Why do we even need two-legged robots? What's the obsession?
Blazing Reader,
Per my recent post — about one of the icons of science fiction: the bipedal robot — we should ask the question:
Why do we even need two-legged robots? What's the obsession?
Humanoid designs make sense “if it is so important to justify the trade-off and sacrifice of other things,” Leo Ma, CEO of RoboForce told MSN. “Other than that, there is a great invention called wheels.”
Indeed, for many jobs, a robot with wheels is much more efficient (and safer). There is, after all, a reason humans hop on bikes (especially here in the Netherlands) and into cars when they want to travel. There's a reason we use a forklift to move heavy objects. There's a reason we push our groceries in a metal cart.
I can't say there are any wheeled robots in my near-future sci-fi novel, All the Humans Are Sleeping. But there are plenty of robots with eight legs. Namely, the Spiderbots — tarantula-sized agricultural robots that pull weeds and zap bugs. Here's an excerpt:
_____
Peter watched [Rebecca] turn and start down the alleyway of corn stalks. She paused halfway to dance around a Spiderbot, attempting a pirouette, but stumbling. The Spiderbot beeped a few notes and imitated her, except its pirouette — with one leg on the ground and seven spinning around — was so perfect it could have auditioned with the Bolshoi Theatre.
If the bots have taken over the farm, thought Peter, at least they’re amusing.
He hoped they found humans just as amusing.
____
And I hope you found All the Humans Are Sleeping amusing — despite all the creepy robots and its post-apocalyptic backdrop. If so, or even if not, please leave an honest review on the Amazon nearest you and/or on Goodreads.
John C.A. Manley
P.S. If you didn't hear, a Chinese startup has built a walking, talking robot with the same name (more or less) as the walking, talking robot in All the Humans Are Sleeping. Check it out here.
John C. A. Manley is the author of Much Ado About Corona, All The Humans Are Sleeping and other works of philosophical fiction that are "so completely engaging that you find yourself alternately laughing, gasping, hanging on for dear life." Get free samples of his stories by becoming a Blazing Pine Cone email subscriber.
