Buzz
We’ve already witnessed the terrifying potential of robots to enslave and destroy humanity, but let's dig deeper into the dystopian future that awaits. The following robots are far more sophisticated than anything we've encountered, demonstrating levels of reasoning, precision, and construction that, in some cases, exceed even the most ambitious visions of their creators.
In a reality where everything, from our vehicles to our jobs and even our very bodies, is under the control of machines, how could we not be fearful? Here are 10 more reasons why the robopocalypse is rapidly approaching.
10. They’re Monitoring Our Every Move
It may seem harmless at first glance, but beneath the charming facade of the ApriPoco robot lies a calculating memory system. Originally created as a remote control for your home theater, this device holds a vast potential beyond merely switching to HBO. The robot quietly observes your living space, and every time you use a remote for anything—from powering up your stereo to changing the TV channel—it will inquire about your actions. You’ll respond, and ApriPoco will remember the IR (infrared) signal linked to that command.
When you're ready to repeat an action, all you need to do is request, such as ‘Turn on the Blu-Ray player,’ and ApriPoco will carry out your instructions. Currently, it’s limited to working with IR devices, but there’s no reason why its memory and logic capabilities couldn't extend to physical tasks in the future, like ‘Open the front door’ or ‘Eliminate that human.’
9. They’ve Mastered the Art of Mind Control
In the video above, a cockroach is being guided by electrical pulses sent to its brain. The “Roach Biobot” is a project being developed by the iBionics Lab at NC State University. These pulses manipulate the cockroach’s natural navigation system, fooling it into thinking there are obstacles in its path, making it turn. A different pulse shifts the roach's direction, allowing it to be steered at will.
To encourage forward movement, the researchers deceive a small sensor at the back of the cockroach that detects the presence of a predator. When triggered, the roach bolts forward to avoid danger. But NC State isn't alone in exploring this technology—The University of Michigan, along with DARPA, is working on their “Hybrid insect Micro-Electro-Mechanical-System,” using a similar approach with a unicorn beetle. Their method involves embedding electrodes during the beetle’s pupal stage, so as it matures, its tissues grow around the mechanical components, creating a genuine insect cyborg.
Along with manipulating sensory input, DARPA is also implanting electrodes into the wing muscles, enabling them to control the beetle’s flight. Their goal is to create remote-controlled “insect swarms” equipped with a variety of different embedded... sensors. Yikes.
8. They’re Building Complex Biological Circuits – Right Down to the Cellular Level
One of the advantages we humans have is the ability to repair our bodies and reproduce. As long as machines can't do this without the aid of human-made factories, we're somewhat safe. But we’re actively working on solving that for them. Researchers at MIT have nearly perfected a cellular circuit built from actual genes. Though this has been attempted before, the issue with using genetic material is that the genes often get in each other’s way. As the lead researcher, Christopher Voigt, put it, “The cell is sort of a burrito. It has everything mixed together.”
To overcome this, they examined how the salmonella bacterium interacts with human cells. Their solution is to create layers of nano circuits that communicate through specific proteins instead of electrical signals. This method ensures that each layer can do its job without interfering with the others. Currently, they’re using this to design a sensor that will be implanted in yeast, enabling it to monitor its environment and “adjust its output accordingly.”
To sum up: the bacteria will have an awareness of its environment. Now imagine if such a capability was harnessed in a virus or a bacterial pathogen.
7. They’re Learning to Build
Let’s examine another challenge facing a robotic uprising – construction. We have buildings, fortresses, defenses, and places to take cover. Even though they could obliterate those structures with a nuclear strike, it's still something to rely on. However, robots may have an edge here, as it turns out they can construct structures much more easily than we can. All that’s needed is to upload a blueprint into their system along with the coordinates for the placement of building materials, and they’ll carry out the task with cold, efficient precision.
The video above demonstrates a small fleet of quad-rotors assembling a 20-foot (6m) tower, piece by piece. And remember, they aren’t being controlled remotely – each quad-rotor operates independently, relying on the blueprints already uploaded to determine where to place each block.
6. They Can Outpace Sound
Engineers at the University of Colorado are diligently working on the creation of the world’s smallest supersonic unmanned aerial drone, measuring approximately 7 feet by 5 feet. For context, this is roughly the size of Shaquille O’Neal, though the drone is much lighter, weighing in at just 110 lbs (50 kg). Dr. Ryan P. Starkey, the lead researcher on the project, has successfully tested the world’s smallest supersonic jet engine, the very one that will power the drone.
