# That Humanoid Robot Built by Some Car Company \[shudder\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 12, 2002, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-humanoid-robot-built-by-some-car-company-shudder/118630 "2002-07-12T14:39:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2002, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-humanoid-robot-built-by-some-car-company-shudder/118630/41 "2002-07-13T08:05:37Z")
Everyone knows **BOB** stands for **B** eware **O** f **B** ob. And Asimo is only the crafty Japanese’ way of lulling us into a false sense of security about robots before they unleash [MechaStreisand](http://www.darkhorizons.com/TV/images/sp-112.jpg). What does BABS stand for, again? ---
**Author:** ![Erroneous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/71c47a/32.png) [@Erroneous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erroneous)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2002, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-humanoid-robot-built-by-some-car-company-shudder/118630/42 "2002-07-13T13:13:34Z")
How about the [Living Robots](http://magna.livewwware.com/acg/acgsmg01.dll/gen/t/robotics/ptxt/robot/ptxt2/000000) being developed and tested at the Magna Science Centre in England? > [@](#): > > Developed by Professor Noel Sharkey, of Robot Wars fame, the Living Robots have one goal - to obtain enough energy to survive and breed. > [@](#): > > …the predators feed off prey by stalking and chasing them before sucking away their power. Worrying enough already, right? Well, last month one of these little bastards [escaped](http://www.bbc.co.uk/southyorkshire/news/2002/06/20/robots.shtml) its enclosure and got as far as the Centre’s car park. > [@](#): > > The creature had forced its way out of a paddock, travelled down an access slope and made its way outside through the front door. GAAK SMASH! MUST OBTAIN ENERGY! MUST SUCK POWER! ---
**Author:** ![SwimmingRiddles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@SwimmingRiddles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SwimmingRiddles)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2002, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-humanoid-robot-built-by-some-car-company-shudder/118630/43 "2002-07-13T14:03:25Z")
Until they make robots that live up to Rosie from the _Jetsons_, I’m not interested. I want a spunky, sarcastic maid. As for the willies factor, I think Erroneous has it cornered. > [@](#): > > “Since the experiment went live in March, the robots have all learned a significant amount and are becoming more intelligent by the day,” he said I am frightened of robots that can do things I can not. And I can assure you that I am not becoming more intelligent by the day, despite all Cecil’s efforts. These bots freak me out. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2002, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-humanoid-robot-built-by-some-car-company-shudder/118630/44 "2002-07-13T21:29:47Z")
We are freaking out because we know that once they build a robot that can sit at the desk and look at faxes, take some of the stuff off that fax and fax it to someone else our asses are out of work. ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2002, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-humanoid-robot-built-by-some-car-company-shudder/118630/45 "2002-07-15T05:40:40Z")
Asimo rocks. Sony’s also working on a humanoid version of the Aibo. [http://www.eetimes.com/story/OEG20001122S0048](http://www.eetimes.com/story/OEG20001122S0048) ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2002, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-humanoid-robot-built-by-some-car-company-shudder/118630/46 "2002-07-15T06:26:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Charmian \* > \*\* > Maybe it’s creepy because it’s _faceless_. Maybe if it looked more like Twiki from Buck Rogers, it wouldn’t bug me so much… \*\* I’m sure it wouldn’t, if you will recall “Twiki” looked exactly like a 3 foot tall [animatronic dildo](http://www.doinka.com/dkhan/uh_files/uh_theopolis.htm). ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2002, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-humanoid-robot-built-by-some-car-company-shudder/118630/47 "2002-07-15T08:13:11Z")
Apparently, you can hire ASIMO on a contract basis; would be good as an automated tourist guide I suppose, or an evil robot henchman. ---
**Author:** ![TeaElle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8491ac/32.png) [@TeaElle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TeaElle)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2002, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-humanoid-robot-built-by-some-car-company-shudder/118630/48 "2002-07-15T09:57:06Z")
Okay, that thing is completely wrong. Just wrong. I’ve left a voicemail message for Sam Waterston, asking him for the phone number to that Robot Insurance Company. I’m taking no chances. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2002, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-humanoid-robot-built-by-some-car-company-shudder/118630/49 "2002-07-15T14:14:11Z")
“The most impressive clip I’ve seen of it was of someone pushing it over on it’s back-- It is able to right itself in an eerily human way.” —OK, that does it. I am hiding under the bed with a Super-Soaker. ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2002, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-humanoid-robot-built-by-some-car-company-shudder/118630/50 "2002-07-15T14:41:33Z")
I’m still waiting to see what’s under that astronaut visor… It’s real face! Hmmm… Thaw out someone’s cryogenically frozen head… Stick in “new body”… Immortality! World domination! Mwah-ha-ha-ha! ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2002, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-humanoid-robot-built-by-some-car-company-shudder/118630/51 "2002-07-15T14:45:06Z")
