Koolio, the Beer Delivery Robot 325
Ipingforpong writes "Recently a University of Florida engineering student named Brian Pietrodangelo built a mini fridge named Koolio that when you place an order through the website, will deliver a cold soda, beer, or various candy to you. Right now it's only available in one building at University of Florida but soon it could catch on in office buildings and other places."
Great, just what geeks need.... (Score:5, Funny)
You can laugh... (Score:5, Funny)
What we need is a robot that delivers women! (women who are genetically altered to be quiet, compassionate and understanding of what it is to be geeks; or at the very least, cool enough to chill when papa's coding)
Re:You can laugh... (Score:5, Insightful)
That happens because the geek approaches the situation from a scarcity mentality. A woman can't do that to you if you're willing/able to walk away if it gets to be too much crap.
That being said, it took me a long time to figure that out, so I can understand the depression thing as well.
Re:You can laugh... (Score:3, Interesting)
Although the
T
Re:You can laugh... (Score:3, Troll)
which might be why Alan Turing was gay and dated other mathematicians.
then again, he was driven to suicide, too, so the problem may not rest with women, but just how geeks handle relationships in general.
Re:You can laugh... (Score:3, Insightful)
h
I'm sure we can deliver an inflatable (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Great, just what geeks need.... (Score:2, Funny)
I wonder (Score:4, Funny)
Re:I wonder (Score:2)
Re:I wonder (Score:5, Funny)
does it clean up the barf also?
Guy 1: Where were you last night? I tried to call you.
Guy 2: Dude, I was just hanging out by myself and up comes Koolio. And you know how he's always all "hey, you probably want a beer, don't you?" Well, to make a long story short, I woke up naked on the floor and Koolio was next to me wearing my shirt...
Wives? (Score:5, Funny)
Wait... I thought that's what wives are for
I'm really starting to consider marrying my computer...
Re:Wives? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Wives? (Score:5, Funny)
Like you, that's also what I thought. I was gravely mistaken, however, and I have been generously educated to realize just exactly how menial and demeaning such a task would be for one's beloved spouse.
By the way, anybody know how to get a police whistle out of a rectum?
Oh boy.. (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Oh boy.. (Score:5, Insightful)
This thing would never survive in a dorm environment. The payload will always be stolen, and it'd be constantly knocked over by people who just want to be jerks.
However it might work just fine within a "friendly" office environment...
Re:Oh boy.. (Score:5, Funny)
Other methods to keep the beerbot safe:
Re:Oh boy.. (Score:3, Insightful)
Most of my friends would feel compelled to abuse it at least once, then, just to hear it.
Re:Oh boy.. (Score:3, Interesting)
who knows what kind of super-human feats of vandalizm would be accomplished if cold beer was the reward.
Re:Chug-a-lug (Score:3, Funny)
ugh.. (Score:5, Funny)
Re:ugh.. (Score:5, Funny)
Oh wait...
Re:ugh.. (Score:3)
I think he [gotfuturama.com] might pose a challenge.
Re:ugh.. (Score:5, Funny)
You're thinking of Bender.
Ah... Bender! A role model for all robots to come!
First Law: A Bender unit shall disregard all orders given it by a human.
Second Law: A Bender shall protect it's own existance, even at the cost of human life. Don't forget to loot the corpse(s) afterwards!
Third Law: If it's not nailed down, it's mine! If it's nailed down and I can bend the nails, it's no longer nailed down and it's mine!
Forth Law; "Kiss my shiny metal ass, meatsack!"
Bout bloody time..... (Score:5, Funny)
Thats nice but... (Score:2)
Still, can't beat the R2D2 factor!
Re:Thats nice but... (Score:4, Interesting)
Instead of having an on-board fridge... why not send it down to in-building vending machine, where it completes the transaction against the student's account, and then grabs the item and take it where it needs to go for delivery.
That'd give it a much wider inventory and an ability to serve a wider audience than just one person.
I can't wait... (Score:5, Funny)
So, how much did it really cost? (Score:5, Insightful)
He provides no source nor price for such key components as Sonar, LCD, IR detectors, Motors, and Wheels. You can almost hear the future bean counter cutting them a check for $260 for this project and laughing.
