Robot To Slowly Run Ironman Triathlon Course 71
itwbennett writes "A robot designed by Panasonic will be running the course of this year's Ironman World Championship triathlon next month. But don't expect it to win. The diminutive robot won't even be competing in the actual race. It will start the Ironman course Oct. 24 and finish in about a week (168 hours), according to its designer. 'Evolta's height is just one-tenth of a grown man, so we figured out that it would take it 10 times more time,' Panasonic design engineer Tomotaka Takahashi told Reuters."
Does not compute (Score:1)
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PSA: Parent link contains gaping ass (Score:4, Insightful)
warning: goatse
Re:PSA: Parent link contains gaping ass (Score:5, Funny)
Is it wrong that I find goatse to be a sort of comforting, nostalgic presence these days? Once it may have inspired revulsion, true. But now I think: ah, a familiar friend from the 1990s Web 1.0 internet! We have had our differences, sure, but at least we are not like those Web 3.0 types, eh? Perhaps we are even allies now? Wouldn't we all like to see the looks on their faces when a goatse link gets thrown into the social-media mix?
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No, I feel the same way. I've long since hit the point of 'semantic saturation' with that image, so the visceral shock reaction is virtually gone. In its place is the knowledge that, out there, there are millions of people who played the same gross-each-other-out adolescent games as I did.
I kind of miss the guy who posted the "brown rope" scat-porn stories about Pres. Obama too.
gap.zip (Score:1)
I've long since hit the point of 'semantic saturation' with that image [on the front page of Goatse], so the visceral shock reaction is virtually gone.
Goatse is the third image in a set of 40 (highly NSFW) [goatse.info]. Do you get a shock reaction to the less familiar pictures among those? What about the "pain series" (so NSFW I won't even link them)?
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Whatever happen to good ole tubgirl, that's what I want to know. She just doesn't get any love any more.
Where's yer Energizer Bunny now? (Score:2)
Actually, count me unimpressed. Googling for mAh numbers shows that Evolta comes in third behind Eneloop and Energizer rechargeables.
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Would Eneloop be the best? I would love to know who makes the best ones so I can buy a ton of them for around the house. The Energizer ones I have already seen kick the heck out of the Duracell, Duracell doesn't even make them in the same capacity ranges
Triathalon (Score:4, Insightful)
Regarding the Ironman triathalon. I agree with my brother. They should put the swimming last. It would be a different race if you either finish, or die trying.
Re:Triathalon (Score:4, Informative)
As I'm sure you figured out, that's exactly why they put the swimming first. They watch you like a hawk, with literally hundreds of people out in boats and ski-doos. Having the swimming first means that they get it all over with at once, in a couple of hours, rather than having them be out there literally all day.
Especially for the full-length Ironman, where the finalists don't finish until well after dark. Having to do the swim course in the dark would guarantee deaths.
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As I'm sure you figured out, that's exactly why they put the swimming first. They watch you like a hawk, with literally hundreds of people out in boats and ski-doos. Having the swimming first means that they get it all over with at once, in a couple of hours, rather than having them be out there literally all day.
Especially for the full-length Ironman, where the finalists don't finish until well after dark. Having to do the swim course in the dark would guarantee deaths.
While that's totally true,from a participant view, mass-start swimming *sucks* compared to mass-start running or cycling. I've gotten to race a couple where they did run-swim-bike and it was vastly more civilized: no getting kicked in the head repeatedly while you're in the water.
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That's interesting. I've never run one like that. Especially on a hot day, that could be fun, a nice cool-off between the run and bike legs. Especially compared to an in-the-water start, early in the morning, which can be frigid even in a wetsuit and even when the day is going to be blistering.
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I'm confused.... are you agreeing or disagreeing?
Or maybe your idea of 'debate' is just to insult the other person.
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I'm confused.... are you agreeing or disagreeing?
Or maybe your idea of 'debate' is just to insult the other person.
Maybe he's politician.
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I wish I had mod points for you, but sadly, no points today. That is a true statement that needs some insightful mods :)
Watch for the exciting highlights on ESPN49? (Score:2)
Not me - I only watch the "Ocho"
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Another bullshit story (Score:2)
IRONman Triathlon (Score:1)
This Evolta robot may not be fast. He may need to switch out bodies at every leg of the race. He may need to switch out batteries "as many times as necessary" during the race (even though the only reason he's in it is to promote how good his batteries are). He isn't a particularly impressive robot/publicity stunt.
