Has This EVER Ended Well?
Japanese scientists are developing a humanoid robot designed to converse with astronauts to keep them company aboard the International Space Station.
Please tell me they’re not going to name him HAL.
[Anyway, go ahead and start listing "Robots in space ends badly" movies/books/TV/etc. in the comments]
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(4 votes, average: 4.75 out of 5)
December 8th, 2012 at 3:57 pm
As long as they don’t connect the robot to the door controls, it should be ok.
December 8th, 2012 at 4:28 pm
“Please tell me they’re not going to name him HAL.”
Worse, they’re going to name him Biden.
December 8th, 2012 at 5:17 pm
as long as the astronauts bring a Divinyls song on their iPods and tear-off pants, just in case things get groovy baby, they’ll be fine
December 8th, 2012 at 5:25 pm
Name him Marvin.
December 8th, 2012 at 5:44 pm
“Japanese scientists are developing a humanoid robot designed to converse with astronauts to keep them company aboard the International Space Station. ”
Ummmmm…Aren’t there other humans there ??! What? Is this just so they don’t miss being ignored by someone who is in the same room with you, and you while they use their electronics?
December 8th, 2012 at 5:46 pm
What? Is this just so they don’t miss being ignored by someone who is in the same room with you while they use their electronics?
FIXED IT
December 8th, 2012 at 6:26 pm
Oh, great. Toys in orbit.
December 8th, 2012 at 6:45 pm
First they added a vibrating “wrench” to the toolkit. Now they want astronauts to be “kept company.” Welcome to the feminization of space. That probably explains why instead of having a base on the dark side of the moon as our launching point to the stars, we’re satisfied with a tinker toy in high orbit.
December 8th, 2012 at 6:55 pm
“open the pod bay doors Hal”………”I’m sorry Dave, I can’t do that”
Unforgettable line from the Sci Fi classic, 2001, A Space Odyssey
December 8th, 2012 at 7:30 pm
“My sensors detect incoming sarcasm! Danger, Harvey Robinson! Danger!”
December 8th, 2012 at 7:47 pm
It’s never worked out well. Especially in Japan. Yoshimi finally had to battle the robots, and they were deadly pink robots at that. Today there are Japanese folk songs that relate the story of that epic battle….. http://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_800079&feature=iv&src_vid=ViB5nnPRuYo&v=AzlMeTxVdH8
December 9th, 2012 at 3:24 am
Welcome to the auto-answering robot. If you require oxygen, press 1 now. If aliens are invading, press 2 now. If the ship is suffering structural damage, press 3 now. To speak to a scientist at anytime, press 0 at any time…
December 9th, 2012 at 3:26 am
Marvin the paranoid robot!
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41iZKGjFYFL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
December 9th, 2012 at 5:29 am
“We now present: Tamagotchibot! It will keep astronauts company on long journeys.”
“How does it do that.”
“See those three buttons on front? You have to push them every so often to keep it amused.”
“What happens when the robot is not amused? [Pause] Uh, forget I asked that.”
“Not to worry. It won’t go Yul Brynnerbot on any one. Honest.”
“And you’ve tested this to make sure?”
“As a matter of fact, we’re sending a prototype to a nice quiet isolated research facility for testing.”
“Which one?”
“Saturn 3.”
December 9th, 2012 at 10:35 am
Its ended well many times. The Iron Giant saved a small New England town from destruction, Robbie the robot made Whiskey on Forbidden Planet ( and was unfairly suspected of being the Ego Monster from the ID), and continually saved or warned Will Robinson on Lost in Space. And then you have Commander Data on Star Trek: Next Generation. Oh wait, forget it, It really rarely ends well does it?
December 9th, 2012 at 11:57 am
Nobody’s gonna mention Ash from Alien, huh?
Star Trek’s M-5?
Maximilian from The Black Hole?
Oh well, at least Apostic referenced Hector.