Jezebel: Robots

Watch a Robot and a Doll Court and Marry Each Other in New Ad

Doug Barry — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST

A Filipino company called Manikako that teaches kids how to make their own dolls out of old clothes and other recycled materials collaborated with Energizer, Revolver, Post Manila and TBWA\SMP to create a WALL-E-esque ad that Adrant describes as "a charming love story," but that I find borderline creepy. Just borderline, though. I guess the ad's message is sweet but is it really productive to tell kids that the only way a sad, lonely robot can find happiness is that if it enters into the marriage contract? (Winston Wu would most certainly not approve.) And what does the doll see in the robot? All the robot does is mope, mope, mope. I don't know, I feel like they'd be just as happy in a civil union, but points to Manikako for celebrating the differences that can draw our alienated robot selves together. More »

Get Ready For A Robot Picnic

Dana Zemack — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 17:55:00 EST

Dana Zemack has been making stick figure comics since she was 12. This week, she made one just for us. More »

Why Do So Many Robots Have A Woman's Voice?

Cassie Murdoch — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 13:05:00 EDT

Ever wonder why so many automated voices—think the iPhone's Siri, your GPS lady, the woman who gives you your voicemail—are female? NPR's Scott Simon did a little digging into this topic, and the consensus seems to be that women's voices are used because they're perceived as being more comforting. As one expert put it, More »

'But I Am A Male Robot'

Anna North — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 17:20:00 EDT

Because scientists are middle-schoolers at heart, like the rest of us, they decided to pit two Cleverbots — artifical-intelligence chat programs — against one another and see what kind of conversation ensued. The result was odd, impolite, and pretty funny. Inspired by this, I decided to have a chat with a Cleverbot myself. More »

Finally, A Cookie-Baking Robot

Margaret Hartmann — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 09:30:00 EDT

Finally, scientists have created something useful instead of just studying how sitting is going to kill us all. Behold "BakeBot," the cookie-baking robot. It doesn't mix the ingredients well and can only make one giant, 12-inch cookie pie, but we're now one step closer to having clumsy, $400,000 robot maids. And cookie pies on demand. More »

Woman Marries R2D2

Erin Gloria Ryan — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 15:26:00 EST

A writer for StarWars.com promised to love, honor, and cherish the beeping droid in front of a small crowd of onlookers, and, bizarrely, former America's Next Top Model titleholder Adrienne Curry. I'm a little surprised; all these years I thought he and C3PO would end up together. More »

The World’s First Anti-Android Marriage Activist

Jessica Coen — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 16:55:00 EST

As politicians in Maryland ponder the question of gay marriage, a group of activists from Protect Marriage Maryland try to persuade them that gay love will inevitably lead to the worst possible outcome. That's right: Marriage between humans and artificial intelligence. Listen to the evidence! [io9] More »

See Marie Antoinette's Piano-Playing LadyRobot

Dodai Stewart — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 11:58:00 EDT

Right now, at Versailles, as part of the "Sciences and Curiosities at the Court of Versailles" exhibit, one can view the tiny piano-playing automaton/android — with which Marie Antoinette entertained her court. She's gorgeous, talented, and gives serious side-eye. More »

In The Future Pop Stars Will Be Replaced By Singing Robots

Margaret Hartmann — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 19:20:00 EDT

When we met HRP-4C last year she was walking the runway, but now she's pursuing her real passion: music. In this video of "Divabot" singing at Japan's Digital Contents Expo she displays real talent... for freaking us out. More »

Wily Kids Smuggle Robot Past White House Security

Jessica Coen — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 16:10:00 EDT

[Washington D.C., October 18: POTUS checks out a soccer-playing robot made by students from Ambler, PA, while touring exhibits at the White House's first Science Fair. Unfortunately Obama has yet to learn that robots cannot be trusted. Image via Getty.]

Video: Sock-Folding Robot Also Gives Handjobs

Margaret Hartmann — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 19:21:00 EDT

Does the world really need a robot that can fold socks very slowly? No. Good thing this robot is handy with other tasks as well. (Safe for work. Promise.) More »

Airline Puts Flight Attendants On Leave Until They Slim Down

Katy Kelleher — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 18:14:00 EDT

28 flight attendants at Turkish Airlines have been asked to stay grounded for six months while they try and slim down. According to the airline, all of them had previously been received warnings about their weight.