But by golly, he's the only man made of iron* in the ironman race. That's good enough for me.
*Yes I know, it's actually made from plastic
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Today I've learned that the human body contains about 4-5 grams of iron. Thanks.
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That plastic roboter probably contains less than that.
Weird logic (Score:4, Insightful)
They should build a robot 120 times taller than a human. It could run a marathon in a minute, or LA-NY in an hour and a half.
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They should build a robot 120 times taller than a human. It could run a marathon in a minute, or LA-NY in an hour and a half.
If they made it a few hundred miles high, it could finish the whole race in a few seconds just by leaning forwards and touching the end flag while its feet were on the start line.
Now THAT' would be awesome.
From a triathlete's perspective (Score:5, Funny)
1. it doesn't wear a helmet out of T1 and continuing into T2. Result: DQ
2. it doesn't have a chinstrap to keep buckled. Result: DQ on the bike, time penalty in T1 or T2
3. it will be receiving outside assistance from people other than sanctioned volunteers or medics. Result: time penalty
4. if it has any open tubing it is potentially violating the no open bar-end rule. Result: time penalty
5. if it drafts off anyone on the bike leg, it will be penalized and called out on internet forums as a cheater and a sissy
6. headphones and personal audio devices are banned, if this thing can play an MP3, it's not allowed on the course
7. depending on water temperature, it may not be allowed to wear a wetsuit
8. if it drops batteries or parts on the course it is guilty of equipment abandonment. Result: time penalty
9. if it doesn't finish in 17 hours, it absolutely doesn't count.
10. finally, it must have a valid USAT license or risk being banned from the sport.
Disclaimer: this is a bizarre inside joke for triathletes, don't take it seriously.
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Metric (Score:4, Funny)
Thanks for converting the Imperial "a week" into "168 hours" for us metric users. Weeks are, after all, even more obscure units than hogsheads.
That would be a Union week, I believe (Score:2)
And, technically, that 40 is made up of at least 8 hours of break, iirc.
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Now you bring in hogsheads?!!?! I was still trying to get my head around Libraries Of Congress and velocity of sheep in a vacuum....
This was originally covered by thereg in 2005:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/08/24/vulture_central_standards/ [theregister.co.uk]
Updated in 2007:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/10/28/additional_reg_standards/ [theregister.co.uk]
And again in 2010 it seems by the BBC:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/08/10/dollar_coins/ [theregister.co.uk]
Yes, this is all UK centric, but it's amusing anyway,
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Thanks for converting the Imperial "a week" into "168 hours" for us metric users. Weeks are, after all, even more obscure units than hogsheads.
I expect all the Americans here thought the European metric week was a hundred hours, which is why we only work 40 of them instead of the standard US 70,
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What is that in seconds, I thought seconds was the SI measurement...
6.048e5 it looks like (it has been years since I used scientific notation, hopefully I got it right...)
or
60 ks
Running or walking? (Score:4, Interesting)
In order to actually be running the robot will have to actually leave the ground between steps. Otherwise it is walking. So is it going to walk the course or run the course?
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Small Animals (Score:3)
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if they would go in a straight line. That low center of gravity is a bitch.
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How many of those animals run on two legs?
You should bring back Kdawson (Score:2)
2 year old stories, slashvertisements for plastic toys, there really isn't anywhere to go but up at this point.
I might as well get equally as relevant tech news from TMZ.
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My response would be similar. A pug is about 1/10th my size but catching the little fucker is another matter entirely.
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Unless you are morbidly obese, you could easily beat your pug in a 140 mile triathlon. The poor little guy would run for a few miles and collapse. And that's assuming it survived the 2.4 mile swim which, if you've ever seen a pug swim, isn't likely...
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Hear that whooshing noise artor?
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Unless you are morbidly obese, you could easily beat your pug in a 140 mile triathlon. The poor little guy would run for a few miles and collapse. And that's assuming it survived the 2.4 mile swim which, if you've ever seen a pug swim, isn't likely...
How many slashdotters do you think could actually finish a 140 mile triathlon? (In one go, of course)
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Win! (Score:3)
In a bizarre twist, despite it's obscenely poor time, the robot was declared the winner of the Ironman triathlon, as it was the only iron man who entered.
Other Sports (Score:1)
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Size doesn't matter (Score:2)
That is what I believe and nothing is going to make me change my mind.