Wait… Scratch that. Forgot about the whole 25 mintues of battery power and lack of waterproofing… Better wait for a later model. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2002, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-humanoid-robot-built-by-some-car-company-shudder/118630/52 "2002-07-15T15:03:09Z")
Can someone who is genuinely frightened of this thing explain, in a rational way, why? I, too, read Asimov’s robot stories as a child, and thought he was off-base when he wrote about people having such negative reactions to robots. And I am, frankly, somewhat amazed to read the comments above… but impressed a bit more, if such is possible, at the perspacacity of Dr. Asimov. - Rick ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2002, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-humanoid-robot-built-by-some-car-company-shudder/118630/53 "2002-07-15T15:24:55Z")
One word, **Bricker** : Terminator ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2002, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-humanoid-robot-built-by-some-car-company-shudder/118630/54 "2002-07-15T17:00:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bricker \* > \*\*Can someone who is genuinely frightened of this thing explain, in a rational way, why? > \*\* I’m not genuinely afraid of it (though I do find the commercial creepy for reasons already mentioned above). However, my best guess is that its astronaut-like appearance is going to put off a lot of people (that “little green men” X-files paranoia stuff). It looks too much like a miniature person in a sterile space-suit, and you expect to find some kind of face or organic being underneath the black “visor.” It looks neither like “toy” nor like “tool.” Though it seems they’ve tried to make it aesthetically quite neutral. C3PO and R2D2 look like friendly machines. The space-suit look of Asimo leaves one with a slightly more ambiguous impression. I think the black “visor” is probably the element causing the most problem, since it suggests a face that is being hidden. I would expect that the creepiness is along the same vein as “clown” creepiness. Creepy because it looks sort of like a person, but not like a person. That’s just my best guess. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2002, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-humanoid-robot-built-by-some-car-company-shudder/118630/55 "2002-07-15T17:06:43Z")
“Creepy because it looks sort of like a person, but not like a person.” —Yeah. That’s it. Sorta the same reason I can’t stand Jim Carrey. ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2002, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-humanoid-robot-built-by-some-car-company-shudder/118630/56 "2002-07-15T18:30:05Z")
Actually, I was thinking during my lunch hour (when I saw the microwave) that if Asimo’s “head” was square, it would totally lose that creepiness because it would suddenly look like “machine.” It would probably still need to lose the “visor” though, or you’d have people trying to microwave their lunches in his face. ---
**Author:** ![jab1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ee7513/32.png) [@jab1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jab1)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2002, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-humanoid-robot-built-by-some-car-company-shudder/118630/57 "2002-07-15T20:56:33Z")
So if they replaced that black visor with a 🙂 you’d all like it better? You guys were making fun of the way it walked; apparently you don’t realize just how difficult it was to get it to walk as well as it does. (Hell, it walks better than I do when I go to the head in the middle of the night; I bet ASIMO doesn’t bump into the furniture.) I think it’s cute in a toy-like way. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2002, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-humanoid-robot-built-by-some-car-company-shudder/118630/58 "2002-07-15T21:31:10Z")
I love it. The Asimo is really a great step forward in making computers more accessable to humans: Once machines can look us in the eye and understand spoken language, we’ll have a whole new world of tools to use. I can’t wait. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2002, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-humanoid-robot-built-by-some-car-company-shudder/118630/59 "2002-07-16T01:14:43Z")
One would think that with all the White-Wolf sites, it would not be difficult to find a page depicting Distinguished Colleague and her robotic servant. One would be wrong. If any Adepts, or other Scientists are reading this thread, you know the image I speak of. If any of you could provide a link, I would be in your debt. ``` Back To Asimo- ``` Let’s consider on the one hand-Chopping Mall OTOH ``` Cherry2000 ``` Hmmm While the many references to Asimov are understandable, I’m also reminded of Bradbury’s There Will Come Soft Rains. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2002, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-humanoid-robot-built-by-some-car-company-shudder/118630/60 "2002-07-16T03:38:14Z")
Still can’t find the image I want. But, the following should give you an idea what I mean. If Asimo looked like that. I think it would allay everyone’s fears of robot monsters. [Link](http://www.badmovies.org/movies/robotmonster/robotmonster7.jpg) Picture that 3-feet-tall. Who wouldn’t want one in their house? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-humanoid-robot-built-by-some-car-company-shudder/118630.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-humanoid-robot-built-by-some-car-company-shudder/118630.md?page=4)