robots

I'm leading the Sci-Fi Squad Movie Club this week, and we're shifting gears a little bit with a 1980's action-thriller, that also happens to have an interesting take on how robotics might play a part in out future (or at least how our future was perceived in 1984, the time of the film's release). The film is Runaway, from writer/director Michael Crichton, who did a capable job in the director's chair, although the movie died a quick death upon release.

Runaway stars Tom Selleck as Sgt. Jack Ramsey, a cop in the "Runaways" unit, a special division of the police force that handles safety concerns caused by robots (almost like a futuristic version of animal control). When a household robot runs amuck and starts shooting people during a dangerous, but routine call, Ramsey discovers a trail that leads him into the most perilous case of his career, against techno-terrorist Dr. Charles Luther (Gene Simmons. Yes, The Demon from KISS). Kirstie Alley appears in an early role as Dr. Luther's mule and Cynthia Rhodes co-stars as Ramsey's partner Karen.

The film is available to "watch instantly" on Netflix, which should make it easy for you to join along. Here are some things to consider while you watch it...

--Does the mundane "everyday-living" approach to the robots help or hinder the film?
--Is Crichton's vision of the future obsolete or is this still a plausible direction for robotics?
--Cornfields and vertigo - Are these intentional nods to Hitchcock?
--What's your take on the acting style of Gene Simmons?
--Is the scene with the psychic necessary to the film?
--What elements make the film Michael Crichton-esque?

We'll be back with a discussion post on Monday. You can see the full trailer for Runaway after the jump.

For those following along at home, so far the Club has watched: Altered States - The Man Who Fell to Earth - Right at Your Door

Oh, PETA, when will you learn that people will stop making fun of your crusade for the ethical treatment of animals if you stop making outrageous, implausible demands? I do appreciate your resilient campaign of tricking getting celebrities to pose naked in anti-animal clothing advertisements, but now you've just gone back into crazy mode proposing what sounds like a joke from Futurama.

The Daily Record is reporting that PETA thinks it is unethical to keep the famous groundhog Punxsutawney Phil in captivity just so he can walk through a tree stump once a year to amuse a small town. Their solution? Robo-Punxsutawney Phil! Yes, they're serious. From the official PETA website:

"With Groundhog Day just a week away, I've got a Bill Murray movie on my mind-but the classic Groundhog Day isn't it. No, I'm thinking of Caddyshack-and the scene-stealing Mr. Gopher-and hoping that the folks in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, take a cue from the humane concept behind that cinematic critter by retiring Phil to a sanctuary and replacing him with an electronic groundhog."

Silly, PETA, now what would that accomplish? We all know robots can't predict the weather; only groundhogs can.

Did you know there was a dancing robot competition being held annually in Tokyo? Well there is, and it's called ROBO-ONE GATE (doesn't that sound controversial and illegal?), and it's apparently a robot exhibition (this is the sixth one) that includes a dance off of sorts. Sounds cool enough ... except you can't help but want to save this poor robot after watching the video below.

Seriously, it's like the beginning of an Astro Boy spin-off or something -- as this poor female robot (dressed, of course, in a Catholic girl's uniform because in Japan all female robots need to wear Catholic girl uniforms for some odd reason it seems) is just left to awkwardly "dance" on a stage while some human chick with a clipboard smiles behind her (though you can sense some pity behind that smile).

Watch the video after the jump and tell me you don't want to immediately start a Save the Robot trust fund.

[Welcome to the Sci-Fi Lunch Break, where we'll be supplying you with a cool bit of audio/visual goodness to break up the monotony of the work day. You bring the turkey on rye, we'll bring you something out of this world to watch while you eat it.]

Word came out yesterday that commercial director Carl Rinsch was set to jump to feature films with 47 Ronin, a samurai revenge film starring Keanu Reeves. I was only passingly familiar with the director's name, but a YouTube search turned up a wide swath of the man's very sci-fi friendly advertising work, and I must say I am in love with his love for robots. Doesn't matter if the product is a sneaker or a beer keg, Rinsch will apparently find some way to involve robots.

You may not know the name, but you'll probably recognize his Evolution of Technology commercial, which showcases centuries of evolution by trading in flesh and blood for metal and motors.

[Welcome to the Sci-Fi Lunch Break, where we'll be supplying you with a cool bit of audio/visual goodness to break up the monotony of the work day. You bring the turkey on rye, we'll bring you something out of this world to watch while you eat it.]

In place of the disastrous 2012 coming out today, I figured we should offer up a take on the end of the world that you might actually want to see. Such is Panic Attack, a five minute short film from Argentina that shows off what happens when a fleet of giant, slow-moving automatons invade a major city. It's a fun, resourceful little short set to the most memorable bit of music from 28 Days Later that should land fans of both robots and the apocalypse in high heaven.