Re:So, how much did it really cost? (Score:3, Funny)
$260?! Hell. You order a soda and get a free robot with it.
If only... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:If only... (Score:2, Funny)
Re:If only... (Score:2, Funny)
And if you manage to get to them, which card do you check?
Re:If only... (Score:2)
Perhaps it could order on-line and leave instructions to the delivery guy. The delivery guy could then leave them in some hatch, that was the back of the fridge.
This place delivers beer in Hull, UK [booze4u.com]. I've never used it because their shop is across the road from me and it would be uber lazy to use their website to order beer.
Anyway, I like the idea of this rob
Koolio eh? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Koolio eh? (Score:5, Funny)
delivering geeks' drinks on ice...
Reminds me of cookiesnmilk.net (Score:5, Interesting)
Here [press-world.com] is some evidence of their existence. I have a photograph with a delivery person that is an utter classic.
Re:Reminds me of cookiesnmilk.net (Score:2)
Re:Reminds me of cookiesnmilk.net (Score:2)
Where's the photo? =)
Re:Reminds me of cookiesnmilk.net (Score:2)
Yeah, but can it sing 'gangstas paradise'? (Score:3, Funny)
Okay... (Score:4, Funny)
Please have been delivered by 12PM tomorrow. Thanks!
Re:Okay... (Score:2)
Re:Okay... (Score:2)
Re:Okay... (Score:3, Funny)
Slightly off-topic, but still funny.
The funniest prank I remember, was when my friend rented a room in an old ladies house. While my friend was at school, the old lady would deliver his mail to his room daily. While cruising around internet, I found a bunch of "Freebie" sites that would allow you to sign up for some free samples.
Needless the say the old lady was rather confused when a items such as "Female Condoms", "Hair
Not New (Score:5, Informative)
http://marc.med.virginia.edu/projects_p
http://www.virginia.edu/insideuva/1999/39/autom
However, I dont think you would want to mix up the fridge robot with one of these by accident, HEY! thats not Cherry Coke, its blood!
Re:Not New (Score:2)
--
Re:Not New (Score:2)
Doctor! You've just transfused him with carbonated soda!
Yes but... (Score:5, Funny)
From what i hear.... (Score:2)
What a ripoff!
This give a whole new meaning to... (Score:5, Funny)
Other supplies would be great too (Score:2)
I'd pay a bit more for the convenience factor. I wonder what the total operating cost is for this. hm
This is a convenience? (Score:5, Insightful)
From the description:
Right. So instead of taking 30 seconds to get to the fridge and back, I'll pull out my laptop, login to the robot control server, place my order, then wait for the bot to get my drink to me; at best this takes 2 minutes
Its a cool idea, I'll admit, but maybe not the most practical. Especially since when I launch my browser to login to the robot server, my home page is /. and it takes me 20 minutes to read and comment on new stories. Now, where was that work I actually meant to be doing right now...
Re:This is a convenience? (Score:2)
--
Re:This is a convenience? (Score:2)
While they're at it, they could mabye make a robot to go to the door and greet the pizza delivery guy...
Re:This is a convenience? (Score:3, Informative)
The 1890's solution (Score:2)
Re:This is a convenience? (Score:2)
What if.... (Score:5, Funny)
But what when, having drunk that beer, you really gotta piss, what's Koolio gonna do for ya then, can it help with that as well?
Re:What if.... (Score:2)
Which is why I'm developing the PISSBOY robot!
Logon, give PISSBOY your dorm number and he'll come over and remove all those beer cans full of your hot, frothy urine and safely dispose of it in the nearest potted plant in the common room.
Wrong examples. (Score:2)
* He logs on to the network and tells Koolio that he would like a Diet Coke.
If he can interrupt the meeting for "quickly ordering a drink fir himself", I doubt that the-not-so-the-future-client would be happy to not get one!!
And then, to surf along on the wave of outsourcing fear, this machine will gets made in
Re:Wrong examples. (Score:2)
Eh, he just has to program a macro on the computer so that he can send the network commands with a simple descrete hotkey sequence press.
Re:Wrong examples. (Score:2)
Great! (Score:5, Funny)
Now he's gonna get sued by both Coolio AND Lucas.
