I don’t know whether to be amazed or creeped out by this video. I think I’ll have to settle for something in between:
More here. Via Jonathan Coulton. (Although Jonathan Hodgman says, “I am still pretty sure that it’s some kind of Mumenschanz stunt.”)
I’m goin’ with “amazed.” That is some really cool engineering. So what if it looks like some kind of freaky headless spider-dog? 🙂
Um. I’m creeped out.
Oh, it’s exceptionally cool, but I also think there’s some uncanny valley action going on there. There’s some very natural, and at the same time very unnatural, movement there. The Mumenschanz joke seems very apt; I was not entirely convinced this wasn’t a pair of very acrobatic people until well into the video, the robotic noises and weird angles at which it sometimes walked notwithstanding. I’m amazed by the engineering, but I am also a little creeped out by actually watching the thing in action.
When it was on the ice.. is it wrong that I wanted to push it over and make it fall?
Maybe not…just don’t let it know you wanted to do that…
Big Dog Beta Test
oops
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXJZVZFRFJc&e