Robots are starting to be more and more pervasive in our world, never mind that they have long ruled assembly and inspection lines in factories. Japan has a couple of robot museum guides who look so lifelike, they might have just taken a huge leap into the Uncanny Valley. Apart from that, we also have the allegation that Frank Lucas, the incumbent Oklahoma congressman, is no who “he” is, but rather, a robot. Well, to bring to light another robotic achievement would be the 70-foot tall BugJuggler who actually uses giant arms that will be able to juggle cars, as it wows the crowd by hurling a trio of vehicles into the air simultaneously.
This is starting to get creepy – what if someone gains control of the BugJuggler, or it somehow achieves sentience like in many a science fiction movie? Surely the very same hydraulic cylinders that are able to hurl and catch cars will be able to bring about a swath of devastation to mankind should it run amok. The BugJuggler relies on a diesel engine to generate enough hydraulic pressure to have it operate, where right now it requires an operator located in the robot’s head to control its motions via a haptic feedback system that is hooked up to high-speed servo valves.
The final version of the BugJuggler is said to be able to hold and throw a typical Volkswagen Beetle that tips the scales at a whopping 2,700lb (1,220kg).
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