Tiger, Monkey, and Dragon Style add-ins, multilingual screams, grunts, and taunts like "You killed my brother... I will avenge you!"
X
I live there (HK), and have never heard anything about a "robotcop".
(Or perhaps I oughta get out of my cave.....;-)
Sounds more like sth for fun/research purposes... I doubt one would ever see one of these in the streets...
Don't quote me on this.
Did anybody notice the cute radio and nightstick in its "Belt?" I am guessing these a non-functional for obvious reasons. Like I would want a nightstick wielding robot coming after me for RIAA transgressions.
I can also say with certainty that this thing is controlled via a human. After seeing T3 would you want it any other way?
Also the most creepy thing. Take a close look at its "Nose" where the camera is. Now take a closer look and think twenty years from now, I see a gun in that place. Almost looks like it now.
Shudder.
Like Robocop I and II did.
A witty
Will it run linux?
I know this sounds like a good idea, but I've seen what can happen first hand when you start to introduce robots into the crime-fighting world. Everything will go well at first, but inevitably the humanoid trapped inside will have conflicting emotions, and then all havoc breaks loose. Lets not forget the lessons learned from the past -- remember what happened to Murphy?
Maybe they can add these to the police on patrol in the streets, too. That would really be something:2 &cid=624&u=/ ap/20040310/ap_on_sc/human_exoskeleton&printer =1
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story
Does anyone else remember a strange spam that circulated about a couple of years ago written in very bad English and seeking help because a robotic killer machine was killing Hong Kong people?
A slight oxymoron, isn't it?
I think if HK has no intention to export it under this same name, it should be fine.
I'll be in Hong Kong in 2.5 months where can I find this robotic guardian?
It might cost around HK$300,000 to develop and build, but the service it provides the Hong Kong crime prevention drive is priceless. Like its predecessors, its main role is to spread anti-theft and anti-triad messages.
Mean \while, the Triad is has spent HK$300,000 trying to develop a martial arts technique that can take out a 300 lb. steel-clad robot. No luck so far.
The Triad's livelihood has been threatened by the robot's celebrity: organized crime has been reduced by 45% among school-age Hong Kong youngsters, ever since "the robot showed them the way".
On the other hand, robot-related fatalities were up by 600% at the start of the year, but declined sharply when officials decided to stop using the robot to demonstrate handgun safety in school auditoriums.
What are its four prime directives?
-el
Since it was first introduced in Hong Kong in 1988, the previous two Robotcops, both American imports, have taught 800,000 school children how to fight crime.
school children fight crime? isn't that the job of the police, or am i missing something here?
the article didn't go into enough detail it seems
Marge, get me your address book, 4 beers, and my conversation hat.
"YOU HAVE FIFTEEN SECONDS TO COMPLY!"
...
... especially if we were going to do the demo in the boardroom with live ammunition."
Executive sycophant puts down weapon
*BUDDA* *BUDDA* *BUDDA* *BUDDA* *BUDDA*
*BUDDA* *BUDDA* *BUDDA* *BUDDA* *BUDDA*
Executive sycophant #2: "Maybe we shouldn't have outsourced the code to Elbonia for *this* project
Where is Paul Verhoeven when you need him!? Whats next, Robots that drive cars! Matrix here we come, someone call James Cameron and that kid from the Wonder Years quick!
or, maybe, in Hong Kong they take into account SPELLING DIFFERENCES...
roboTcop != robocop
Jeremy Logan's Website.
It could perform a musical. "Singin in the crime" or something...
If I were a criminal, I would steal the robot in a flash. I've seen quite a few designs for robot guard dogs / sentries / police etc and the main problem imho is that the value of them tends to make them more valuable than what they are guarding!
A little planning goes a long way...
Anyone else see this as "Robocop III set to fight crime in Hong Kong"?
Now that would have been cool!
You can't mention the pusher robot or shover robot without giving credit to Lowtax and his original ICQ prank that started the whole thing.
It's what he said, no? Indeed, in China misspellings such as Tiempo for Tempo are admissible (whereas in western countries, they are not, as shown by the Triton vs. Tricon lawsuits).
Before anyone jumps to conclusions, let me just clarify that this is not a robocop in the "must destroy man kind" fashion. This is more like the info boxes you find in airports. Only difference is, that this one can move a bit. Coincidentially, I was at the exact spot where the picture was taken last month, and I have no doubts that the robot can move around there, since the place is pretty flat. But I was also walking the streets of Hong Kong, and there's no way this robot can move, let alone navigate, on the busy streets of HK. I reckon this will pay visits to schools and walk around in the school yard answering questions.
