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Google Is Closing Its Schaft Robotics Unit (techcrunch.com)
Google's parent company Alphabet is closing down Schaft, its secretive unit that develops bipedal robots aimed at helping out in disaster efforts. The news was first reported by Nikkei, but Alphabet confirmed to TechCrunch that the business will be shuttered. It said it is helping staff find new roles, most of which will likely be outside of Google and its Alphabet parent. TechCrunch reports: The company was scheduled to be sold to SoftBank alongside Boston Dynamics -- another of Alphabet's robotics ventures -- through a deal that was announced last year. Boston Dynamics made the transition but Schaft didn't. Softbank never shouted that omission from the rooftops, but a source with knowledge of the deal told us that certain conditions agreed for the deal were not fulfilled, hence Schaft remained with Alphabet. Our source explained that Alphabet's robotics focused shifted away from Schaft and instead to non-humanoid robots and industry-led solutions such as robotic arms.
The departure of Andy Rubin, the controversial robotics evangelist who reportedly got a $90 million payout to leave amid sexual misconduct allegations, seemed to speed up its demise inside the organization. Alphabet shopped the Schaft business fairly widely -- since 2016 and after the SoftBank deal collapsed -- but to no avail, we understand. That left closing it down as the last remaining option.
The departure of Andy Rubin, the controversial robotics evangelist who reportedly got a $90 million payout to leave amid sexual misconduct allegations, seemed to speed up its demise inside the organization. Alphabet shopped the Schaft business fairly widely -- since 2016 and after the SoftBank deal collapsed -- but to no avail, we understand. That left closing it down as the last remaining option.
no wonder they got s(c)hafted witrh a name like this...
Richard Roundtree will not be happy.
Can you dig it?
#DeleteChrome
They invest in any loser from Yahoo, to Boston Dynamics, to Saudi Arabia. Now they want to go public and leave your 401k holding the bag, haha.
Softbank didn't bite? That project must have been a real loser...
the demand for sex-bots wasn't high enough anymore. /s
weaponizing the thing. And that's where the money comes from in the US of A, building freedom-distributing bombs.
Sounds like a personal problem.
Well, that's a win for Shinohara Heavy Industries.
Stuff like this makes me wonder if Google is just incapable of keeping things on the up and up with secretive projects. Does it just throw a bunch of money at them and leaves them to themselves? Much of Google's failures come from lack of oversight and project expectations.
That robotics unit Schaft is a bad mother...
SHUT YOUR MOUTH!
Just talkin' 'bout Schaft
WOW, just wow. You have some serious personal issues you need to take care off. I assume you created a bot to make all these multiple postings in all these Slashdot headlines because if you're doing this BY HAND (but hopefully copypasta) then you REALLY-REALLY have some sad psychological issues that require intense professional help.
> The departure of Andy Rubin, the controversial robotics evangelist who reportedly got a $90 million payout to leave amid sexual misconduct allegations, seemed to speed up its demise inside the organization.
Sweet! Another WIN for the #metoo movement.
I got mah own personal iPhone app that doubles as a therapist and (wait for it) a party plannuh- mmm mmm mmm
Google labs stuff, albeit funded by the market, vs a monopoly, is the 2000s version of AT&Ts Bell Labs. You know, Unix, transistor, background radiation, etc Bell Labs.
These are both the same situations : both parent orgs put off scads of cash. In ad words and phone calls annuity for Google and AT&T respectively. Everything. Everything, else is dabbling.
The DIFFERENCE and I don't understand why this is, is that the Google labs seems to focus on "cool" - as the parent says, toy - projects, and bell labs seems to have focused on fundamental research.
History will be the judge of which research approach "worked." Right now the clear winner - purely IMO - is Bell Labs.
Given that Google can’t make this a viable business model, its clear there’s no impending “robot revolution” just about to displace millions of workers via automation. Like most things, fear and hype are fed by the ignorant
Wanna hear a secret? I buy my therapist pretty Christmas presents. He then gives me the quick therapy and I donâ(TM)t have to spend months telling him how I feel about every little thing. And Im savin money to tip my barista too.
So true. How dare women in the workplace think they are equal-status employees to their male colleagues and not the boss' fuck toys. How dare they not shut their mouths about being sexually harrassed at work.
Lets round up the incels MRAs and start a tiki torch march! How dare these jew... errr... "globalists" try to replace us!
Yes. How come nobody reviews these spammy posts
Try some Vagisil if your pussy is hurting.
It sounds like you are avoiding the therapy and then feel like you're beating the system. Just move on. Let this go. You're arguing with nobody.
What the actual fuck is 'broughten'?
Honestly, please keep your illiteracy and stupidity to yourself.
God Slashdot became a shithole once we rolled into 7-digit IDs.
What will we do with one less company making cool youtube videos of bipedal robots?
If you weren't such a cowardly fucking pedophile you'd know that it is a pop-culture reference dumb-ass. Now, stop diddling children and go fucking kill yourself moron.