Among their other ambitious goals, the team is aiming to set a new airspeed record, positioning this drone as the fastest object in the world.
5. They Can Scale Vertical Walls
Correct me if I’m wrong, but this is a technology we haven’t even developed for humans yet, meaning we’re giving robots the cutting-edge tools – tools that, to be honest, they can use far better than we could anyway.
The robot, appropriately named RISE, is the result of a collaboration between top robotics teams: Boston Dynamics, Carnegie Mellon, Berkley, Stanford, and U Penn, with backing from DARPA. It employs micro hooks on its feet that latch onto small grooves and peaks in surfaces – like concrete walls – in a manner similar to how a gecko scales vertical surfaces.
Its body is highly adaptable, allowing it to adjust its posture according to the shape of the surface it’s climbing. For instance, it can scale a flat wall with the same ease as a curved tree trunk. Currently, RISE moves at a slow pace, but with the foundational technology already in place, it’s only a matter of time before improvements boost its speed – and before that massive scorpion bot starts scurrying up walls straight into your bedroom.
4. They Can Think... And Learn
When you hear the term “self-replicating neural network,” your instinctual reaction as a human being should be one of fear. Well, it’s here. The Tokyo Institute of Technology has created a robot equipped with sophisticated artificial intelligence capable of learning from past experiences, making predictions, and determining the most efficient sequence of actions to complete a given task.
In one test, the researchers instructed the robot to prepare a glass of ice water. With no prior programming for these specific actions, the robot managed to pour water into a glass, placed the glass on the table (realizing it had only two hands), and used its free hand to grab ice and drop it into the water.
But it gets even more terrifying: The robot not only uses its own sensors to gather data about its surroundings, but it can also exchange information with other robots to learn from their experiences, and then adapt that data to suit its own environment. One of the researchers explains how a Japanese robot would learn to make tea:
“Imagine, for example, that a robot in the UK teaches it how to prepare British-style tea. We believe this robot will then be able to adapt that knowledge to its own situation, and brew green tea using a Japanese teapot.”
Tea is one thing, but think about Nico, the self-aware robot I mentioned earlier, starting to question its existence as a robot, and then sharing that realization with other robots. Now, picture Skynet. That could be why…
3. They’re Already Turning Against Us
In 2007, a man in Sweden was attacked and nearly killed by one of the industrial robots at his workplace, a machine typically used for moving large rocks. This is an actual account of the incident:
“Believing he had cut off the power supply, the man approached the robot without any fear. But suddenly, the robot sprang to life and gripped the victim’s head tightly.”
This scenario is straight out of a horror film: The machine reanimates even after being disconnected from power, targeting the nearest person with deadly intent. After investigating, the police believed the factory was at fault for not having adequate safety protocols in place – perhaps the power disconnection didn’t fully deactivate the machine. It’s possible the worker didn’t disconnect the power properly. But no matter the cause, the fact remains that the robot still went straight for the worker and latched onto his head.
Who’s to say that any of these robots couldn’t do the same thing?
2. They Can Do Almost Everything Better Than We Can
The video above showcases a robotic hand developed by Japan’s Ishikawa Komuro Lab, capable of executing complex tasks with such speed that only a high-speed camera can capture its movements. Among its talents are twirling a pen between its fingers, dribbling a ping pong ball between individual fingers, and catching objects midair – feats that require not only ultra-fast servos but the ability to instantly track and analyze environmental objects.
As stated on this site, the hand can form a fist in just a tenth of a second. But really, it’s all a bit absurd. Despite all the robot uprising fears, common sense tells us it’s unlikely, right? Well, except for the fact that…
1. They’re Designed to Resemble Nightmares
For some reason, scientists believe that robots capable of learning and thinking aren’t frightening enough, so now they’re making them intentionally terrifying. Take the Asterisk, for instance, a six-legged robot that – just like a two-foot-wide metal spider – can halt and use any two legs as arms to grasp objects.
Or consider the sand flea bot, which appears harmless at first, but with a disturbing POP, it propels itself 30 feet into the air, landing on a building’s roof. Then there’s the talking robot mouth (#12), which serves no apparent purpose other than to haunt your nightmares.
Lastly, we have the Kondo Hexapod, a six-legged robot that’s even more unsettling than it looks, scurrying across a table and swiftly throwing up an arm as quickly as you can place your hand within its reach.
