Have we learned nothing from the Terminator movies? It’s one thing to make dancing robot dogs that at least look cute, but RAI Institute’s “Roadrunner” looks far more ominous than anything Wile E. Coyote might chase. It doesn’t even go “meep meep,” which I feel is a huge oversight given its name. It is, however, capable of several different modes of travel. I don’t look forward to trying to outrun one when the AI apocalypse inevitably takes place.
While light on details, a video from RAI shows many different things that Roadrunner can do. It can roll around with its two wheels side-by-side, like a rollerblader, or with one in front of the other, like a bicycle. That’s two entirely different modes of locomotion and balancing. RAI Institute’s Ultra Mobile Vehicle has already mastered several BMX stunts, so I’m not surprised it handles that mode well, but being able to transition between the two modes seamlessly is quite impressive. Or scary, depending on your point of view.
An impressive, if scary, display
Roadrunner can also walk. The demonstration shows it walking up a flight of stairs and down a ramp, much like an AT-ST Walker from “Star Wars.” One significant difference is that Roadrunner’s knees bend equally in two directions instead of just one like a normal knee. Finally, it lifts one leg and balances on just one wheel. Now it’s just showing off.
While Roadrunner isn’t nearly as disturbing as Boston Dynamics’ Atlas robot, it’s disturbing in other ways. It looks straight out of some dystopian sci-fi video game. I’m imagining a full-scale version speeding down the road like a motorcycle, bunny hopping over mines or other obstacles. It wouldn’t have to steal a Harley-Davidson Fat Boy to get there, because it would already be the bike. Then it transitions into biped mode and walks or rolls into your house. Unlike the Daleks from classic “Doctor Who,” running up a flight of stairs won’t stop it. Plus, RAI Institute isn’t one of the six companies asking us not to give the robots guns. I’m not saying that one of these machines is going to track you down like a T-800, but I’m also not saying it’s not going to. If anything, it looks even more capable of it.
