Robots are amazing inventions and while it seems that we still have quite a way to go before we start seeing robots along the lines of Terminator, we definitely appear to be headed towards that direction. Over in Japan, the Yaskawa Electric Corporation took the wraps off their latest robot.
This robot is more of an “arm” rather than a humanoid robot, but it has managed to learn how to wield a katana and from what we can tell, it slices and dices just as well as a human, minus the empathy, compassion, and mercy that we might expect from a sentient being. In fact what makes this even scarier is the fact that the robot’s moves were taught by Japanese swordsman Isao Machii.
For those unfamiliar with Machii’s work, he has in the past demonstrated how quick and precise his sword strokes are. He has shown off how he can slice a shrimp in mid air that is traveling at 80mph, so imagine imparting that knowledge to a robot which can basically make no mistake in timing or precision.
Levity aside, we have to admit that it is pretty awesome and it seems that one day, we could be looking at humanoid robots that can wield guns and swords and wade into battle and defeating our enemies (before they overthrow humanity). Now imagine pairing that technology up with MIT’s cheetah robot, that would a frightening sight to behold!
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