Russian State TV Shows Off 'Robot' That's Actually a Man In a Robot Suit (gizmodo.com) 120
A "hi-tech robot" shown on Russian state television turns out to be a man in a suit. While airing footage of a technology forum aimed at kids, a Russian state TV reporter proclaimed that Boris the robot "has already learned to dance and he's not that bad." Gizmodo reports: This "robot" actually retails for 250,000 rubles (about $3,770), as first reported by the Guardian, and is made by a company called Show Robots. "Boris" features glowing eyes, and plastic parts -- and shockingly human-like movements. Probably because he needs a human inside to operate properly. This faux-robot (fauxbot?) mystery was actually first unraveled when some eagled-eyed Russian viewers on the internet noticed that a suspiciously human-like neck was showing in the video. The report notes that "there's no indication" that there was intent to deceive anyone. Instead, it "appears to be a case of a TV presenter getting confused with what he believed to be 'modern robots.'" You can watch the broadcast on Russia-24's YouTube channel.
Thank you very much (Score:5, Funny)
We are now living in an Andy Kaufman sketch.
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"The report notes that "there's no indication" that there was intent to deceive anyone. Instead, it "appears to be a case of a TV presenter getting confused with what he believed to be 'modern robots.'""
let me get this straight, this story is nothing more than a tv presenter getting confused at a kids tech forum?
why is it on slashdot? because the guardian got confused at 2nd hand, thinking it was an actual deception by those evil russian? the guardian do seem to be getting confused a lot about russians.
Presume guilt (Score:3)
Because the denials of the intent to deceive are just as ridiculously fake as most of the rest of what's on Russia's state-owned TV.
If it comes from a Russian — especially, a government-connected Russian — it is more likely to be false than true and any presumptions and doubt ought to be in that direction.
Re:Thank you very much (Score:5, Funny)
I can't help but it feels more like the world is turning into a Monty Python skit, complete with Terry Gilliam's art. I'm honestly waiting for a large, naked foot to stomp me.
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I'm honestly waiting for a large, naked foot to stomp me.
This isn't a deviant porn site.
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Found the guy who didn't even know the goat stuff was deviant!
Are those dried grits in your neckbeard???!
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Don't kinkshame!
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People always said Heartbeeps was the worst sci-fi movie ever. And while it is one of my favorite movies, I always agreed; it was one of the best Romantic Comedies ever, but it would really suck if viewed as sci-fi.
I'm now coming to understand that it was really a documentary about the future. And the lesson is, if you want to find happiness in the future, plan to recycle it at the dump while hiding from the authoritays.
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Or a Simpsons episode.
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Stormtroopers didn't kill Luke's aunt and uncle [youtube.com]
Pretty iconic, right? Luke's lifelong home is destroyed, his aunt and uncle murdered. All he's left with is fuel for his rage against the Empire. But isn't it a little weird to think that Stormtroopers did this? I get that the Empire was looking for R2-D2 and C-3PO, and that they'd be more than willing to trash someone's home to get what they want. But what they di
But (Score:5, Funny)
Can he spread fake news, like a real Russian bot?
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In America, robot try to be human.
In Soviet Russia, human try to be robot...
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Can he spread fake news, like a real Russian bot?
Yes and he has a built-in money laundering machine.
Shocking! (Score:1)
Wow, next you'll tell me that yellow bird from Sesame street is not actually a bird but a man in costume?
How is this news?
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If all the major news outlets had run stories about "big yellow talking bird discovered", it would be news that it was just a guy in a costume. Russian Government TV claimed it was a robot filmed at some big robot showcase.
For what it's worth, the robot showcase was real.
job opportunity (Score:4, Funny)
This "robot" actually retails for 250,000 rubles (about $3,770), as first reported by the Guardian, and is made by a company called Show Robots.
Does it come with a human inside? This might be the only employment open to anyone in the future.
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This "robot" actually retails for 250,000 rubles (about $3,770), as first reported by the Guardian, and is made by a company called Show Robots.
Does it come with a human inside? This might be the only employment open to anyone in the future.
Funny. That was my first thought too. $3,770 for my own personal Russian slave sounds pretty cheap.
