You Did What? Idiots Teach Robots How To Build Their Own Tools


Well, this is just fantastic. We’re all for the advancement of robot technology so that one day they can cater to our every beck and call. But researchers at ETH Zurich have foolishly designed a robot that can create its own custom tools to complete tasks.

In this particular case the robot was tasked with transferring water from one bowl to another, which it accomplished by creating a small cup using its HMA — or Hot Melt Adhesive — dispenser. Which is a fancy way of describing a glue gun. The cup the robot created was pretty crappy, but those bastards learn fast. So what if it autonomously decided that ‘stabbing all humans’ was a more important job than pouring water? We’re trying to be optimistic about our inevitable future living side-by-side with robots, but it’s mistakes like this that could cost us control of our planet. [ETH Zurich via Automaton]


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