> Although the videos frequently inspire comments that the robots will evolve into scary killing machines straight out of the “Terminator” movies, Dr. Raibert has said in the past that he does not consider his company to be a military contractor — it is merely trying to advance robotics technology.
His company _is_ a military contractor. This willful ignorance is very dangerous. It is so easy for engineers and scientists to just say they are working on cool technology, not intending for it to be used as machines of war. As a profession we need to open our eyes and acknowledge that much of our work is being used for military purposes. (Especially if the military is the one paying for it!)
EDIT: Yes, I agree that some people are fully aware of what their work is being used for. If they support it then it's their decision. It is just dangerous if we try to hind behind the veil of pure pursuit of knowledge, and ignore the reality of the situation.
We, the builders of this technology, need to deal with the ethical situations before they get out of hand. I think robotocists need to develop an analog to the hippocratic oath, and embrace it as a profession.
Just to clarify, I agree with you that any company that is funded by the military is technically a military contracter. But the term has deeply negative connotation.
Anybody who is involved with DARPA funded research. In this case it might be a little easier to the see the parallels between a robot and a war machine.
The Internet itself was a DARPA funded, as was GPS and they can both be seen as tools in war at least as this was there initial intent.
So while that does classify those who worked on them as military contractors, it is important to understand that its not necessarily a negative label and the benefits are sometimes felt years onwards after the military tech trickles down.
Nearly all the technology in front of you right now (your computer) came from military programs paid for by the US taxpayer. Google itself was initially funded via a DARPA grant, just like Boston Dynamics. It's public investment for private profit. This is no exception. Not to turn the conversation, but Libertarians (of which there are no few of on HN) need to get a grip on this fundamental aspect of the water they're swimming in here.
Very true although using robots in a combat situations is not necessarily bad. One nice thing about robot soldiers is that they can afford to ask questions, then shoot later if necessary unlike humans who shoot first then ask questions.
You are right that we should however acknowledge that robotics work does have military applications and that some ethical lines will have to be draw as we are reaching a point where we cannot ignore them any more.
At what level do you remain responsible? If I build a faster microprocessor that enables the creation of an automated weapon that kills thousands of people am I responsible for the choice to use what I built in that way?
I agree entirely, but how does this work for FOSS? IE - if we license our stuff BSD or MIT or WTF, technically we're allowing it to be used by the military or contractors like Lockheed Martin. Perhaps we need a license that basically states that our stuff can't be used for military application?
A few years ago I enrolled in a four-month investigative journalism program. My challenge was to find an interesting character and embed myself with the person, writing about his or her life and career.
I ended up running into an engineer from Boston Dynamics and spent four months writing about his unique approach to solving problems.
The engineer, Jon, who worked on Big Dog as well as Rise, was one of the coolest and most inspirational people I've met. He explained how he struggled with dyslexia as a kid, and engineering, being more right brain-oriented, was a vehicle that allowed him to succeed despite his disability.
In fact, he later took a huge salary cut so he could become a high school teacher and teach engineering to kids, especially those with dyslexia.
But getting back to the issue at hand, I really enjoyed learning about Boston Dynamics during the four months I spent working on the story, and I think Google made a smart decision.
do you happen to mean jon clark? i helped work with him on RiSE :) can't believe it's been almost 8 years now. i wasn't working with the robotics directly, though, but studying animal locomotion (measuring foot forces, CM, roll/pitch/yaw ...). good times
HN gets a lot of post about acquisitions and whatnot, but I feel this is probably one of the most important in recent memory.
The implications of taking this talent into consumer robotics (or augmenting their presence in the defense community) will ripple through the tech world.
It's amazing because it's so clearly, wildly complementary: Google becomes the prefrontal cortex to Boston Dynamics' robotic central nervous systems. I can't see this pairing as anything other than the beginning of the world of sci-fi robotics.
Here is a link to Boston Dynamics' YouTube channel in case any of you want to see some of the amazing robots they've built over the years.
Boston Dynamics' robot knowledge (and patents) combined with Google ability to create awesome software, such as their self-driving car, will be a great combination.
I'm not sure where going is going with all of these recent acquisitions. Home and office robots to make our lives easier? What in the heck are they up to at Google X?
The US DoD probably doesn't like this too much, considering that Google stated that they do not want to step into the government contracting sector. Boston Dynamics seemed like one of the most promising contractors for DARPA in the robotics industry.
