Every Robot Has a Plan, Until It Gets Punched in the Face
Inevitably, now and then, a robot will smack a human (due to error). And a human will smack a robot (due to human nature)
A couple of videos circulating last week showed robots and humans looking like they were about to throw down. They weren’t. But as humanoid makers all over the world ramp up production (and as several make splashy announcements that they are aiming to put their products in homes, and not just factories), these scenes are, I think, a glimpse of the future.
Robot Bashes Human
Most compatible with people’s preconceptions is this video, taken February 9 at the Spring Festival Gala in Tianjin, China. You see a Unitree robot apparently lunge into the crowd and throw a punch at a human. As shocked people recoil, a couple of human security guards pull the machine back, looking for all the world like guys dragging a brawler away from his opponent.