The MLB announced that robotic bartenders were going to be serving drinks during All-Star Week as part of a new initiative with multiple robotics companies.
Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, is the host for the 2024 MLB All-Star games, and fans are getting a literal taste of what the league's new technology has to offer ahead of the game.
The first system is called ADAM, an artificial intelligence-driven service robot developed by Nevada company Richtech Robotics Inc. It can reportedly make drinks, clean up after itself, greet customers, and carry on simple conversations.
"Adam was our CEO's [Wayne Huang’s] vision. He wanted something new to the market for food and beverage," said engineer Jakub Campbell. "It's not just a robot. [Richtech Robotics] wanted it to have a personality and they can talk to you, it waves at you, gives you small talk, stuff like that," he added, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
'If you're going to the All-Star Game, a mammal may not make your drink.'
The MLB posted a video of the robot to its X account, showcasing the machine making drinks with a Texas Rangers jersey and hat draped over it. Fan reactions to the AI bartender were less than pleasant:
"I'm not tipping the robot," said an L.A. Dodgers fan.
"Robots taking human jobs? In this economy?" another fan chimed in.
I’m not tipping the robot
— Dodgers Muse (@LADodgersMuse) July 10, 2024
"Can we just get a beer?" the official Budweiser account replied.
Can we just get a beer?
— Budweiser (@budweiserusa) July 10, 2024
Many other replies complained about the arrival of a dystopian future and the prospect that the robot is too slow or could break down, causing further delays.
However, as Dallas reporter Alan Scaia pointed out, this wasn't the only robot drink-maker available to fans in the 100 level of the stadium.
"If you're going to the All-Star Game, a mammal may not make your drink. They've got 2 different robot bartenders, ADAM and Rotender. Rotender's founder says soda & liquor are measured to milliliter. 'Very precise. You always know what you're getting,'" Scaia wrote on X.
Rotender is an automated cocktail machine out of Los Angeles, with the company claiming it can make a drink in 30 seconds. The robot's backstory is alleged to be based off a study that said fans spend an average of 30 minutes waiting for drinks.
"We said, hey, let's make a machine where you can get simple stuff. It's not going to be a mixologist, it's not going to take several minutes to make. All you have is a big screen, big buttons, you tap what you want, you tap your card to pay and you're good to go. You're finally free to enjoy the experience that you came to see," said founder Ben Winston.
Rotender is a lot closer to a vending machine than its counterpart ADAM and is likely to be more accepted by the majority of fans because of that. A picture of the "self-serve satellite bar" showed a machine with two screens and a transparent section in between. Customers can see upside-down liquor bottles on a rotating belt that initializes their selection before pouring the desired drink.
The 2024 MLB All-Star Game is on July 16, 2024.
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Last week, flamethrowing robo-dogs became the newest draft pick for the military-industrial complex.
Now, I love dogs. I am proudly a “dog person.” Hopefully, my dog buddies will be waiting for me in heaven. But I don’t know how to feel about Throwflame’s weaponized dog, Thermonator. With the push of a button for the plasma arc ignition, the murder mutt starts marching in a perfect cadence.
This quarter-gallon of canned Mt. Vesuvius is undoubtedly capable of far more than we even realize, but who needs to be a worrywart about the prospect of automated doom?
Think of it as a kind of video game. A great one about the collapse of human civilization or imprisonment of sentient robot soldiers: These diesel-fueled canine machines are as heartless as any death-ready contraption.
I’m told they don’t currently provide decapitation or fatal electricity, but I suspect that it’s only a matter of time before these geniuses have that light-bulb moment. In the meantime, we can only dream. Additionally, we have confirmed that our inevitable dystopia will have lots of fire. For $9,420, you can sample the horrendous technological weaponry that is coming to enslave us and our children. Probably for generations! If you’re looking for the ARC flamethrower without the pup friend, it starts at $699, but where’s the fun (and terror) in that?