IMO it's only a matter of time before Google steps into the cyborg industry. It's almost scary to think about, but it's inevitable and at least Google has some experience in dealing with products and services that are controversial, such as data privacy.
I was about to rip on Apple for not doing anything innovative or even remotely interesting in years, but it's sad to see all of that money be wasted on rounded corners, perfecting fonts, and scrolling animations.
> it's sad to see all of that money be wasted on rounded corners, perfecting fonts, and scrolling animations.
It may seem like a waste from a technocratic point of view, but it's probably worth it just for popularizing and normalizing technology. If we didn't have that bump in style and usability in smartphones/tablets, people would be less comfortable with carrying around the internet in their pocket, there'd be less demand for tech like 4G, etc. Now people's minds are a bit more open to pervasive tech, and it may help adoption of whatever tech BD+Google develops.
When Google starts investing/buying into companies doing bio-compatible materials, this is when we'll see they are moving to cybernetics. It's the basic research that is started before big advances in the field appear.
I think you've hit on something important that I didn't realize at first; patents. Those BD patents have got to be worth a lot of time & money to Google. When I first read that Google had acquired BD I was shocked and a little scared, but now it makes a lot of sense.
"Within a year they had two demonstration projects that got a lot of media attention. The first was an autonomous humanoid robot that, given an apartment number, could walk through a city, find the building, ride the elevator or walk up the steps and knock on that apartment door. The second was a car that could drive itself door-to-door in rush hour traffic without any human intervention. By combining the walking robot and the self-driving car, the researchers demonstrated a completely robotic delivery system for a pizza restaurant. In a widely reported publicity stunt, the research team ordered a pizza and had it delivered by robot to their lab 25 minutes later."
ok, so it's pretty obvious mainstream robotics' time is finally coming. growing up, I could teach myself many facets of software engineering with nothing more than a few books and a computer, and build all kinds of interesting projects that I could use myself and share with others, like games, utilities, web sites, etc.
this analogue doesn't seem to be there for learning robotics. if I hack on a robotics project, it feels like it's going to be more of a toy or a demo, and it is self contained and not something that I can share with others to use. sure, I can spend time getting a robot to solve a simple puzzle, navigate a maze, or whatever, but these types of projects seem so less motivating compared to the types of things that got me into coding in the first place: things I could share with others and that they would enjoy using. Are there projects like this? What are some robotics projects that I can build and learn from while and actually use and enjoy, today, relatively cheaply? I want to learn this stuff but it feels very forced to find that most projects seem very academic in nature and not "shippable" like even the most basic toy projects I did when starting out.
I went through Thurn's self-driving car class and started the mobile robot control course on Coursera, but the apex of these is at best a simple little robot platform moving around my house sensing tape on the floor. Even that will cost me $1000, in practice I will probably end up with just a simulation on my PC. Mindstorms looks cool but almost by definition it is just a toy. When can I build a robot that will perform real, useful automation that will improve my life, even in some marginal way, not just seem like a cool toy? How can I build a robot that will fetch me a beer or let the dog out or get the mail or something even minor that will make me feel like I am doing something with purpose and a real goal and not a homework assignment to get a robot to perform some meaningless task.
I've found the real cost factor is not so much the robotics platforms when you want to make big+specialized things like this (because the robotics platforms specifically designed for one's particular problem space are often few or non-existent) but the hurdle of tool acquisition. That is to say, most people I know working on these sorts of things as hobbies build as much as they buy. A decent small metal lathe runs about $600-1000, a mill drill can be put together for around $1k, CNC router capable of cutting decent size panels of aluminum for around $2k+.
You can buy inexpensive robot platforms, but they're small - there's a reason for this. Heavy, powerful components cost real money and someone has to make margin selling them to you, given they paid margin to buy them. High power and high current control systems (motor drivers, motors, etc.) are more difficult and expensive to design than small, low-power units.
But, there's nothing stopping you from seeing a design you like, and making it from the raw parts, except a lack of tools (in most cases).
> a simple little robot platform moving around my house sensing tape on the floor. Even that will cost me $1000
Huh? You can buy line-following robot kits on Amazon for $30, and there are even cheaper ones out there.