Healthy Drinkers Drink Beer, Says Beer Academy • Mercede Johnston Isn't On "Team Levi"

Katy Kelleher — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 17:30:00 EDT

• A report commissioned by the Beer Academy says beer is one of the healthiest alcoholic drinks available, for both body and mind. After exploring the psychological and social benefits of downing a few bottles, the report argued. More »

Lunchmeat Is Our Best Defense Against Robots

Margaret Hartmann — Mon, 03 May 2010 12:20:38 EDT

According to this Spanish ad, Campofrio ham is not only delicious, it's the weapon of choice for dads looking to kill the giant robot hitting on their wives and usurping their position in the family. [AdFreak] More »

"The Snackbot" Delivers Ruffles And Research

Hortense Smith — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 11:40:00 EDT

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have created The Snackbot, a robot that not only delivers delicious snacks to students and faculty members, but also helps them study such things as "behavioral science research on such topics as personalization." [LiveScience] More »

"Emotional Robot" Girlfriend Inspires One Emotion: Terror

Anna North — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:30:00 EDT

Want to watch an emo guy caress an "emotional robot" (basically a huge amorphous lump of dough) as it breathes, deforms, and crawls into bed with him? Don't say we didn't warn you. [BoingBoing] More »

Yes, And We Call Him Hitachi.

Sadie Stein — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 15:30:00 EDT

1928: "In this happy future, no old maid need look under the bed for a man, in vain." Instead she'll buy a custom robot to warm her bed - which is obviously better than no man at all. [PaleoFuture] More »

The "Orgasm Robot": Educational Or Offensive?

Hortense Smith — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 14:45:00 EDT

A reader has tipped us to this bizarre contraption, known as "Moaning Lisa," a robotic instrument designed to challenge users to master "the process leading to a female orgasm" using a series of ultrasonic sensors. More »

The Fembot's Not For Sex... Yet

Dodai Stewart — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 12:20:00 EST

Le Trung, inventor of that fembot named Aiko says he didn't create it for sex. But: More »

If You Always Like The Emotionally Unavailable, It's Because You Probably Are, Too

Megan Carpentier — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 17:00:00 EDT

There have been a lot of stories lately (and even a movie) about people in love with inanimate objects. Today, Sega Toys annoyingly announced that it was jumping on this sad trend by creating a doll-sized robot girlfriend, called Eternal Maiden Actualization, for lonely men. While some people who fall in love with inanimate objects call their orientation objectùm-sexuality, it seems to me that such people fall into a larger class of us called "people who are so scared to get hurt that they subconsciously choose relationships in which they won't be." You know, inanimate objects, emotionally unavailable men, we're all just looking to minimize the pain we know is coming. More »

And artificial intelligence researcher,...

Tracie Egan Morrissey — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 19:45:00 EDT

And artificial intelligence researcher, David Levy, from the Netherlands has predicted that by the year 2050, people will be marrying robots—but only if it's trendy. According to Levy, the fate of our marital prospects with machinery lies in the hands of the women's magazine writers, according to Levy, "Once you have a story like 'I had sex with a robot, and it was great!' appear someplace like Cosmo magazine, I'd expect many people to jump on the bandwagon." Actually, at this point, we probably would—as long as the robot looks like Ryan Gosling and comes with a Hitachi Magic Wand attachment. [MSNBC] More »

Calling Britney 'Crazy': A Way To Keep Our Jobs? Or Lose Them? So Confused

Jennifer — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 19:05:22 EDT

Apparently posting up photos of Britney Spears and labeling her "crazy" is illegal. Does this mean we're part of some sort of underground economy? [E!]

End of Days: Electric Orgasms, Donuts & Dream

eurotrash — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 18:05:28 EST

Frigid female Woody Allen fans, take note! A North Carolina anesthesiologist says he's created the ultimate Orgasmatron: An implanted, remote-controlled device that stimulates a sweet spot on your spinal cord to help you get off. [Esquire]