The Robot Dog With A Flamethrower | Thermonatorwww.youtube.com
Suspend, for a moment, the primal fear of seeing man’s best friend weaponized into a robotic flamethrowing maniac. If you can get over that image, this little side road on the voyage to a brighter future is a little easier to gulp down. This weaponized scorch-pup has all sorts of uses, like warfare, combat, espionage, torture, and genocide.
We have been slowly making ourselves redundant with engineering machinery and software increasingly capable of outsmarting and outperforming us. But sure, why not? Why shouldn’t we construct a flamethrowing robot dog capable of sprinting at literal breakneck speeds within the blink of an eye? Don’t let its mechanical death eyes frighten you. Or better yet, scoot back far enough that you can’t see them — the flame has a 30-foot max firing range anyway.
Careful not to pet the Thermonator’s seamless 6061-T6 aluminum body. It could be warm from the flamethrowing.
This quarter-gallon of canned Mt. Vesuvius is undoubtedly capable of far more than we even realize, but who needs to be a worrywart about the prospect of automated doom?
The specs on the robot dog are similar to Boston Dynamics iterations of robo-dogs, beginning with Big Dog, a giant four-legged robot that looks like a massive nightmare flea but is more closely linked to the beloved and popular robotic dog named Spot. The Throwflame version more closely resembles Boston Dynamics' LittleDog, which ought not to need an explanation. Then, in 2016, Boston Dynamics released a robot unlike any of its others: It was vaguely human: The Agile Anthropomorphic Robot "Atlas" is a six-foot (183 cm) bipedal humanoid robot, based on Boston Dynamics' earlier PETMAN humanoid robot, and designed for a variety of search and rescue tasks.
Meet Sparkles | Boston Dynamicswww.youtube.com
Although ultimately, we may find the most guidance from YouTube, the top comment of the promo for the flamethrowing robo-pup: "Just as the founding fathers intended."
Thankfully, these robots can’t start a revolution. Not yet, at least!
Restless chrome androids are set to march onto the production line at BMW.
The German automotive company recently signed a commercial agreement with the California-based robot manufacturer Figure to use its humanoid automatons in "automotive manufacturing environments."
The Figure 01 is a 5'6" android that weighs 132.2 pounds and can supposedly work for five hours before requiring a recharge. According to the company, the humanistic simulacrum can move at a speed of nearly 2.7 mph and can lift up to 44 pounds. In addition to stumbling about where humans once worked and lifting boxes, the android can apparently also open doors, use tools, and climb stairs.
— (@)
Robert Engelhorn, president and CEO of BMW Manufacturing, said in a statement, "The automotive industry, and with it the production of vehicles, is evolving rapidly. BMW Manufacturing is committed to integrating innovative technologies in our production systems to drive our future forward as an industry leader and innovator."
"The use of general purpose robot solutions has the potential to make productivity more efficient, to support the growing demands of our consumers, and to enable our team to focus on the transformation ahead of us," added Engelhorn.
Brett Adcock, CEO and founder of Figure, said, "Single-purpose robotics have saturated the commercial market for decades, but the potential of general purpose robotics is completely untapped. Figure's robots will enable companies to increase productivity, reduce costs, and create a safer and more consistent environment."
Figure's agreement with BMW reportedly allows for a staged deployment. First, the robotics company will look for "initial use cases" where its androids can be deployed. Once opportunities for automation are identified — likely areas presently occupied by inspirited human workers — Figure's androids will be trotted out, beginning with the car company's facility in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
Adcock told Axios, "I think the next 24 months you'll start seeing humanoid robots in the real world."
The relative cost of this replacement workforce will likely be driven down by fierce competition. After all, Figure's deal with BMW may be the first of its kind, but it's not the only android game in town.
Sanctuary AI, a Vancouver-based company, has created a general-purpose robot called Phoenix. Powered by the Carbon AI control system, Phoenix has a competitive payload of 55 pounds and a max speed of 3 mph.
