You are correct in thinking that "computer engineering" and "software engineering" are not scientific disciplines, because they aren't. They are also not computer science. A software engineer is to a computer scientist what a mechanical engineer is to a physicist. Software engineering is not generally offered by engineering departments, but computer engineering is generally an EE degree focusing in digital systems, VLSI, etc. with some additional CS classes. My point is, though, that you know not of what you speak and that you do a tremendous disservice not only to mechanical engineers, but to all engineering disciplines when you suggest that mechanical engineering exists in some subordinate role to physics and that mechanical engineering is not a scientific discipline. The vast majority of the research and theoretical developments in continuum mechanics have been contributed by mechanical and civil engineers. One example of this would be fluid mechanics, and research in CFD and turbulence in particular, which is considered to be one of the ten intractable problems in physics. An undergraduate engineering education is focued almost entirely on the study of natural sciences and mathematical modeling. If anything, engineering is more of a hard science than is computer science.
The first thing that came to mind when I saw a picture of REEM-B were the Voynix from the (excellent) sci-fi novels Illium and Olympos by Dan Simmons. MINOR SPOILER: In the books, the Voynix are robotic servitors whose origins are unknown to the remnants of the human race who have become illiterate and essentially like the Eloi of the Time Machine (for reasons too lengthy to discuss here). In Olympos, it is revealed that the Voynix were originally created by a ruling Caliphate to exterminate the world of jews. I'm sure the people at PAL Robotics wouldn't be too pleased with the comparison, but it's the first thing that comes to mind at the sight of a somewhat sinister looking robot from the mideast.
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The first thing that came to mind when I saw a picture of REEM-B were the Voynix from the (excellent) sci-fi novels Illium and Olympos by Dan Simmons. MINOR SPOILER: In the books, the Voynix are robotic servitors whose origins are unknown to the remnants of the human race who have become illiterate and essentially like the Eloi of the Time Machine (for reasons too lengthy to discuss here). In Olympos, it is revealed that the Voynix were originally created by a ruling Caliphate to exterminate the world of jews. I'm sure the people at PAL Robotics wouldn't be too pleased with the comparison, but it's the first thing that comes to mind at the sight of a somewhat sinister looking robot from the mideast.