Oh look, another CHILD MOLESTING IMPERSONATOR COWARD who can't stand up for his words, but, can cower in the shadows sniping at its betters! Go flog yourself to death! You are irrelevant, ineffectual, and cowardly. You must be a child molester because only child molesters cower in the shadows like you. Stop being a passive-aggressive, cunt, pussy, fag, pedophile. Stand up and be a man. Weak bitch!
— the gerald butler impersonator
I told you, stop sucking the dicks of 12 year old boys. It's RAPE you fucking child molester. Come out of the shadows you cowardly fucking shill!
— the gerald butler impersonator
Oh, look .. someone so goddamn stupid they have exactly one insult to hurl.
Listen you dumb sack of shit, I don't give a fuck about your stupid fucking internet memes, and don't give a fuck what a whiny little pussy like you thinks. Dumb-ass pop culture references just mark you as being a dumb ass.
So why don't you take your butt plug out of your ass, plug it into your mouth, and shut the fuck up.
Stop acting like you're some big tough guy on the internet, or at least do us the courtesy of going around doing that in real life so that eventually someone like me will knock your ass to the ground and relieve you of some fucking teeth.
You fucking little punks who just think being a straight on asshole all of the time on the internet really need to learn some manners.
Because sooner or later, you're going to get seriously hurt. Trust me, you'll deserve it.
I guess the fucking point is that you are a coward who is afraid to stand up for their own words. You cower in the corner, balled up in the fetal position licking your own asshole instead of standing up for something. You are a failure in life. Feel free to kill yourself and rid the world of one more useless anonymous child-molesting coward who has nothing meaningful to say and is too cowardly to take ownership of their own words.
Also, you suck at trolling!
— the gerald butler impersonator
I told you to stop sucking your own dick. Fuck you. I think pop-culture references are humorous. Your the fucking faggotty shild molester who attacks people like a coward from the shadows. I've posted my name and address. I post as my name. You can fuck yourself. If you want to teach me a lesson, then, hitchhike your ass over here by giving blow-jobs to truck drivers like you always do and teach me a lesson. Fucking twat! Go fuck yourself.
W--aaaaaah! The CHILD MOLESTING IMPERSONATOR COWARD missed his chance to sexually assault and humiliate another prepubescent boy tonight! Go Fuck Yourself! You suck at trolling.
When you grow a pair and can stand up and stand behind your words you might actually be a worthwhile human being. Until then, you are garbage to be trampled under my feet.
Fuck Off!
— the gerald butler impersonator
Do you talk to people like this in real life? Or are you just a raging asshole on the internet and a fucking incel pansy in real life?
Because you seem like a real candidate for a serious beating.
If you aren't talking to people like you would in real life, shut the fuck up and stop pretending.
Me, in real life, I'd make the same threats to hurt you as the previous AC did.
You're a loudmouth punk, grow up.
Great comeback, incel. Need me to buy you a new tiki torch and khakis? I hear yours got destroyed last year.
do you only threaten violence from cowardly anonymity? Last night, while you were finger-banding your Mom and sucking your dad's dick, you should've taken the time to look in the mirror.
Yes, I talk to assholes like you exactly like this in person. No, you wouldn't do shit. You're a fucking cowardly little jizz-bucket and you know it. Everyone knows it. Now, go swallow all the cum you have in your mouth from sucking off male-crack-whores before you choke to death on it.
Also, stop messing around with children. It's bad enough that you traumatized your own children, but, you need to leave other people's children the fuck alone.
You're dismissed.
Yes, yes, I know you're jealous that you've never been within 10 miles of an adult pussy, but, that is no reason for you to keep fucking around with children. Now stop stop you fucking pedo.
Now, go swallow the shit you have in your mouth.
While your at it, buy a gun, load it, put it in your mouth, and pull the trigger. The world will be a better place for it.
It's so weird that your'e such a faggoty, child-molesting, cowardly bitch who balls up in the fetal position and sucks his own dick while chanting, "make the bad man stop" instead of being a man and posting under your real name. Loser!
— the gerald butler impersonator
Child Molesting Impersonator Cowards like yourself should shut the fuck up until you pay penance for all the children you've molested anonymously.
— the gerald butler impersonator
So the employees are getting the Schaft?
I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
They are not looking to place the staff in other roles at Google, likely due to their refusal to build out the robot command code in Go or Ruby (running in Docker of course).
Nah dude, that was your mom ... I'll send you a link to the video if you want. And your dad sucks a mean cock.
Wow, you are batshit crazy, entirely fixated on child molestation, incest, and men sucking cock.
So basically you're a frustrated wannabe nazi, who really wants to be cuckholded, wants to lash out over your own sexual abuse as a child at the hands of your parents, and can only reach the intellectual level of accusing everyone else of being exactly what you are.
Careful your little nazi buddies don't find out, or they'll really bust open your ass like the fudge packing rapists they are.
You literally have only one range of insult which tells me you're not that bright and mostly following the whiny nazi incest survivor republican handbook. If you weren't so pathetic I might feel sorry for you. How boringly one-dimensional of a loser can you be?
Have you started wearing women's clothes yet? Or are you still working up the nerve? I bet you really want someone to tell you you've got a pretty mouth like your daddy used to.
You're a punk.