Check it out:

I feel like the last three years have seen a spike in studios snatching up unpublished manuscripts for film development. I understand calling dibs on the rights to the next work from a novelist like Stephen King or Dan Brown, whose name recognition all but guarantees a nice return on investment, but I am a little puzzled at the transition from picking up spec scripts to picking up spec novels. Then again, I haven't been privy to the same information executives at DreamWorks have; their fast-tracking of Daniel H. Wilson's aways-off novel Robopocalypse probably makes a whole lot of sense to those who have taken an early look at it.

Or, perhaps more accurately, it makes a lot of sense to someone who looked at last summer's box office chart. Terminator Salvation and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen proved that romping, stomping robots are always kings of the opening weekend -- and even Duncan Jones' Moon proved that name-recognition wasn't a must and that robots don't have to be gigantic and people-hating to be profitable. Whatever the motivation, Robopocalypse "cautionary tale of man versus machine" has been all lubed up for the development process at DreamWorks, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Because we need even more distractions while we drive, those brilliant minds over at MIT are trying to develop a robot that keeps drivers company by communicating with them through the dashboard. The thought behind this is that the robot would help assist drivers by reading maps and helping with routine navigation, however they also want it to be, like, your best friend, too ... or something.

From PopSci: "As such, AIDA is being developed to read drivers' moods via their facial expressions and other cues (hand gestures?) and respond to them in the proper social context. It communicates back in very human ways as well: with a smile, the blink of an eye, the drooping of its head. AIDA analyzes the driver's mobility patterns, common routes and destinations, and driving habits. It then merges its knowledge of the driver with its knowledge of the city around it, mashing up the drivers priorities and needs with real-time information on everything from tourist attractions to environmental conditions to commercial activity to help the driver make better decisions."

Have MIT call me when they have a solution for the jackass who just cut me off from the left lane doing 90. Or does their robot also come equipped with weapons? Hmmm ...

[via Geekologie]

Science fiction is often born out of a desire to create something that doesn't exist in our world, but every now and then the process is reversed and scientists turn a bit of fiction into reality. I present to you Activelink's Dual-Arm Power Amplification Robot (video after the jump), a mechanized, force-feedback suit powered by 18 electromagnetic motors that a person climbs inside to operate. Capable of enabling its operator to lift in excess of 220lbs, the bot is being designed for construction work, though once it's up and running it'll feature interchangeable parts that will adapt it to a host of other scenarios from warehouse work to disaster relief to saving Zion from hordes of robotic, flying squids.

And if you're assuming that it's coincidental how much Activelink's DAPAR is conceptually similar to the power-suit Sigourney Weaver uses to shove the xenomorph queen out of the airlock at the end of Aliens, you should know that the scientists building it do lovingly refer to it as the Power Loader. It's not just a good sense of humor either, Activelink's chief engineer recognizes the idea popularized in James Cameron's film that robots shouldn't inherently be autonomous:

She's not exactly Britney Spears or Taylor Swift ... yet, but in a few years from now our kids could be idolizing robot singers like Yamaha's HRP-4C, who, apart from modeling wedding dresses, can now sing songs sent to it via iPhone (with the exception of tracks from Kanye West which it abruptly shuts off 30 seconds in). Color me not all too impressed since I vaguely remember being entertained by a similar robotic singer during my third grade birthday party at the local Chuck E Cheese ... except it was furry and part of an entire band. Take THAT Yamaha ... and your one singer who can't awkwardly bounce up and down to the music.

Keep trying ... though I give them points for the outfit. Is that what kids from the future wear to school? Check out video of the HRP-4C doing her thing after the jump ...

When he's not clawing his way back to the big screen in a sequel to X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Variety reports that Hugh Jackman is in talks to star in Real Steel for DreamWorks, with Shawn Levy (Night at the Museum) attached to direct. They're pitching this one as a "Rocky-with-robots saga", and it looks to take place in a world where human boxing is outlawed, only to be replaced by giant 2000-pound robot boxing. Nice.

Jackman would play an ex-fighter who turns to promoting and stumbles across a discarded robot that somehow always seems to win. Throw in a subplot that involves the 13-year-old son our hero never knew, and we've got the recipe for a robot flick that won't involve Michael Bay in any way, shape or form. Nice. Based on a Richard Matheson short story (which appeared as an original Twilight Zone episode called "Steel"), Dan Gilroy, Les Bohem and John Gatins have worked on the script.

What do you think of the idea? Anyone familiar with that old Twilight Zone episode? Will this work as a film?