Since the dawn of technology, we have always envisioned the robot as a possible companion. A thing to order around and do unwanted or unsafe jobs. Maybe you pictured a robot wheeling around your future home. Preparing dinner and taking the dog out for a walk while you sit around and sip cognac. Maybe you pictured robots replacing humans in areas where super-human strength is required or maybe even for deep sea exploration. Whatever it was, I’m sure it was for mankind’s benefit. Then there are those who only think of dollars and not lives. Someone who would design robots for one purpose: To control and subdue “unruly” citizens. Read my “Ray Bradbury was right!” post.

Of course, some can argue that this is why there are three major laws in robotics:

1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2. A robot must obey any orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

And we all know that laws are put in place to protect us right? Just look at the current state of the United States. Land of the free…spending.

Blockbuster movies like the Terminator franchise have made a wonderful job in illustrating the point of robots becoming self aware. Robots learning to reprogram themselves and follow their newly programmed mission in order to assure their own survival. Welcome to the world ran by SKYNET. As the Terminator movies paint it. This can all be a far-fetched idea for the paranoid type, but let us look at this uncanny sketch of a 1924 Police “Radio Automaton”.

Click to enlarge.

This contraption from Hell was once thought to be a possibility in use against fellow humans. The “Radio Automaton” is a concept design for a police robot that was sketched around 1924. The sinister looking tin can was supposed to be equipped with a loud speaker, a “telegraphone”, tear gas canister, “caterpillar treads” for feet to run over people. I mean, this thing was designed with one purpose: To punish unruly mobs. What’s even more sinister is what the Automaton has in place of a hand. The spinning metallic disk has small balls of lead attached to free-moving straps. When the disk spins at high velocity…well let’s just saw you better start running.

Although these old blueprints for the “Radio Automaton” are old and laughable, I wonder what is the current state in robots in the military or police use? What’s the latest news in robots designed to beat the living crap out of humans?

For today’s Friday Video, I present: That’s Impossible – Real Terminators

So sit back and enjoy being terrified to death…I know I do.

By the way, if this “Robot apocalypse” does really happen, we form a team and go and take out all the WD-40 producing factories first. Then we go and buy Super Soakers water guns.