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XRL Hexapod Robot Gets a Tail, Learns To Use It

New submitter toygeek writes "In an effort to give various robots more control during free-fall and navigation of severe obstacles, researchers have studied how agama lizards use their tails to retain or correct orientation during leaps and jumps. They've applied the research to both hexapod and wheeled robots, and the results are both astounding, and outstanding!"

3 of 52 comments (clear)

  1. insurance advice by zizzlezazzledazzle · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    You can mark this as a troll, but I assure you I am totally serious and I want to ask for advice. I can not think of anywhere else to post anonymously that smart people read. I am finalizing a plan to kill me. Please do not bother to try to stop me. I have my reasons, and I thought, as well as the heavy with pros and cons to all options. I will take my life alone, without voilence towards any other people. My question to all this mean. I married the love of my life a few months ago. For the record, has nothing to do with this, and I could not imagine finding another girl as wonderful as she is. I have a $ 10K life insurance through my employer, but will not pay for suicide. I am looking for insurance that will. I can not think of any way to do that reasonably can not be removed as a suicide attempt. My plan is to park my car in a nature reserve just to shoot me in the head. No witnesses, no explosions, no shit. Someone must have looked before. I just want to make sure she's in charge. The pain of having to look after my final arrangements is bad enough without having to break later due to my lack of income. The dead do not bring home paychecks. I have about $ 1500 on my credit cards and about $ 8k in savings, so I will not be out of debt at all. I just want to make sure she's in charge. The serious answers would be greatly appreciated. Pardon my English is not my native language.

    1. Re:insurance advice by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Offtopic

      Get help. There's really no way that this is a good idea.

  2. STOP AND READ THIS PLEASE by toygeek · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    If you aren't in fact a troll, then please stop. Get help. Go to your nearest hospital, tell them your plan, and be honest.

    Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.

    I have been *this* close to stepping in front of a fast moving train. I went to my psychologist, and I spent a week in a mental hospital. It saved my life. I was on very strong anti-depressants for over 10 years, and am now (prescription and otherwise) drug free. If anyone's ever been completely whacked in the head, and ready to kill myself, I have.

    Two things changed me. 1) Two of my relatives killed themselves. My stepdad, via alcoholism ("if you drink more, it'll kill you" glug glug glug) and one via a pill cocktail. What I went through, and what my family went through, were not something I ever want to put another person through.

    The second thing: Learning to actually cope with my problems instead of being buried by them, and in turn burying my feelings. That killed me emotionally and almost killed my physically.

    I know it seems like there is no way out. But to actually kill yourself will NOT give you relief. It will end your suffering, but that same suffering, and worse will be transferred to others. Additionally, you won't be around to ENJOY the relief!

    One more thing: If you STOP, GET HELP, and ACT on the help you're given, in 10, 5, even 2 years from now, this will all be a DISTANT MEMORY and you'll be SO GLAD you did not act foolishly and selfishly.