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Oh Good, Those Robodogs Are Fighting Back Against Humans Now

Yep, we're screwed.
Drew Schwartz
Brooklyn, US
Screengrab via Boston Dynamics / YouTube

When the scientists over at Boston Dynamics released a video of their freaky Black Mirror robodogs, all we really had to worry about was stumbling across one who might politely open the door for us. But now it looks like there's a reason to panic: Turns out the cybertronic pooches have learned to fight back against their human masters, the Guardian reports.

A new video from the lab gives us a look at what happens when a pesky sack of flesh gets in the way of the animatronic beasts' quest to open a door. Armed with a hockey stick, opposable thumbs, and a leash, the SpotMini's master is powerless to stop his ward from using its weird head-claw to barge into the next room.

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Boston Dynamics said the test showed how well the robot pooch can "adjust to disturbances," adding that "the ability to tolerate and respond automatically to disturbances like these improves successful operation of the robot." Today, maybe all that means is trudging forward helplessly until its master lets it go. But who's to say that someday soon "successful operation" will mean using its ultra-powerful head-claw to rip our eyeballs out?

At this point, we've forced our animatronic counterparts to deliver our pizzas, destroy our bombs, wait on us hand and foot, entertain our kids, strip for us, and now, open our doors, so it seems like we're basically asking for an all-out robot uprising. Until then, we can at least take some comfort knowing that cyborgs haven't mastered everything yet.

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Related: Robot Dogs