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Parrot Drives Robotic Buggy

Posted by Soulskill on from the polly-wanna-cylon dept.

grrlscientist writes "Proving that robots aren't just for people any longer, an African grey parrot, Pepper, has learned to drive a robot that was specially designed for him. Pepper, whose wings are clipped to preventing him from flying around his humans' house and destroying their things, now manipulates the joystick on his riding robot to guide it to where ever he wishes to go. This robotic 'bird buggy' was the brainchild of his human companion, Andrew Gray, a 29-year-old electrical and computer engineering graduate student at the University of Florida."

5 of 182 comments (clear)

  1. no such luck by the_other_one · · Score: 4, Funny

    I tried t get my Norwegian Blue to drive a buggy but it just sits there and does nothing.

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    134340: I am not a number. I am a free planet!
    1. Re:no such luck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      It's merely pinin' for a Ford!

  2. Re:Cruelty to animals by nschubach · · Score: 3, Funny

    Heaven forbid you have a giant mirror in your house. We had parakeets that would go ape shit over the other birds and try to fly to them. We ended up clipping their feathers just so they wouldn't hurt themselves on the mirror.

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    Every time I start to have faith in humanity, I ruin it by driving to work between 7 and 8 am.
  3. Re:Awesome by Sponge+Bath · · Score: 4, Funny

    When the parrot cuts you off in traffic, does he give you... the bird?

  4. Re:ironic... by CanHasDIY · · Score: 3, Funny

    Just FYI, guys, it's not cruelty. You don't actually cut their wings, just their feathers

    Huh.


    That might explain why I got fired from Petco...

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