Underholdning.info
I, for one, welcome our new Robotcop overlords.
Wh47 d1d j00 541, 31337 15n't t3h r0xor5 ne m0r3???
and if you carefully look at the photo you can see
:)
that the robotcop III can shoot red flames out of his hand!!!
class he-man extends man!
(Troll? But since you're spewing crap discrediting to my city, I'll respond)
Now where'd you get your ideas from? (lemme guess... HK movies?? The people who produce local movies are rarely well-educated people, and know nothing more than producing crap movies about made-belief, unrealistic gangster lives. All the other talented people in our movie industry go to Hollywood.)
>> Policing HK has become a nightmare.
Our police forces are very much in control.
>> The Chinese mafia has essentially taken over the islands
The only people hiding in the Islands are probably illegal immigrants from mainland China. Not to say they don't pose any threat to the local people, but they are not in any way organized. And the reason they are there is because there are so many small islands around, it's impossible to patrol them all every single second.
>> and controls crime and legitimate business
wtf? *Legit business? You're smoking crack. Hong Kong is a city with a International fame and has close links with businesses from all over the world. Surely you don't mean those businesses deal with thugs here?
>> from the top rungs of society down to the street gutters.
Street gutters perhaps. Top of society, no. Frankly, I've never come in contact with any gangsters before.
>> lured some of the best and brightest of HK into the underworld where there is more money to be made than in the legitimate world.
Most people who commit crimes here are anything but the "best and brightest". As for the money part, well, ain't it the major incentive for people committing crimes, as it always had been?
Hong Kong might not be the safest city in the world, but it is surely safer than many places in the world. There is no major crime problem here.
btw, I live in Hong Kong.
Don't quote me on this.
".. capable of walking, dancing ... "
An actual robot aimed at fighting crime need not have "fancy stuff" like cool goggles or a pair of dancing feet! What would actually be useful is something that actually models "high level" events like a person stealing a case from another person. Or maybe a person leaving a suitcase unattended and leaving the scene. In fact, this can be done by moving cameras mounted on pan-tilt units, not necessarily fancy dancing robots. In fact there is research being done on doing this with cameras. A "robot" with such a functionality would be much more useful than one which goes around preaching righteousness in Cantonese.
What universe is this, please?
It is you who is mistaken.
Policing HK has become a nightmare.
Our police forces are very much in control.
The police are hardly in control. The police are corrupt, bought and paid for by the gangs. Those police who are not corrupt are not in a position to effect any change.
That crime seems to be low is precisely because most of it is organized.
The Chinese mafia has essentially taken over the islands
The only people hiding in the Islands are probably illegal immigrants from mainland China.
The "Islands" obviously refers to all the islands in the HK group. IOW, anything not connected to mainland China.
and controls crime and legitimate business
wtf? *Legit business? You're smoking crack. Hong Kong is a city with a International fame and has close links with businesses from all over the world. Surely you don't mean those businesses deal with thugs here?
I would say exactly that. That organized crime in HK has its hand in many pies. Hong Kong is an economic powerhouse because of the political environment which fosters a very free economy. Like the Yakuza in Japan, the gangs of HK lean heavily on business in Hong Kong.
from the top rungs of society down to the street gutters.
Street gutters perhaps. Top of society, no. Frankly, I've never come in contact with any gangsters before.
I could be flippant and call into question your societal status, but I'm not going to do that.
The fact of the matter is that in everyday life, most people will never encounter a gangster, much less a leader of a gang. These people are reclusive, and they make their influence known through their underlings who may or may not be as educated as the leaders. The best and brightest are promoted to the upper rungs of the organization while the dumber workhorses are kept on the street for their strongarm abilities.
There is no major crime problem here.
Open your eyes. Dig below the surface.
btw, I live in Hong Kong
That is irrelevent.
DIRECTIVE 1 Serve the public trust
DIRECTIVE 2 Protect the innocent
DIRECTIVE 3 Uphold the law
DIRECTIVE 4 Never oppose an OCP officer
DIRECTIVE 5 Change name slighly to prevent copyright lawsuit
... na na na naa naaa,
.., but moviegoers should follow!)
na na na naaaaa,
na na na naaa naa naaaa...