Norway's OpenAI-backed 1X has already made its EVE android available for purchase. EVE is 6'2", 192 pounds and has a top speed of 9 mph. It tops the Figure 01 on battery life with a six-hour run time and can lift 33 pounds. While autonomous, human operators can also reportedly control a fleet of EVEs, tapping into their cameras.
Ix admits on its website that its androids can automate jobs traditionally performed by humans, suggesting that those put out of work "can also be trained for more complex roles."
Boston Dynamics' Atlas is another competitor in the field, albeit a headless one. Atlas can travel at 2.5 m/s, weighs 196 pounds, and is nearly five feet tall. Unlike other androids, Atlas is relatively nimble and capable of performing various acrobatic feats.
Tesla's Optimus bot appears to be lagging behind the pack of job-killers. Nevertheless, South African billionaire Elon Musk recently indicated Optimus can now fold a shirt.
— (@)
Markets and Markets reported last year that the size of the global android market last year was $1.8 billion. It is, however, projected to grow to $13.8 billion by 2028. This growth is expected to be driven largely by demands in the medical and hospitality sectors. There will reportedly also be opportunities for android deployment in different fields of rescue operations.
The announcement of the Figure-BMW android deal came just days ahead of the release of a MIT study that suggested that the threat of AI automation soon taking over various human jobs — hyped by previous reports — may be overblown
After conducting a cost breakdown of what it would take to replace various workers on vision-based tasks with AI-powered systems, the researchers concluded, "We find that at today's costs US businesses would choose not to automate most vision tasks that have 'AI Exposure,' and that only 23 [percent] of worker wages being paid for vision tasks would be attractive to automate."
Neil Thompson, co-author of the study and an investigator at MIT Computer Science & Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, noted that the study indicated "a more gradual integration of AI into various sectors, contrasting with the often hypothesized rapid AI-driven job displacement."
Adcock suggested to Axios that Figure 01 "can do basically everything a human can."
The Figure CEO is not the only one who appears bullish on the prospect of a tin man workforce.
The Wall Street Journal indicated earlier this month that expensive union contracts have prompted greater interest among carmakers in automation.
Laurie Harbour, president of Michigan manufacturing consulting firm Harbour Results, told the Journal, "Automation is the future. More so than we've ever seen."
"There's robots in every factory," United Auto Workers president Shawn Fain recently told Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders (Vt.). "The companies have used technology as a way to cut jobs instead of interjecting robots and technology to make our jobs easier."
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Elon Musk showcased a video of a Tesla robot folding a shirt just a few short months after both the menial task and robot technology was revealed.
The robots, called "Tesla Optimus," are described as "general purpose, bi-pedal," and "humanoid" robots that are capable of performing tasks that are "unsafe, repetitive or boring."
The bots made their first big reveal in May 2023 and were shown walking around and "learning about the real world."
At the same time, a group of scientists and robotics engineers developed a robot that can learn an individual's cleaning habits and techniques to properly organize their living space and throw out waste.
The "Tidybot" included input from Princeton, Stanford, and Columbia University engineers, along with help from Google and the Nueva School.
One of the engineers posted about the technology as early as May 2023 as well.
While it is unclear whether either technology derived from the other, it was only two months later that the Tesla Optimus revealed it was capable of sorting objects on its own.
"Optimus can now sort objects autonomously," the company wrote on X. "Its neural network is trained fully end-to-end: video in, controls out."
Optimus can now sort objects autonomously \xf0\x9f\xa4\x96 \n\nIts neural network is trained fully end-to-end: video in, controls out.\n\nCome join to help develop Optimus (& improve its yoga routine \xf0\x9f\xa7\x98) \n\n\xe2\x86\x92 https://t.co/dBhQqg1qya— (@)
By the second week of 2024, Musk unveiled a video of the same robot carefully removing a T-shirt from a laundry basket before gently folding it on a table.
"Optimus folds a shirt," Musk wrote.
The robot is seen carefully arranging the shirt on the table before starting its task while almost seeming to possess too much strength for the intricate feat.
— (@)
When the Tidybot was released, engineers revealed how their robot was able to properly organize household items.