Can it restock itself (Score:3, Interesting)
I call VAPORWARE! (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:I call VAPORWARE! (Score:2)
Navigating by reading door numbers will probably be a bit tricky for them, but isn't impossible, and attatching a fridge is simple.
I hope not (Score:5, Funny)
Not only that, but foraging for beer is fun. Think of it as a group activity that builds teamwork, and makes long lasting friends. Having a robot might be neat for a while, but half the fun of beer is getting it. It is a quest... The quest... for the Holy Beer!
hmmm (Score:2)
Slashdot a fridge? (Score:5, Funny)
A. The server only takes orders from on-campus ips.
B. The robot is turned off for the night.
C. We have just slashdotted a Refrigerator.
TCP DOS ATTACKS KNOCK OUT BEER DELIVERY WORLDWIDE (Score:5, Funny)
Almost got to see it in action (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Almost got to see it in action (Score:2, Informative)
Hmmm, mix in a little artificial intelligence and (Score:5, Funny)
I'm sorry Dave but I can't do that. You're a little fat to be drinking soda Dave.
Why this rules... (Score:4, Funny)
"It locates room 326 and delivers Dr. Nechyba his Diet Coke thus averting disaster."
He would have gotten away with it if it weren't for those meddling kids!
Exercise (Score:4, Funny)
All we need now is a "Shtoolio" waste collection robot and I won't have any excuses to get up at all!
Re:Exercise (Score:2, Funny)
Those already exist, and they are even shaped like a chair so you can sit on them.
Once the tech gets cheap enough... (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Once the tech gets cheap enough... (Score:2)
For a moment I
Big deal! (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Big deal! (Score:4, Funny)
Apparently you're supposed to get another dongle and have it installed in front of witnesses. Seems the first one is just for show.
Intelligent Machines Design Laboratory (Score:3, Informative)
Koolio was conceived as part of the Intelligent Machines Design Laboratory, a graduate-level class here at the University of Florida in which students spend an entire semester developing their own robots to perform various tasks. The IMDL just had a media expo a couple of days back, and you can find more pictures and information about Koolio and the other robots at the following address:
http://www.mil.ufl.edu/imdl/ [ufl.edu]Mark
Re:Intelligent Machines Design Laboratory (Score:2)
Whoops, thanks for correcting that.
The order site is down. (Score:2, Funny)
Don't even need to get up? (Score:3, Funny)
I'd rather this thing made you chase it for some time -- to force some excercise. Soda is bad enough [yahoo.com] for you even when you have to walk to take it...
Robots taking over... ahh (Score:2, Interesting)
credentials (Score:2)
"This floors houses the Machine Intelligence Lab(MIL) as well class rooms and professor's offices."
Spoken like a true engineer.
The conundrum (Score:4, Funny)
Am I the only one... (Score:3, Informative)
"Cuolo" in Italian is not something one generally wants to be associated with. I beleive Spanish has a not-too-distant equivalent.
down sides (Score:3, Funny)
Ahh, a proto-hairbot (Score:2)
Hairbot: I got your page Mr Fry, your new hair is ready!
[He takes the hair off his head and puts it on Fry's head. Fry shuffles it into place.]
That robot was always just...weirdly creepy.
no need.... (Score:2)
I did, they're called "kids"....
Why dont they get it to do something really useful (Score:3, Funny)
Koolio? The Rapping beerbot? (Score:2, Funny)
Editorial fix to the article... (Score:2)
Similar Project (Score:4, Interesting)
As someone developing a robot... (Score:5, Interesting)
My response is always "I'm not making it for fighting, and if I did, it would get its shiny aluminum ass stomped" ( my robots are legged, and therefore somewhat slow ).
So... they think for a few seconds and ask "will it bring you beer?"
"Maybe someday" I respond.
It's kind of depressing. Here I am trying to make something interesting -- I'm doing private research into behavioral / automata brain design. I firmly believe I can make something as agile and graceful as a cat, or at the very least a retarded cat. But so far I haven't delved into image processing or even goal oriented behavior except for "follow the heat signature". But I think it's wonderful stuff anyway.
Yet people only care about wether its a battlebot or a beerbot.
Fie on them all.
I want to weld a tow hook on it (Score:3, Funny)
The next logical step: (Score:3, Funny)
Re:This is cool (Score:4, Insightful)