Re: job opportunity (Score:4, Funny)
$3,770 for my own personal Russian slave sounds pretty cheap.
Until you open it up for service and discover an angry, thick-ankled babushka with a vodka habit...
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$3,770 for my own personal Russian slave sounds pretty cheap.
Until you open it up for service and discover an angry, thick-ankled babushka with a vodka habit...
Who says that wasn't what I was hoping for?
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Funny. That was my first thought too. $3,770 for my own personal Russian slave sounds pretty cheap.
Would you say that it's the droid you were looking for?
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Heh came to say the same thing. Make a "service dock" that the robot needs to be in for 8 hours a night (for sleeping and dumping human waste), and request to be paid in lithium batteries (which you resell for a wage).
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This is Russian robot. Power supply is ethanol fuel cell, runs on Vodka.
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Heh came to say the same thing. Make a "service dock" that the robot needs to be in for 8 hours a night (for sleeping and dumping human waste), and request to be paid in lithium batteries (which you resell for a wage).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
Somewhere Victor Pelevin Chuckles (Score:1, Interesting)
Pelevin did it.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omon_Ra
The Turk (Score:3)
Been there, done that. (Well, read about it anyway.)
"The Turk, also known as the Mechanical Turk or Automaton Chess Player was a fake chess-playing machine constructed in the late 18th century. From 1770 until its destruction by fire in 1854
The Turk was in fact a mechanical illusion that allowed a human chess master hiding inside to operate the machine."
But I bet he couldn't dance worth a Pawn.
It's like an old joke coming to life (Score:5, Funny)
Where the Soviets showcase the glorious developments of Russian ingenuity in an international display of new appliances, where they demo a potato peeling machine. Demonstrating it to the politburo, the inventor picks up a potato from a bucket, throws it into the machine and a few seconds of working very quietly later, a peeled potato is thrown out of the machine. An apparatchik is overwhelmed with joy, takes the bucket and dumps it into the machine, which prompts a rustling and a small door opens where an old babushka looks out and cries "Please, not so many, I'm alone this week".
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Well, technically, the Soviet "Human first" doesn't count either because he didn't land together with his capsule, which was required for the "first" to count. So yes, that's cheated, too.
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Who made that rule?
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The FAI [wikipedia.org].
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And the Soviets showcase the glorious first, satellite, animal, human in space and there is no fraud under capitalism.
Go to a supermarket and look at the freezer with bottled water in it. Pay special attention to the imported brands. In most of the developed world tap water is of similar or better quality as bottled water, and yet people pay for imported bottled water. The only difference is that the Capitalists were usually better at swindling you that the Soviets.
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As far as I know there's a lot of mineral springs in Germany, especially when I visited the South West these appeared to be all over the place. Of course people utilized these natural resources and made huge industries from them. There should be no real need to buy imported water unless they're some kind of hipster.
Over the time I suppose the population got accustomed to carbonated and bottled
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In Germany? 'Water' defaults to carbonated mineral water. Ask for a water at most restaurants and they bring you mineral water.
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They'd be willing to serve you some "Tafelwasser" which is essentially bottled tap with additions (may be carbonated or not). It's distinct from mineral water, which is the most frequently consumed form of bottled water. And of course they expect you to pay for it.
And yeah, most soft drinks in Germany are also carbonated. Except for 100% fruit juices and milk based products.
When they introduced deposit costs for carbonated drinks in cans, PET
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Where the Soviets showcase the glorious developments of Russian ingenuity in an international display of new appliances, where they demo a potato peeling machine. Demonstrating it to the politburo, the inventor picks up a potato from a bucket, throws it into the machine and a few seconds of working very quietly later, a peeled potato is thrown out of the machine. An apparatchik is overwhelmed with joy, takes the bucket and dumps it into the machine, which prompts a rustling and a small door opens where an old babushka looks out and cries "Please, not so many, I'm alone this week".
There's lots of jokes like that: A Russian goes to a watchmaker and hands him a broken pocket watch. The watchmaker opens it up, peers into the watch with a magnifier and then pulls a dead flea out of the mechanism. The Russian lights up and says: "Ah! I understand, the engineer is dead!"
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Soviet Russia created a lot of great jokes. Like the one about the Samovar.