> When can I build a robot that will perform real, useful automation that will improve my life, even in some marginal way, not just seem like a cool toy? How can I build a robot that will fetch me a beer or let the dog out or get the mail or something even minor that will make me feel like I am doing something with purpose and a real goal and not a homework assignment to get a robot to perform some meaningless task.
Right now, buy some motors, buy some metal stock, bearings, shaft, pulleys, etc. and start designing a machine around them. Long before you get to the algorithms of running a robot, there are the physics of it, the basic electronics knowledge, and the design and machining.
> What are some robotics projects that I can build and learn from while and actually use and enjoy, today, relatively cheaply?
Small robotic arms are cheap these days - OWI and Lynxmotion make fairly inexpensive arms for learning, small wheeled bases like the Dagu Wild Thumper can carry a small arm for around $250, and are well regarded. You can throw an Arduino or Raspberry Pi in for control put together a Lynxmotion arm and a Dagu base, and for less than $600, you have a platform that can lift small objects and move them around. When you want bigger, make it yourself from what you've learned.
ROS and Gazebo are Open Source, are used by professional researchers, and are all you need to make a real contribution. You can't afford a robot, but you can simulate a very good one for free.
Isn't this a role that 3d printing and Quadcopters are filling for like-minded tinkerers?
Extension projects : for instance, if one has a quadcopter and a go-pro, then the next problem is figuring out a cheaper gimbal mount (using BLDCs and a micro-controller/gyroscope).
I think that there are a lot of professional-quality robotics projects that one can do, if you look at specialties that use robots. "Robot" is a loaded term that conjures up generalized images of the stuff you read and see in movies. Look into keywords like "automation", "mechatronics", etc...
Examples: Silicon wafer handlers, pick-and-place machines, vacuum cleaners, beer pourers, recycling sorters, package handlers, CNC machines, etc... An especially interesting field is open-source prosthetics.
There are prosumers making these types of robotics projects in their garages/local hackerspaces. There are many online forums where people sharing their builds as well, and many times these builds are actually used in production situations.
Also a high-quality robotics platform in no way needs to cost $1000. If you're on a budget just go to a local hobby shop, spend $100 on a chassis + wheels + motors and order some $0.10 sensors online.
All of your points are good but, keep in mind, a robot that is capable of changing your physical world for the better is capable of doing the opposite. A robot that can get you a beer can also drop one on your toe.
For this reason, I expect the "personal robot revolution" to occur at the nexus of wealthy/non-litigious. I'm not quite sure where that is maximized on earth at the moment, but I'm quite certain its not the USA. (My current bet is Chinese cities)
I've been wondering about this for a while given I currently work for a community college. Skipping the "robot engineer" degree I would expect to show up, what the heck kind of training would be needed for a "robot technician and repair" vocational program?
In my school we make line following robots with 14 year olds that are programmed using a couple of cheap micro controllers and cost about £4 in total. $1000 seems a little excessive.
I too would absolutely love to know how you can get involved with robotics as a hobby without spending and arm and a leg (assuming I have access to a workshop equipment like at TechShop or NoiseBridge).
Reading the headline the first words out my mouth were "holy shit"
Not only does this bring some serious engineering talent to Google's robotics initiative, this acquisition should create some interesting new interactions between Google and the government moving forward.
Does "don't be evil" mean "don't build robots that the government will use to kill or harm people"?
It would be nice to see some clarification on this from Google management. There's only so far you can go in high end robotics research before the pentagon comes a-knocking with wheelbarrows of freshly printed money.
Maps, Self-Driving car, robots and a high quality analytics team. On top of that, robotic team comprises of various reputed groups with talented well regarded individuals. I look forward to the future. Also, how much disparity will arise in quality of living between North America and various Asian countries, or even Europe.
>It is the eighth robotics company that Google has acquired in the last half-year.
This is a crazy aggressive acquisition strategy. Does anybody have a list of the other companies?
Where could google be heading to? They already have self-driving cars and a big stake in Uber. Somehow I am missing a connection to a manufacturer that already has an established stake in the vehicle/robotics industry. All they have so far are design companies.
Does this mean that Google is now a military supplier? They explicitly state that they would continue selling under existing contracts but that they "did not plan to move toward becoming a military contractor on its own."
To me, this sounds half-hearted. What does "on its own" even mean in that context?
Those BD robots scare the crap out of me. When the Big Dog video appeared, my first thought (within five seconds of seeing it move) was: Combat robot.
