When I was young.... A 3,000kg humanoid robot trailed by 700m of cabling could take 3 steps before lighting itself on fire. And we were freaking out.
this post was submitted on 23 May 2026
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I think the problem started after the first stumble, and he came out of it re-oriented in the wrong direction. That moonwalk should have been across the stage, instead of toward the audience, so when he came out of it, he was expecting to head back across the stage, but instead he headed toward the back of the stage, and hit the stairs, where he just pitifully gave up.
Breakdancing
That's still pretty impressive, especially the first recovery.
That was my thought. Like actually very close to making it through the recovery
And then went full Ashley Simpson.
(I'm pretty sure I've seen you write a rather fascinating tirade about how Ashley was the victim in all this, and I'm frankly trying to trigger you so that I can read it again.)
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So many people are talking and so focused on AI that everyone's been missing the robotics.
My husband has been showing me videos every week of robots from Japan, China, etc. Robotics has advanced insanely fast last few years.
Meh. Hard to feel excited about it. Humanoid robotics absolutely will not be beneficial for humanity in the current socioeconomic system. Best case is it spies on us and subverts democracy, worst case is it skullfucks people in impoverished nations to steal their land and resources.
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The guy missed the opportunity to moonwalk while dragging the robot out
The guy missed the opportunity to moonwalk while dragging the robot out
Witty comments like these belong to the few reasons I still log onto the Web from time to time.
The long pause where its just laying there with the lights still going and whatnot just sends me for some reason.
Everybody's waiting, holding their breaths, whispering to each other...
Meanwhile, backstage, CHAOS!
"What we do?"
"Get him up! Get him UP!"
"I'm trying, there's no connection!"
"What does that mean?"
"He's dead."
"Dead, dead?"
"Dead, Dead, DEAD."
"Now what!"
"Somebody has to get him off stage."
"How?"
"How do you think? Drag him."
"Who?"
"Him!"
"NO! Who drags him off stage?"
"Well, this is your circus, I guess that means it's YOU."
"But it will be humiliating."
"Sure will. You want music?"
Ngl the first save was impressive.
Can't wait to laugh at a tripping killbot before it rights itself and wastes me with a patent pending 12 hour painful death injectable
It's pretty impressive anyway. I wonder what another year of development will do?
I also prefer dancing robot to RoboCop and the firemen's robot dogs.
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I dunno about Michael Jackson, but he's perfected the drunk uncle at a wedding.
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If it was me falling over the steps in a dance performance, I'd stay down after the second time too.
At first I was like "Oh shit, it didn't completely eat shit on the stairs" and then it ended up completely eating shit the second time it got near the stairs. 🤣
You laugh now, but you'll remember these days fondly when the robot simply fell down instead of getting up and moonwalking while spraying bullets
The robot was once again defeated by its arch nemesis STAIRS
The ESCALATOR is like a nuclear bomb in the robot world.
Around 12.000 people are killed by stairs each year in the US alone. And so many more injured. Stairs are a menace!
Cars say those are amateur numbers
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Robby are you ok, are you ok Robby!?
the comedic timing is simply impeccable
Great, so not only do we have to fight robots for access to water, they can now emote over our broken bodies
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Why did they let it dance so close to the steps? Was it supposed to walk up?
Nah, the routine was not supposed to veer in that direction. Everyone lauding this as a win do not understand how simple these robots are.
This was supposed to be nothing but a vapid PR event that sold an image that is still not possible by consumer-grade robotics.
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It did better than I woulda.
How amazing is that recovery after the first stumble?
Somewhere between more amazing than falling over and less amazing than being able to climb stairs.
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I’m imagining most robots like this will be goose-stepping instead of dancing, so the inability to dance is probably not a big deal.
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Oh no, STAAAAAAAAAAAIRS -- Claptrap
This is perfect drunk dancing strategy. If some stairs sneak up on you while you're getting in your groove, retreat to safe ground and recover dignity, before taking on the stairs directly for the final victory. Magnificent.
Poor thing was staired to death.
"You know, I was Dancing Robot Michael Jackson once."
"Yes, I saw. You were doing well until you flopped around and died."
I know i dont know shit about robotics but really the absolute first thing they need to do is have a robot that can stand up after falling down. It's how humans learn to walk and it's really a prequisite to walking in general. You just shouldn't walk if you can't get up, that's why babies crawl until they learn to stand up from the floor.
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Takeaway: if you're chased by a killer robot pull out a banana peel
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