Posted on 10/19/2009 9:31:33 PM PDT by Flavius
From the end of the article:
The ChemBot feels like the first step towards the creation of actual human-like robots similar to Battlestar Galactica's new Cylons. The creepy part about the ChemBot is how it looks as if it's alive and breathing. Wars could probably be won just by rolling out a few dozen of these things in front of opposing forces to scare the bejeezus out of them. I definitely wouldn't want to touch a one, they look all gross and sticky.
This writer vastly underestimates the "unimpressability" of the average infantryman. "Gross and sticky" just doesn't cut it when armed with M203 40mm grenade launchers and AT4 antitank rockets.
Personally, I think the way to human-like robots will come through electroreactive polymer strands, essentially plastic muscle fibers. Probably will first be applied in prosthetic limbs for humans (a la Star Wars), then move on to complete robots with human like limbs.
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