(okay this only the rithm of it
I fuse with Mercer every single day...
In soviet russia children teach robots.
Emacs is good operating system, but it has one flaw: Its text editor could be better.
I dont know if Hong Kong has video camera's in many public places, but if not, then a few of these robots on every street corner would make organised crime risky.
Sure, it starts off as a nice educational exercise with a few helpful robots on campuses, but give it 4 years and then there's more, and more (they are cheap to mass produce by now).
Suddenly they have a huge network of remote controlled mobile video camera's.
You can't expect to wield supreme executive power, just because some watery tart threw a sword at you
"and taught 800,000 school children how to fight crime."
"Stay out of trouble."
Now all they need is a Lee Iacocca elementary school.
Just because you can mod me down, doesn't mean you're right. Shoes for industry!
clowns against crime!
i for one wouldn't want to be in the same team as this guy....
even dances for crying out loud!
"lalalalala and children, if you do not join a cool triad but stick with me you will all get a lollypop! now isn't that just Fan-tiddilly-tastic!"
yuch! pfew!
Show a man some news, distract him for an hour. Show a man some mod points, distract him for the rest of his life.
I was in HK elementary school, and I remembered the day the cops did their speech along with the cute robot. There were trivia games, and I remembered I got some duotangs and goodies. Those were the days ^.^
I think things like these are great. Real human sized robots really catches attention of kids and leave a lasting impression. This should be an example for all to follow: the deeper an impression you leave, the more effective you are in educating and getting your point across.
VIVA1023.com | Political Fashion.
domo arigato mister roboto... [ flashback! ]
X
I would expect my local news station to bite and waste airtime on this. But a technology site like this?
I mean, when you hear the headline, I(as a geek) think, how can this be possible, a robot police officer. On the news on TV, I get the same thought but can dismiss it right away as a "stupid news people took the bait on something they did not understand".
But I would expect that I didn't have to use the same filter when reading news links here.
Care to cite where you got your information from? And when?
And to explain how this would be different from an average city of similar scale? (we all know there is no such place with zero criminal activity where there is a dense population, the difference is on the rate and extent)
Don't quote me on this.
But does it have a computer connector shaped like a spike that doubles as a weapon?
Nice picture in the article. But could it stop me from stealing its police hat and running away?
With those Dalek-like feet it has, I'll just run up some stairs to escape. Easy.
Finally, an useful cop. Will the wonders ever cease?
"And a voice was screaming: 'Holy Jesus! What are these goddamn animals?'" - HST
What's his name? Murphy?
Isn't there a joke about a dancing cop??? I can see the fear in the eyes of the criminals: "Look out boys, he's going to tap us to death."
In Soviet Russia, the stairs push the robot. Surely 'In Soviet Russia, the robot pushes the stairs down *YOU*'?
Yes, it's cliche, but just think: if they gave these suckers weapons, improved their design a bit, and set them loose on the streets...
Oh well; we won't have to worry about any Matrix-ish situations until we give them free will.
I also noticed the nightstick right away, and I envisioned some unscrupulous youth grabbing it and beating the bejesus out of either the robot or some elderly passerby.
"Like its predecessors, its main role is to spread anti-theft and anti-triad messages."
Forgive my ignorance, but what exactly are the Triads?
This is not part of my post. It's my signature. I bet you're disappointed.
I don't know; it looks more like a robot designed to get into a 25th Century gay disco. Seriously! (Well, not that seriously...)
Flashy LEDs and a policeman's cap for a Buck Rogers meets the Village People effect. Plus, I reckon they were going for the well-built "beefcake" look with those (cough) sculpted pecs and square shoulders.
And who's the other robot? Is that meant to be his cute twink boyfriend?
"Slashdot - News and Chat Sites Deviant". (Click "homepage" link above for details).
It might cost around HK$300,000 to develop and build, but the service it provides the Hong Kong crime prevention drive is priceless.
I bet it's is - you couldn't get this kind of comedy from regular stand up!
== Jez ==
Do you miss Firefox? Try Pale Moon.
then it'll be in the bargain bin in about 3 months for all of us to enjoy.
He's a robot cop patrolling the streets of Hong Kong. She's a eight-year-old school student trying to learn the ropes of crime-fighting. They fight crime!
Try again!
Zodiac Survey
How can it walk? The fucker ain't got any LEGS!
RoboCrop.
