The Doctor…and Robots are in!
Over the many incarnations of Doctor Who, the infamous robots – Daleks – have also evolved. Being pretty new to Doctor Who myself, I thought the Daleks have a curious similarity to C3PO of Star Wars. The same can be said for similarities between Cyberman (Doctor Who) and R2-D2 (Star Wars).
Thinking broader, most robots on film resemble humans in a tincan suit. Even in Fritz Lang's geek-before-geek Metropolis, Maria is a the grandmother of on-screen robots. Of course, because of limited technology, perhaps robots had to look like humans, because of the actors within the suits.
Curiously, these on-screen robots can help, hinder, even be humans' worst enemies or best allies. Those Daleks sure are excited about "Exterminate!" But what about real life robots?
Robots of real life don't necessarily look human or animal-like. There's lots of debate about helping/hindering and how useful (or ethical) robot technology can be.
Robotic Surgery is incredibly helpful, allowing surgeons to minimize cuts and to work on an extremely small scale – which can result in more precise procedures and better recovery.
On the flip side, the NAV Hummingbird, developed by the US Dep't of Defense looks like a hummingbird, but is actually a spy drone. Equipped with a camera, the hummingbird can inperceptibly drop by windows and fly into small spaces. It can hover, turn and flip like a real hummingbird.
Is there a robot you'd like to invent?
Is there a robot from real life or tv/film that you find totally wacky, wonderful and weird?
Do you find robots to be a great tool for everyday life or as strange aliens in our midst?
In the meantime, if you're craving some Doctor Who:
Be sure to check out Doctor Who from the library – so you can go into 'Who-bernation' for a while…
10 thoughts on “The Doctor…and Robots are in!”
Staying with the Doctor Who theme I would love to have my own K9. K9 is a robotic dog that has been the Doctors best friend for years and years. He has all the qualities of a dog, but is has intelligence of that higher than the average person. He is funny, helpful, smart, and so much more.
That hummingbird robot gives me the jitters (lovely yet, dangerous) but, I doubt anyone would let a bird fly into their homes these days…
The robots from the recent TV show, Sam & Cat, have a human-like personality and would be amusing to have exist in real life. If that restaurant existed here, in Toronto, I’d be both excited and reluctant to go eat there! Yes, robots still make me iffy– especially human-like ones!
Totally, he’s a pretty cool robotic dog. And he’s great for people with allergies ;). I’d love to have a pet that could play chess or checkers. I bet you could 3-D print something like K9…that would be extra cool to make your own.
I”m a little fascinated by them, though they also have scary potential.
There’s some interesting ones out there, though. I love Asimo, and we are fond of watching the Boston Dynamics videos around my house, and here are a few more fun ones that were new to me, in case anyone else is equally interested:
http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2012/12/21/jan_scheuermann_footage_of_paralyzed_woman_eating_chocolate_with_robotic.html
I loved the robot from the movie Terminator and how it could mimic voices, have incredible combat skills, and be virtually indestructible. The end scene where the heat and fire destroyed his plastic skin and revealed his metal robotic skeleton and mechanics were also terrifying.
If I could invent a robot, I would invent something like R2-D2 except it will be able to do so much more, it can be portable and turn into any electronic device, as well as helping me clean my room and do my chores.
Oh my gosh, totally terrifying. But such a classic! This pic of the terminator gives me the heebie-jeebies: http://images.wikia.com/terminator/images/archive/4/49/20100204104618!Terminator.jpg
Ya, I have watched Sam & Cat and the robots are pretty cool. I love how at the restaurant, you choose what you want through a tablet and the robot delivers it to you. I do agree that it would be cool if that existed in real life, especially in Toronto. But don’t be surprised if there is because they may actually be coming up with those ideas and might make it happen in the future.
I find robots to be a great tool for everyday life but they can be kind of creepy when it comes to getting used to them. Although, I think they are very useful and that is where our world is going but I don’t trust them. I find it hard to trust them because they can malfunction at any time and turn against it’s creator- us, humans.
The Daleks aren’t robots but rather cyborgs. Their bodies are enhanced by armor and cybernetics.