You're going to be entertaining as fuck to rile up because you believe your own bullshit -- apparently at any given moment you're a half a step away from being completely irrational and frothing at the mouth.
Enjoy your weekend, creampuff ... once I've spun you up enough, I might even let you suck my dick, because that's clearly what you crave the most.
If you're really good, I'll find some big black cocks to pull a train on you ... because all loudmouths like you really want that. You know you want to be passed around like the whore your daddy told you to act like, you're practically begging for it. They'll push your shit in so far you'll be coughing corn.
Sadly, there won't be any cuddling afterwards, I know how you whiny little nazi punks desperately crave the cuddling, especially after a bunch of big black cocks.
Now run along and go cry on your pillow about how unfair the world is for losers like you.
But don't touch yourself, Santa is watching, and you know what happens to naughty little boys. Though, judging by how emasculated you feel, maybe we should cut off your balls and then you can be the little girl your dad treated you like.
You are really getting yourself worked up aren't you? Did I hit a nerve with you? You know, De Nile ain't just a river in Africa!
Go see your therapist! You need a few more pills. Calm down. Tighten that straight-jacket. Everything will be OK. The bad man will stop scaring you.
Please, I beg you, turn yourself into the police. Get some help. It's not good what you are doing. Lay off the children!
Yes, yes, I know you're jealous that you've never been within 10 miles of an adult pussy, but, that is no reason for you to keep fucking around with children. Now stop stop you fucking pedo.
Now, go swallow the shit you have in your mouth.
While your at it, buy a gun, load it, put it in your mouth, and pull the trigger. The world will be a better place for it.
— the gerald butler impersonator
Awww, this incel is so cute. Yeah, I'm sure you're slaying pussy left and right... NOT. A fifi doll is the closest to a pussy besides your mom when being born that you've ever been.
Now, now. Stop projecting your own insecurities and foibles onto others. Go wash your fifi doll. It's getting gross.
Since you were birthed (shit) out of your father's asshole, you didn't get to see a pussy even at birth. Just to let you know, and asshole isn't a pussy.
Now kowtow to your superior. If you stop being such a cunt, I'll let you lick my boots clean.
You're dismissed.
Child Molesting Impersonator Cowards like yourself should shut the fuck up until you pay penance for all the children you've molested anonymously.
— the gerald butler impersonator
"I'm a much better programmer than APK" - by Anonymous Coward ZIP on Monday October 08, 2018 @11:27PM (#57449082)
BIG TALK - ZIP has nothing to show in programs.
I can https://news.slashdot.org/comm...
(From registered /.ers liking/using/praising my work (& 100k users worldwide too) - He can't!)
"ZIP" (Zach Patterson) tried to take credit for what I solved before him https://tech.slashdot.org/comm...
(He says he can code? I don't see it & DOUBT IT - he even needs to LEARN TO READ)
I even show 2 ways to do it YOURSELF https://tech.slashdot.org/comm... (he couldn't).
Delphi/FreePascal/ObjectPascal HAS no issue w/ null-term'd string bufferoverflows https://developers.slashdot.or... - C does, C++ can UNLESS you do what I said 1st loser.
He likes CODE SIGNING (that's been STOLEN & ABUSED) https://www.helpnetsecurity.co...
MY METHOD CAN'T BE (upmodded +2 INTERESTING in CODING FOR DEFCON no less) https://it.slashdot.org/commen...
LIAR ZIP says he has no account "I don't have an account, so I don't have mod points" https://news.slashdot.org/comm...
Yet LIAR ZIP says he downmods my posts (IMPOSSIBLE MINUS AN ACCOUNT on /.): "I down-modded a few of your post on other threads" - by Anonymous Coward "ZIP" on Thursday October 11, 2018 @11:31AM (#57461058) FROM https://yro.slashdot.org/comme...
APK
P.S.=> KEEP IMPERSONATING ME https://science.slashdot.org/c... - this comes out every time EXPOSING your BLOWHARD incompetence... apk
Who's the black private dick, That's a sex machine to all the chicks? (Schaft) You're damn right. Who is the robot that would risk his neck for his brother, man? (Schaft) Can ya dig it? Who's the cat that won't cop out when there's danger all about? (Schaft) Right on. You see this cat Schaft is a bad mother- (Shut your mouth) But I'm talkin' about Schaft. (Then we can dig it) He's a complicated robot but no one understands him but his programmer. (Google Schaft)
I can appreciate why the employees would be hesitant to join Softbank, after the epic management failures after Softbank acquired Aldeberan (makers of the Pepper robot). While some people claim the failures were an epic culture clash between HQ engineers and Aldebaran's french engineers, there were other issues at play. Knowing that, I would be hesitant too.
Though, one wonders what will happen to the key IP/patent work of Shaft surrounding advanced all electric actuator tech, which is what attracted Google/Rubin in the first place. Did Softbank get their claws on that, or will Alphabet retain the IP for further licensing? As I understood it, the actuators were well suited to humanoid type robots. Or did it migrate to Boston Dynamics while under Google's umbrella (see Spot Mini articulation), which means Softbank has access to it now?