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Endeavour Crew to Assemble Giant Robot, in Space
Frizzled writes "Part of the space shuttle crew's scheduled mission for this week is to assemble a massive robot which will 'rise like Frankenstein' from the shuttle's cargo bay. The robot, named Dextre, has 11-foot arms, a shoulder span of nearly 8 feet, a height of 12 feet, and was built by the Canadian Space Agency. 'Dextre can pivot at the waist, and has seven joints per arm. Its hands, or grippers, have built-in socket wrenches, cameras and lights. Only one arm is designed to move at a time to keep the robot stable and avoid a two-arm collision. The robot has no face or legs, and with its long arms certainly doesn't look human.'"
Just look at the picture.... someone must have noticed that, but the question is how far into the design?
Figures they would put their flag on the giant penis.
I read the internet for the articles.
In yet another sign that the U.S. is facing behind in space technology, the Japanese space agency unveiled its own mechanical creation, assembled from smaller, lion-like devices. See footage of it in action.
When to say this if not now? I, for one, welcome our new robotic overlords from space.
Extreme Programming - Redundant Array of Inexpensive Developers
if it doesn't have a welding torch on at least one of the arms - it's useless. if it does- sweet.
It's hard to believe that's how Micronians are made. Why don't we see it right now by having you both kiss one another?
I'm sure this robot will provide countless valuable lessons and learning experiences regarding the design and deployment of automatons in space.
Any sufficiently well-organized community is indistinguishable from Government.
Going on means going far
Going far means returning
Frankenstein was the scientist, not the monster.
Certainly won't be any fire brandishing townsfolk come after it and make it go beserk, because you know...fire bad!
I, for one, welcome our assembled-in-space armed-with-11-feet-weapons robotic overlords.
"Astronauts bound for orbit this week will dabble in science fiction..."
Erm... What does this mean? Surely robots have been around for quite a while now, and aren't confined to the realm of sci-fi? Or maybe I misread, and the robot's job is to teach the astronauts how to write like Asmiov!
A closed mouth gathers no foot.
I mean, it's cool and all, but let me know when we build and launch something like a Veritech fighter.
"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."
"...The robot has no face or legs, and with its long arms certainly doesn't look human...'" Maybe it is just my twisted imagination, but it looks human to me: http://www.space.gc.ca/asc/img/spdm-hr.jpg I can see arms, legs, head and even something between the legs... ;)
Oh I don't know. It reminds me a bit of Ron Jeremy.
Prediction: The real iPhone killer is going to be sex robots from Japan. Think about it.
MEGA-MAID?
Pleasepleasepleaseplease...
"As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly." A. Carlson
Please have both English and Metric Sockets... It sounds silly, but they already drove a Martian lander into the dirt for what is almost the same reason. ...Oh wait, it's Canadian. Does that make a difference?
C'mon! What about Brave Raydeen or Gaiking?
Gigantor, anyone?
"Flyin' in just a sweet place,
Never been known to fail..."
Is this robot any relation to the "Dexter" guy on TV?
If so, then NASA TV may soon have a new show called CSI: ISS!
If "disco" means "I learn" in Latin, does "discothèque" mean "I learn technology"?
Does it have a Secret Lab?
duh,
duh,
duh,
DUH DUH
(duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh)
Apparently, it's made from 30% iron, 40% zinc, 40% titanium, 40% dolomite and an unknown quantity of osmium. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bender_(Futurama)/
That's not Picasso, that's Kandinsky!
In keeping with /. pedantry I would like to point out that Baron Victor von Frankenstein was the sceintist, and that the monster had no name.
None of them can see the clouds; The polished wings don't care.
I didn't read the article... Are there five astronauts, each flying individual mechanical lions, joining together to assemble this robot?
When it succumbs to its darker impulses, I hope that it at least remembers to live by the Code of Isaac.
...with freeway onramps for arms, and a heart as black as coal! MWAHAHAHA
Awesome! I wonder who lost the game of rock, paper, scissors and has to be the hermaphrodite kid in the green lion.
If you didn't come to party don't bother knocking on my door. Prince '1999'
I love massive robots; Gundams, Transformers, those round balls with legs from the Akira comics I love em all.
I'm guessing the caption writers noticed.
Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
I for one welcome our robot co-workers!
Put the human vs. robot in space argument to bed once and for all time. Human and robot abilities are complementary in space just as on earth.
I guess the Canadian Space Agency beat the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture into putting a robot in space.
It would seem my fine neighbors to the north have a fixation with robotic arms and devices built from them. I wonder if the US is missing out on the robot arm fun or, alternatively, if Canada is upset they always get stuck with building large robotic tools. FWIW, this is #3 and getting more sophisticated... those in the northern USA might want to start building their robotic-arm-shelters soon...
I recognize people by their sigs. Is that a bad thing?