That would be the "Zeroth Law", zeroth because it supersedes all the others. A version of it first showed up in Asimov's short story "The Evitable Conflict":
If you give robots autonomy, they inevitably end up having to make moral decisions. For example, "Should I, an autonomous car, run over the elderly man or the girl with terminal cancer, those being the only two options?"
Asimov's laws (initially suggested by an editor, John W. Campbell) were a first pass at some principles for decision-making. Others have since devised more elaborate ones.
Robotics is multifaceted and difficult in all of them. Boston Dynamics is probably the best place in the world for motion dynamics, gaits, and walking mechanics.
I'm amazed, but I suppose I shouldn't be - Google made a great choice.
My childhood dream was to buid robots. I left that dream when I realized doing robotics mostly meant industrial arms and pick-and-place machines. Seeing developments over the last few years is inspiring, to say the least. Maybe it's time to consider coming back in.
No, it's not. If you want to build robots at home you will have to accept they will be vacuum cleaner level robots. For "real" robotics we need better software for controlling robot body. And that requires artificial brain. And we don't know yet how to build it, because we don't know how our brain works in enough detail yet.
I feel like robotics in a few years is what big data is today. So what is it that one should be doing to get ready to jump into robotics in a few years?
Pragmatic question: I'm a mathematician by training, and currently a machine learning engineer at a large Silicon Valley company. How does one in their late twenties jump into really working robotics? Machine learning was something I could watch lectures on, read papers about, work the math out on paper, then spend years in Python/C++ getting a feel for across various problem domains. Physical robots don't seem as accessible.
Actually, a lot of the math for 3d game engines transfers directly to robotics. Matrix coordinate transformation to/from each joint to figure out where/how to place it.
This is huge. It is cutting-edge, hardcore technology. Worth so much more than Snapchat-like hype (ironically, may be even much cheaper). Well done, Google.
[+] [-] doctoboggan|12 years ago|reply
His company _is_ a military contractor. This willful ignorance is very dangerous. It is so easy for engineers and scientists to just say they are working on cool technology, not intending for it to be used as machines of war. As a profession we need to open our eyes and acknowledge that much of our work is being used for military purposes. (Especially if the military is the one paying for it!)
EDIT: Yes, I agree that some people are fully aware of what their work is being used for. If they support it then it's their decision. It is just dangerous if we try to hind behind the veil of pure pursuit of knowledge, and ignore the reality of the situation.
We, the builders of this technology, need to deal with the ethical situations before they get out of hand. I think robotocists need to develop an analog to the hippocratic oath, and embrace it as a profession.
[+] [-] samirahmed|12 years ago|reply
Anybody who is involved with DARPA funded research. In this case it might be a little easier to the see the parallels between a robot and a war machine.
The Internet itself was a DARPA funded, as was GPS and they can both be seen as tools in war at least as this was there initial intent.
So while that does classify those who worked on them as military contractors, it is important to understand that its not necessarily a negative label and the benefits are sometimes felt years onwards after the military tech trickles down.
[+] [-] nickbauman|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] en4bz|12 years ago|reply
Here is a great presentation on the subject: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASDkNdhUvuU&nofeather=True
You are right that we should however acknowledge that robotics work does have military applications and that some ethical lines will have to be draw as we are reaching a point where we cannot ignore them any more.
[+] [-] alwaysdoit|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] antihero|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] unknown|12 years ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] jff|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] hawkharris|12 years ago|reply
I ended up running into an engineer from Boston Dynamics and spent four months writing about his unique approach to solving problems.
The engineer, Jon, who worked on Big Dog as well as Rise, was one of the coolest and most inspirational people I've met. He explained how he struggled with dyslexia as a kid, and engineering, being more right brain-oriented, was a vehicle that allowed him to succeed despite his disability.
In fact, he later took a huge salary cut so he could become a high school teacher and teach engineering to kids, especially those with dyslexia.
But getting back to the issue at hand, I really enjoyed learning about Boston Dynamics during the four months I spent working on the story, and I think Google made a smart decision.
[+] [-] officialjunk|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] skybrian|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] jblock|12 years ago|reply
The implications of taking this talent into consumer robotics (or augmenting their presence in the defense community) will ripple through the tech world.
