Ultra, the work of the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center, was competing in the penultimate day of the unapologetically dystopian World Humanoid Robot Games, which has been hosting 666 teams at China’s National Speed Skating Oval. At this event, more than 2,000 robots are put to the test in track and field events (like long jump and an obstacle course); sports (like table tennis and soccer); and “scenarios” (like bricklaying and firefighting).
But these tumbling records will likely be, in the pop cultural consciousness, eclipsed by something far more entertaining: tumbling robots. Along with the epic wins, there have been some seriously old-school, epic fails. One humanoid at the weightlifting event lost its balance with a weedy 15kg barbell, started jerking and slammed into the judges’ table, its helpless arms aloft, as if to say, “Why me?” Most memorably, a robot ended his dash by careering into a safety mat, Tom and Jerry style, before cartoonishly arching backward and setting on fire. Each spark was like a beautiful firework.
This robot schadenfreude is fuelled by a fear of the future. Pointing out their flaws makes humanity’s finish line feel further away, even if that’s a highly unintelligent thing to think.
And our collective giddiness about technical mishaps is not reserved just for AI. For instance, we love to watch the armored glass windows of the Tesla Cybertruck break. One possible reason: it shatters the illusion that the future is here and already decided. Robots surely can’t replace us if we haven’t figured out car windows yet. This feeling is magnified when they are humanoids—ersatz versions of ourselves.
My concern: when it comes to humanoids, at least, our schadenfreude is set to be a short-lived pastime. While advanced robots are still relatively primitive, their improvement is staggering. To put it into perspective, at last year’s World Humanoid Robot Games, Ultra won the 100 meters in 21.50 seconds, much closer to Bolt’s 200m record than his 100m time. They’re only getting stronger and faster. Dunking on “clankers,” a derogatory term for clumsy robots (like this one dancing to Billie Jean), may be the most classically human response: laughing off the impending doom.
Spectators from afar like me, viewing the drama on our phones, will continue to watch with a sort of futuristic gallows humour. Laughing at misfortune, however spiteful it may be, leads to social bonding—in this case, as an entire species, against robots—that humans desperately need right now.
Every time a clanker goes crash, bang, wallop, and kaput, it’s a visceral reminder that we still matter. And unlike them, when faced with their destruction, I’m able to smile.
Hence then, the article about why we love watching robots fail was published today ( ) and is available on Time ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Why We Love Watching Robots Fail )
Also on site :
- Best-Selling Author’s Latest ‘Maasverse’ Novel Ranked No. 2 on Amazon Charts—8 Weeks Before Its Release
- ‘Crash Landing on You’ Star Hyun Bin Returns in ‘Made in Korea 2’—What To Know About the 9-Year Time Jump
- ‘I’m a Hepatologist, and This Is the One Thing I Tell Every Patient With Fatty Liver To Start Eating’