Scenes of panic and chaos reigned as the giant robot assembled in space by a joint Canadian US expedition started firing laser beams at uncontrolled locations in North America. Visions of an inhuman, headless robot destroying the world has been the stuff of science fiction over the decades. That vision became reality early on Sunday morning as many towns across the continent were hit in a barrage of devastating but inaccurate fire. According to reports, an industrial laser mounted on one of the arms malfunctioned and the servo mechanism controlling that arm has failed causing the giant robot to flail out. Experts are unsure as to how long these potentially lethal disruptions would continue as the robot is in a geosynchronous orbit. Attempts to use the other robotic arm to arrest the malfunctioning arm have failed as the control software is designed to forbid simultaneous motion of both arms. Canadian designers declined comment but highly placed sources within NASA indicate that they, like their creation, do not have a leg to stand on. The White House has sought Chinese assistance in shooting down the robot. There is talk of a 9 figure sum being demanded by the Chinese but these reports are currently unsubstantiated.
Giant Bender In Space!
...will be held in orbit this year?
Where the hell're the crew gonna assemble it? In the air? In the shuttle bay during launch? (What's up with the ", in Space" in the title?...)
sigfault (core dumped)
It's even more intriguing since it has never been photographed on Earth. The first photos of the robot will be taken in space, hopefully.
Canadia may have wrote the book on robotic arms, but US wrote the book on the credit card. U don't need to build anything when you've got free credit.
It's turning into a giant MAID! With a Vacuum Cleaner!
Care about electronic freedom? Consider donating to the EFF!
oh the times when all the machinery is one giant robot, which works itself through space while relaying us the information. The controls might get a bit delayed after a while, but it's easier to just sit back and enjoy the ride... Sensing the pulses of myriad of electrons and photons, which vibrate through the network. It provides us the existence of a new kind of individual, that we would all share equally and instantly. Network of immediacy. I wonder when the connection actually happens, and we are ready to lose ourselves... Probably not quite even then - the sensations will be phenomenal.
Internet is formed as our own image. Then again, so is the reality. A technical analogue to actually see what's inside is a tool, an extension of mind. A spiritual analogue is an extension of space. Still a long way to go, but on the other hand, a very short one, a dimensionless journey. AND CREEPY SPIDERS!
When you write an article about an interesting machine, include a picture. When including a picture, you need to make sure that people can actually see what is in the picture. If the picture is a diagram including text, it might even be helpful to make the picture big enough to READ the text.
This means that fitting the picture into your page layout is the LEAST important factor.
The number of web designers and writers who include tiny, unreadable articles just to fit their page design is very annoying.
It's one thing that Wikipedia usually does much better: every picture is clickable to get the original full size.
For every expert, there is an equal and opposite expert. - Arthur C. Clarke
In Soviet Canada, NASA is the ministry in charge of Gundam.
Wait...
Starbucks, Harbuckle of Breath.
And when it decides to return to the earth it will be known as project Meteor.
I'm so disappointed. I thought they were planning to put Giant Robot into space -- maybe a gigantic billboard of something like this. Just imagine the kawaii damage!
Mal-2
How is the Riemann zeta function like Trump rallies? Both have an endless number of trivial zeros.
Thanks, /.! I wasn looking for some material for a good new GURPS campaign and now I have some. CAn't wait for this thing to go berserk and start attacking ships in low orbit.
The eternal struggle of good vs. evil begins within one's self.
Thanks Slashdotters!
Every time I see a story about my country I cringe, because the first 4 pages of comments are usually nothing but cliche donut and hockey jokes. I just read through this whole thing and didn't see one. I'm impressed!
Jeremy
It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong.
I for one welcome out new robot over-... *gets shot, dies*
Property is theft.
Well, "Gigantor's a space age robot", so it'd be appropriate. Gosh I amazed that I could remember that.
and then you threw in "..., in Space"
OMG OMG OMG
Insert witty comment here
Look at the size of that Canada!
And it's out in space, outside the airlock. Man, that's gonna be a bitch to get it to jerk you off, even ignoring the "when nobody's looking" issue.
(-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
...he must have an enormous knockwurst!
After reading the article on the Canadian Space Agency's website I concluded that this thing is not nearly as cool as it could be. It's basically just an extension of the Canadarm. It can work independently of the Canadarm only if it's plugged into one of the Canadarm's power sockets located on the station.
If I was going to make a robot for use in outer space I would give it four arms, some rockets similar to an MMU, and a battery pack. This way it could jet it's way around the space station quickly with the MMU and then grapple on to the station with two of it's arms while performing tasks with the other two.
One of our competitors trademarked the term "hypothesis". From now on, we will call them "boneheaded ideas".
Screw the batteries - those only last for like five minutes at the most. Throw a Super Solenoid Engine in it.