(should be read with original heavy Russian accent)
Babushka working long time already in glorious Soviet factory producing samovar, working hard on conveyor putting together piece and piece of samovar. But alas, never had earned enough money for buying samovar. So went to leader from combine and pleaded case. Said "Dear comrade combine leader, I work many years already in glorious Soviet factory for samovar, but never have money for
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So the Americans decide they need to steal the blueprints of the new advanced fighter jet from the Russians, build it, and learn all its secrets. They send their best spies and they manage to steal a set of blueprints. The best minds get to work, study the blueprints, manufacture all the parts, and assemble them, producing a bulldozer. They scratch their heads, disassemble the thing, check all the parts, measurements and instructions. They reassemble everything again and get a bulldozer. So they figure they
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Glorious Soviet chemical engineering development plant made great plan to produce butter out of shit to once and for all eliminate world hunger, proving superiority of Soviet system for all humankind. Success rate so far is 50%. Spreads well already, taste still slightly off.
Seriously (Score:5, Insightful)
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the big purple dinosaur called Barney is also (gasp!) a dude in a suit.
Wait, what? Barney isn't a six foot penis? How can a dinosaur be purple or your best friend? That makes absolutely no sense.
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And ... him being a six foot penis makes sense?
Damn furries.
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Oh. Really?
Umm.. you think I could get away claiming I didn't know? *hides gun behind back*
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My friend was Barney at the carnival for 3 years.
She wasn't a dude, she was an employee. But she did enjoy rounding up teenagers to visit the BB-gun booth, and gave them all Barney pictures to shoot up, and then autographed them.
I for one will bow down to our robot overlord (Score:2)
Interesting, if anyone was fooled by that they kind of deserves it. Like reading an Onion news article and falling for it, you ought to know better.
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Interesting, if anyone was fooled by that they kind of deserves it. Like reading an Onion news article and falling for it, you ought to know better.
What about someone who may have signed up for dancing lessons from the robot?
Asking for a friend.
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Yeah, who would ever believe in razors with 5 or 6 blades! Obviously Onion. Also, Orange Man Bad; obviously Onion. Wake me up when the lizard people are on TV invading Earth.
Intergalactic Planetary! (Score:1)
Translated for Fox/CNN (Score:4, Funny)
How is this a news story? It needs to be put through the hype distortion machine first:
In breaking news, the Russians have HACKED a robotics conference to plant FAKE robots. At a time when western nations faces the grave threat of EXTINCTION by the rise of machines, this sort of DECEPTION could only mean we have entered a dangerous new period of RUSSIAN artificial INTELLIGENCE operations.
There, fixed.
Translated for Fox (Score:2)
What's next? (Score:5, Funny)
Humans pretending to be Russian robots?
What's next, Russian bots pretending to be human?
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Russia has given us robots pretending to be humans, humans pretending to be robots, spies pretending to be diplomats, assassins pretending to be tourists, and a US president pretending to act in America's best interests. None are convincing.
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Why are you bringing up FDR?
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In Soviet Russia...
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Nah, Putin pretending to be human.
FTFA (Score:2)
the company never claimed that they are going to demonstrate a robot, the TV journalist claimed it.
This is not a case of a corporate scum, but a stupid journalist.
Amon Ra (Score:2)
Reminds of the book Amon Ra, where (spoiler below)
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the twist is that russians are dressing humans as robots to hide the fact that they are using them in suicide missions.
I don't believe it. (Score:2)
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Futurama (Score:2)
Maybe the guy just came back from planet Chapek 9.
https://comedycentral.mtvnimag... [mtvnimages.com]
The A.W.E.S.O.M.-O 4000 (Score:2)
Does it suggest ideas for movies staring Adam Sandler?
Danger Will Robinson! (Score:1)
In Soviet Russia: (Score:2)
In Soviet Russia:
Tech journalists do as little research as they do anywhere else before writing an article!
Min
egads! (Score:2)
Next you'll be telling me that The Sniffer [wikipedia.org] isn't real either :(
In Russia, robot automates you! (Score:2)
Russian satirical magazine, the year of 1974 (Score:1)
Already done in Italy by a guy from Indianapolis (Score:2)