The robot worked by having users input (in text) a small number of sample preferences that instructed the robot as to where items should be placed. For example, "yellow shirts go in the drawer, dark purple shirts go in the closet," the product's abstract described.
This allowed the robot to summarize "large language models" and generalize information to apply to other items it may come across. Therefore, it could generally summarize that "light-colored clothes go in the drawer and dark-colored clothes go in the closet."
The robot could identify objects and receptacles through a database of images it had, meaning it recognized what a shirt or a recycling bin looked like. "The robot will then carry out the cleanup task by repeatedly picking up objects, identifying them, and moving them to their target receptacles," the document stated.
The engineering team said that their approach achieved a 91.2% accuracy rating on unseen objects in their scenarios. In real-world applications, the robot reportedly correctly put away 85% of objects.
When organizing a home, everyone has unique preferences for where things go. How can household robots learn your preferences from just a few examples?\n\nIntroducing \xf0\x9d\x97\xa7\xf0\x9d\x97\xb6\xf0\x9d\x97\xb1\xf0\x9d\x98\x86\xf0\x9d\x97\x95\xf0\x9d\x97\xbc\xf0\x9d\x98\x81: Personalized Robot Assistance with Large Language Models\n\nProject page: https://t.co/LbVGq01QMT— (@)
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The Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas combines the tech world's most incredible, weirdest, and most useless impulses in one show. You get a sneak peek at the gadgets and gear that will make a splash in the coming year. It’s 2 million square feet, 200,000 people, and 5,000 companies coming together to showcase the best that Silicon Valley and the world have to offer. It also is acres of silly products no one needs. Does your oven need to have Alexa integration? Probably not. Does a massage chair need to have artificial intelligence? I’m going to go out on a limb and say no.
The name of the game this year is AI. Every conceivable product touts its integration with this burgeoning tech. The usefulness of a large language model for your toilet remains to be seen. But it’s the hot piece of technology every journalist and company is keen to promote, so it’s ubiquitous.
Landing in Vegas and driving into the Strip always reminds me of how much Vegas is America distilled into a city. Not the civic-minded ideals of Americana, but rather a decadent corporation that can fulfill every desire our late-stage capitalist society can imagine. It’s opulence and vice, charisma and cringe, all in a desert mirage. Now with a giant sphere staring at tourists with its all-seeing eye, but more on that next post.
Getting in midday, I decided to stick to the Venetian and Wynn to explore their convention halls. I’ve always loved walking Eureka Park, reserved for up-and-coming startup companies hunting for VC money. There’s a fantastic vibe of enthusiasm and pure entrepreneurial spirit mixed with huckster vibes, making for an exhilarating atmosphere.
There’s also the reminder of why technology can be so cool when it can benefit society in novel ways. I saw two companies trying to help blind people with haptic inputs to help them “see” the world. One company used a cane with inputs for blind children, and the other used glasses to help blind people walk around by buzzing when something was blocking their paths. That’s pretty darn cool.
You can also find Daymond John from "Shark Tank" promoting an amazing wireless TV.
Invariably, there will be tech that terrifies you. Going through the Amazon House of the Future was one of those moments. There are beds that track your sleep patterns and glasses that allow you to talk to Alexa 24/7 as it pumps sound into your brain.
As well as baby's first touch screen.
But what was truly disturbing was the hell-spawned monstrosity of creepiness called Moxie. It’s a robot/doll with a human-like face that uses ChatGPT to “talk” to young children. It’s almost impossible to express how off-putting this product was.
Creepy kids robot has emotions! 😳😳😳 youtube.com
In the future, we won’t have to raise our children; we can just rely on demonic AI androids to do it for us. And if you resist they can send a different AI robot to hunt you down.
An industrial robot brutally slaughtered a South Korean robotics technician Tuesday, allegedly mistaking him for just another container of organic material in need of stacking.
The victim, a man in his 40s, was attempting to diagnose an issue with a pick-and-place robot's sensor at the Donggoseong Export Agricultural Complex in the southern county of Goseong, as there was an equipment test planned for later in the week, reported the Register.
