Image via Complex Original
If there's one thing we've learned from science fiction it's that one day the robots we've created to protect and serve us will snap and attempt to annihilate the human race. We've seen and read it time and time again. And judging from the work of some companies from around the world, like Boston Dynamics, it seems like life may imitate art. With robots able to run faster than humans, spit fire (no Dylan), tote thousand-round machine guns, and eat people (Yes, there are robots that eat people.), are we the only ones worried about what the future holds? If you're not, keep reading.
SWORDS Robotic Weapons Platform
Peep the first armed robot approved for deployment during the so-called “War on Terror." We sent three of these remote-controlled UGVs to do our dirty work during the war in Iraq—each one capable of totting some serious firepower including an M-16, M-249 machine gun, or 66mm rocket launcher. Basically, it's a drone for the ground.
Robokiyu
This rescue robot was first designed to help people escape from deadly environments and remove heavy debris. The creators then figured it was instead best suited to remove and dispose of dead bodies. Yep. The Robokiyu (which, if you sound out, sounds like “robot that kills you”) drags and eats people. Sure, they're dead, but, still. If an earthquake hits and you become unconscious, and the Robokiyu comes to the rescue, consider that your kiss of death.
DARPA Cheetah
Clocking a max speed of 28.3 mph, Boston Dynamics's (BD) four-legged robot, dubbed the Cheetah, can outrun the fastest man on the planet, Usain Bolt. Built alongside the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the machine uses most of its power to swing and lift its legs. Yes, it has the ability to trample you.
The Cheetah is apart of Boston Dynamic's Maximum Mobility and Manipulation (M3) program which is working to develop machines that are able to traverse rough terrain that robots with wheels can't handle. Here's where it gets scary: BD is planning on taking the Cheetah off the treadmill next year for some real-world testing. And the company is already hard at work on the next iteration, the WildCat, which it hopes will set a speed goal of over 50 mph.
La Machine Spider Robots
The French art collective known as La Machine created these ginormous mechanical spiders, which scaled at 37 tons and 40 feet tall back, in 2008. The robots, which were able to shoot out water, wind, smoke, and even flames, scared the shit out of crowds in Liverpool, England. Sounds like something out of a b-horror film. If someone makes Eight Legged Freaks 2 (please, God, don't), these would be a perfect fit.
KURATAS
Suidobashi Heavy Industries (SHI) is responsible for this behemoth mech suit that houses a Kinect-inspired interface and 6,000-round-per-minute Gatling guns controlled by a pilot smiling system. Guess the robot gives new meaning to the phrase “kill 'em with kindness?" Anyone with $1.35 million to blow can be the proud owner of a Kuratas. We really hope SHI does thorough background checks.
T-52 Enryu
A five-ton machine that clears passageways through large wreckages by moving cars and heavy debris out of the way sounds like a dope concept, right? Guess that depends on what you consider dope.
The T-52 Enryu is a mechanical suit that can also be remotely piloted. So, in the case of the latter, what’s to stop it, or the remote controller, from hurling a totaled Range Rover onto a trapped civilian or rescue fighter in search of Earthquake survivors? This is one mech that needs to be manned by a human at all times.
DARPA AlphaDog
Here's another project from Boston Dynamics’s M3 program. This 400-pound dog-shaped android was built to carry emergency supplies to civilians (or soldiers) in remote locations. It just recently learned how to follow humans via remote pilot: The operator uses a touchscreen device to trigger commands and control movements like how close the machine can walk next to a human. What happens if the mainframe goes haywire? Let’s just say you don’t want to be in front of AlphaDog when it occurs.
Titanoboa
Perhaps the only thing more frightening than being in the presence of a real anaconda is staring into the motion sensors of this 35-foot electro-mechanic snake. Named Titanoboa, this robot was built by a group of designers from Vancouver and was inspired by the 60-million-year-old prehistoric snake. They claim to have created it to “ignite technical learning on relevant technologies.” Whatever that means. The scariest part: a 48-foot, 2,500-pound model actually exists. You can soil your pants now.
Flesh Eating RoboFly Catcher
This small contraption might not look like a serious threat from the above photo, but according to UK-based creator James Auger, it's deadly. Engineered to perform pest control duties, the machine can also take human lives. "As soon as there is a predatory robot in the room the scene becomes loaded with potential," said Auger. "If the system fails, the grid goes down and all humans die, these robots could go on living so long as the flies don't go with us." Need more reason to fear it? The machine is actually fueled by the flesh it consumes on some Stephen King "Mangler"-like shit.
Modular Advanced Armed Robotic System
Thought the SWORDS robotic machine was a killer? Then say hello to its successor. Assembled by the same company, QinetiQ, MAARS sports a larger chassis than its forebear and packs heavier artillery in the form of four grenade launchers and a 400-round machine gun.