(sorry, couldnt help myself.) lol
"Robotcop III can walk, dance"
...robot spies a brick-wielding evildoer in an alley and subdues him by dancing while playing an inspirational video about our social responsibilities.
(Why, yes, I *am* thinking of the police robots in Harry Harrison's "Stainless Steel Rat" stories.)
Doesn't look as good as Peter Weller did in the movie.
This topic shall be modded... And I shall call it TROLL
I am Bennett Haselton! I am Bennett Haselton!
I thought it said "Robocop" until I saw the picture in the article, and realized it was NOT the movie that was being released in Hong Kong. Thank goodness, because those were bad movies. I couldn't imagine Robocop teaching children how to fight crime..
http://github.com/gbook/nidb
File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
"I'm gonna get 24th century on your ass!"
You can not apprehend / arrest any Slashdot member.
Our little insurance policy...
Political correctness is the newest form of slavery.
A new way to fight crime: karaoke.....
Who can robber a bank with a dancing-singing robot behind?
I think I'll buy a microphone....
Now I am sad.
I too was disappointed; Rumour has it that Verhoven has plans for a "real" sequel to his first robocop movie.. and lets face it: A violent cynical social criticism is what makes for a good robocop movie. The sappy sequel had its moments (The prototypes etc).. but the third movie.. gah.
- Mad, ingenous - they've both left you puzzled -
what is that red flame-shaped thing that the robot is holding in his hand in the photo? some kind of strange kungfu weapon?
I'd buy that for a dollar!
But the plan was scrapped when the robot, named Dalek, went on a killing rampage.
Meh.
Come on. You know his information source. A 1001 really bad movies. I've met this kind of attitude about HK before, and it always seems to come from the movies. I've never figured out, after many years in HK, why the HK movies are so totally out of line with the reality of the place. As others have said, the police here are first rate by world standards. Many worried that after China resumed rule of HK things would fall apart. It hasn't happened. This is still one of the safest places in the world, with a commendably low level of corruption. I have far more faith in the police here, than in my homeland, England.
After seeing RoboCop (I was about 12, my sister about 7), I could control my sister for many years afterwards. The movie scared her. Whenever I wanted her to move off my seat, or do anything, I would just point my arms at her and say "You have 30 seconds to comply". I would wait awhile. "You have 20 seconds to comply." She would always cave in before I got to 0. Robocop has helped me in hundreds of these altercations.
-Clio
Karma: Bad (mostly from not giving a fuck)
Blog: http://clintjcl.wordpress.com
What the hell is the plasma for?
Plasma? Maybe it's an atmospheric pressure plasma for decontamination of biohazards. But then again maybe not.
Maybe it's a microwave plasma fireball for shooting bad guys.
Nah. Its probably just one of these dumb things from Spencer's Gifts.
Me physicist. Me make rockets.
1. the big red button on his left shoulder
2. the small silver button on the hem of his skirt
3. the linksys antennae sticking out of his back
war copping anyone?
"You get all the fun of sitting still, being quiet, writing down numbers, paying attention...science has it all."
Robotcop III can walk, dance, move in any direction...
It's the arrivial of real life Cop Rock!
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
KARAOKE?
So, how long til Jackie Chan fights one?
Why do those asians love putting smiles on their robots?
Is that really going to strike fear in the heart of a criminal, being chased by a round headed smiling robot?
But I see you guys got it covered.
I'm gonna head over to a Microsoft thread to find a place to stick an awesome "Trustworthy Computing" joke I just thought up.
It's rare that you're presented with a knob whose only two positions are Make History and Flee Your Glorious Destiny.
= 9J =
until its been lowered, gets blinking strobes and a spoiler, and plays really bad rave music!
The people producing the movies here are crap, yet they think they're geniuses.
Their only sense of humor comes in the form of cheap jokes that aren't funny, and all "action" is only about these gangs -- probably a fantasized version of the street gangs they grew up with.
Pathetic.
I just keep having horrific images of RobotCop dancing merrily in the streets to the music of the screams of crime victims everywhere. I think that 'dancing' directive pretty much conflicts with crimefighting.
Unless, I suppose, a master criminal arises with such a horror of dancing that the mere sight of it will cause him to fall to the ground with a penitent's plea for mercy?
On second thought, that's really reaching for it...
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Robotcop III can walk, dance, move in any direction
OK, let's see it move straight up or straight down.
Not so smart now, are you Hong Kong?
I'de buy that for a dollar!