[+] [-] mortenjorck|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] aaronsnoswell|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] rch|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] dm2|12 years ago|reply
Here is a link to Boston Dynamics' YouTube channel in case any of you want to see some of the amazing robots they've built over the years.
Boston Dynamics' robot knowledge (and patents) combined with Google ability to create awesome software, such as their self-driving car, will be a great combination.
I'm not sure where going is going with all of these recent acquisitions. Home and office robots to make our lives easier? What in the heck are they up to at Google X?
The US DoD probably doesn't like this too much, considering that Google stated that they do not want to step into the government contracting sector. Boston Dynamics seemed like one of the most promising contractors for DARPA in the robotics industry.
IMO it's only a matter of time before Google steps into the cyborg industry. It's almost scary to think about, but it's inevitable and at least Google has some experience in dealing with products and services that are controversial, such as data privacy.
I was about to rip on Apple for not doing anything innovative or even remotely interesting in years, but it's sad to see all of that money be wasted on rounded corners, perfecting fonts, and scrolling animations.
[+] [-] kalleboo|12 years ago|reply
It may seem like a waste from a technocratic point of view, but it's probably worth it just for popularizing and normalizing technology. If we didn't have that bump in style and usability in smartphones/tablets, people would be less comfortable with carrying around the internet in their pocket, there'd be less demand for tech like 4G, etc. Now people's minds are a bit more open to pervasive tech, and it may help adoption of whatever tech BD+Google develops.
[+] [-] DigitalJack|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] geuis|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Corrado|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] spiritplumber|12 years ago|reply
"Within a year they had two demonstration projects that got a lot of media attention. The first was an autonomous humanoid robot that, given an apartment number, could walk through a city, find the building, ride the elevator or walk up the steps and knock on that apartment door. The second was a car that could drive itself door-to-door in rush hour traffic without any human intervention. By combining the walking robot and the self-driving car, the researchers demonstrated a completely robotic delivery system for a pizza restaurant. In a widely reported publicity stunt, the research team ordered a pizza and had it delivered by robot to their lab 25 minutes later."
[+] [-] gfodor|12 years ago|reply
this analogue doesn't seem to be there for learning robotics. if I hack on a robotics project, it feels like it's going to be more of a toy or a demo, and it is self contained and not something that I can share with others to use. sure, I can spend time getting a robot to solve a simple puzzle, navigate a maze, or whatever, but these types of projects seem so less motivating compared to the types of things that got me into coding in the first place: things I could share with others and that they would enjoy using. Are there projects like this? What are some robotics projects that I can build and learn from while and actually use and enjoy, today, relatively cheaply? I want to learn this stuff but it feels very forced to find that most projects seem very academic in nature and not "shippable" like even the most basic toy projects I did when starting out.
I went through Thurn's self-driving car class and started the mobile robot control course on Coursera, but the apex of these is at best a simple little robot platform moving around my house sensing tape on the floor. Even that will cost me $1000, in practice I will probably end up with just a simulation on my PC. Mindstorms looks cool but almost by definition it is just a toy. When can I build a robot that will perform real, useful automation that will improve my life, even in some marginal way, not just seem like a cool toy? How can I build a robot that will fetch me a beer or let the dog out or get the mail or something even minor that will make me feel like I am doing something with purpose and a real goal and not a homework assignment to get a robot to perform some meaningless task.
[+] [-] drone|12 years ago|reply
You can buy inexpensive robot platforms, but they're small - there's a reason for this. Heavy, powerful components cost real money and someone has to make margin selling them to you, given they paid margin to buy them. High power and high current control systems (motor drivers, motors, etc.) are more difficult and expensive to design than small, low-power units.
But, there's nothing stopping you from seeing a design you like, and making it from the raw parts, except a lack of tools (in most cases).
> a simple little robot platform moving around my house sensing tape on the floor. Even that will cost me $1000
Huh? You can buy line-following robot kits on Amazon for $30, and there are even cheaper ones out there.
> When can I build a robot that will perform real, useful automation that will improve my life, even in some marginal way, not just seem like a cool toy? How can I build a robot that will fetch me a beer or let the dog out or get the mail or something even minor that will make me feel like I am doing something with purpose and a real goal and not a homework assignment to get a robot to perform some meaningless task.
Right now, buy some motors, buy some metal stock, bearings, shaft, pulleys, etc. and start designing a machine around them. Long before you get to the algorithms of running a robot, there are the physics of it, the basic electronics knowledge, and the design and machining.