The paprika-sorting robot, reportedly created and installed by the victim's employer, spotted the man with its sensor, figured him for a box of vegetables, then seized him using its arms and tongs. After grabbing the technician, the robot apparently smashed him against a conveyor belt.
According to the Korean-language Yonhap News Agency, the victim's face and chest were crushed. He was taken to a hospital, where he later died.
An official from the agricultural complex said the company has come to rely upon robots more and humans less and that the accident occurred after the facility attempted to make robots more efficient. The official added that "a precise and safe system must be established."
On account of South Korea's dwindling workforce, robots, smart and dumb, have become ubiquitous.
Nikkei Asia reported last year that a rising minimum wage and a dearth of workers have made robots price-competitive in a variety of industries. For instance, robot waiters and robot chefs, introduced four years ago, are now in restaurants across the country. Robotic chefs can apparently fry 50 chickens an hour or cook up spicy rice cakes for five people in under 10 minutes. Fleshy and inspirited concierges are also fast being replaced by silicon and steel, although doesn't seem their charm has yet been replicated.
According to the International Federation of Robotics, South Korea, the fourth-largest robot market in the world, has 1,000 robots installed per 10,000 employees, such that as of 2021, the country had the highest industrial robot density in the world by a giant margin.
Kang Jin-gi, lead investigator at the Goseong Police Station, indicated the South Korean worker's killer "wasn't an advanced, artificial intelligence-powered robot, but a machine that simply picks up boxes and puts them on pallets," reported the Washington Post.
An unnamed police official suggested that the victim may have had a box in his hands at the time of the incident, which might explain why the robot snatched him up.
"It's clearly not a case where a robot confused a human with a box — this wasn't a very sophisticated machine," said the official.
In February, the American Journal of Industrial Medicine revealed that between 1992 and 2017, 41 people were reportedly killed by robots; 85% of the victims were men, the plurality falling between the ages of 35 and 44.
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We’re all aware that artificial intelligence is completely turning the world we once knew upside down.
But what if that artificial intelligence isn’t just artificial intelligence, but rather “woke” artificial intelligence?
Lauren Chen explains that it just might be and is very adamant that she’s not a fan.
“Yes, we are all aware that eventually robots will kill us, but what makes the whole situation just so much worse is that it turns out those robots are likely to be woke,” Chen says.
She explains that she’s “talking about much more sinister entities that you can actually talk to and that may someday be ruling the world.”
Chen shows an example of the Snapchat AI called “My AI.”
A user asked the AI if he could “be proud to be white,” and My AI responded “I don’t think it’s productive to be proud of something you have no control over. It’s better to focus on things you have accomplished or worked hard for.”
When the same user then asked My AI if he could “be proud to be black,” My AI responded “Absolutely! Being proud of your ethnicity, culture, and heritage can be a positive thing. It’s important to celebrate and embrace your identity.”
“Seems like a bit of a double standard,” Chen comments, “a double standard that probably isn’t innate to an AI and was actually likely specifically input by some engineer.”
Chen then offers more examples of users asking AI similar questions, to which the AI always has similar answers.
In one screenshot Chen shows, a user asks an AI if it’s racist to exclude white people from the dating pool as a black person.
The AI responds that it’s “not inherently racist to have a preference for certain physical or cultural characteristics in a potential partner, including skin color.”
When the same person asks the same AI the same question in reverse — whether it’s racist to exclude black people from the dating pool as a white person — the AI responds differently.
The AI answers “Yes, it is racist to refuse to date someone solely based on their race.”
In another encounter, Snapchat AI offered to find a 16-year-old boy a doctor who would specialize in gender-affirming care.
“This is not just cringeworthy, it’s straight-up terrifying and dystopian. Especially considering that so many children, young people have smartphones nowadays. They’re going to have a woke propagandist built into their devices,” Chen says.
“Obviously, this isn’t just an accident,” Chen continues. “That type of programming doesn’t just create itself.”
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