> What are some robotics projects that I can build and learn from while and actually use and enjoy, today, relatively cheaply?
Small robotic arms are cheap these days - OWI and Lynxmotion make fairly inexpensive arms for learning, small wheeled bases like the Dagu Wild Thumper can carry a small arm for around $250, and are well regarded. You can throw an Arduino or Raspberry Pi in for control put together a Lynxmotion arm and a Dagu base, and for less than $600, you have a platform that can lift small objects and move them around. When you want bigger, make it yourself from what you've learned.
[+] [-] robotresearcher|12 years ago|reply
http://www.osrfoundation.org/
[+] [-] mdda|12 years ago|reply
Extension projects : for instance, if one has a quadcopter and a go-pro, then the next problem is figuring out a cheaper gimbal mount (using BLDCs and a micro-controller/gyroscope).
[+] [-] mmcdan|12 years ago|reply
There are prosumers making these types of robotics projects in their garages/local hackerspaces. There are many online forums where people sharing their builds as well, and many times these builds are actually used in production situations.
Also a high-quality robotics platform in no way needs to cost $1000. If you're on a budget just go to a local hobby shop, spend $100 on a chassis + wheels + motors and order some $0.10 sensors online.
[+] [-] noonespecial|12 years ago|reply
For this reason, I expect the "personal robot revolution" to occur at the nexus of wealthy/non-litigious. I'm not quite sure where that is maximized on earth at the moment, but I'm quite certain its not the USA. (My current bet is Chinese cities)
[+] [-] protomyth|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] MarcScott|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] malandrew|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] brd|12 years ago|reply
Not only does this bring some serious engineering talent to Google's robotics initiative, this acquisition should create some interesting new interactions between Google and the government moving forward.
[+] [-] sneak|12 years ago|reply
It would be nice to see some clarification on this from Google management. There's only so far you can go in high end robotics research before the pentagon comes a-knocking with wheelbarrows of freshly printed money.
in b4 "skynet"
[+] [-] iamshs|12 years ago|reply
Maps, Self-Driving car, robots and a high quality analytics team. On top of that, robotic team comprises of various reputed groups with talented well regarded individuals. I look forward to the future. Also, how much disparity will arise in quality of living between North America and various Asian countries, or even Europe.
[+] [-] kken|12 years ago|reply
This is a crazy aggressive acquisition strategy. Does anybody have a list of the other companies?
Where could google be heading to? They already have self-driving cars and a big stake in Uber. Somehow I am missing a connection to a manufacturer that already has an established stake in the vehicle/robotics industry. All they have so far are design companies.
[+] [-] sentenza|12 years ago|reply
To me, this sounds half-hearted. What does "on its own" even mean in that context?
Those BD robots scare the crap out of me. When the Big Dog video appeared, my first thought (within five seconds of seeing it move) was: Combat robot.
[+] [-] BIair|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] troymc|12 years ago|reply
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Evitable_Conflict
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeroth_Law_of_Robotics#Zeroth_...
If you give robots autonomy, they inevitably end up having to make moral decisions. For example, "Should I, an autonomous car, run over the elderly man or the girl with terminal cancer, those being the only two options?"
Asimov's laws (initially suggested by an editor, John W. Campbell) were a first pass at some principles for decision-making. Others have since devised more elaborate ones.
[+] [-] thibauts|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] batbomb|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Qworg|12 years ago|reply
I'm amazed, but I suppose I shouldn't be - Google made a great choice.
[+] [-] robomartin|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] cLeEOGPw|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] madiator|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] dsl|12 years ago|reply
Most of the people I run into today working on "big data" could still effectively fit the workloads in a single powerful MySQL box.
[+] [-] textminer|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] DigitalJack|12 years ago|reply
Actually, a lot of the math for 3d game engines transfers directly to robotics. Matrix coordinate transformation to/from each joint to figure out where/how to place it.
[+] [-] sandstrom|12 years ago|reply
Amazon (through AWS) is already earning quite a bit of revenue from defence/military/nsa contracts (although I assume it's still negligible amounts).
[+] [-] mimighost|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] jacques_chester|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] tylerlh|12 years ago|reply
My favorite from Boston Dynamics impressive creations is the Sandflea. http://www.bostondynamics.com/robot_sandflea.html