Search Results for: robot

Wag the Dog, Sci-Fi Style

Posted on June 30, 2013 by jrenstro

I recently read that 20% of Americans don’t believe we really landed on the moon in 1969. Apparently, the conspiracy theory has gained steam over time—why haven’t we returned since the Apollo missions? How can that American flag wave in … Continue reading →

Posted in Could this Happen? | Tagged astronauts, Capricorn One, conspiracy theory, Elvis, Hawaii, Hi-Seas, hoax, Mars, mission, moon landing, NASA, simulation, space food, space program, star trek, Tang, volcano | Comments Off

Publications

Posted on June 17, 2013 by jrenstro

Books Joelle Renstrom’s collection of essays, Closing the Book: Travels in Life, Loss, and Literature, was published by Pelekinesis in August, 2015. Closing the Book explores the intersection of literature and life in personal essays about traveling, teaching, reading, writing, … Continue reading →

Here to Serve

Posted on June 14, 2013 by jrenstro

The Star Wars cantina scene demonstrates how awesome it would be to sidle up to a bar (preferably on some kind of bounty hunting mission) and order a drink from aliens. Attack of the Clones features a robot waitress, which … Continue reading →

Posted in Could this Happen? | Tagged ai, attack of the clones, china, conveyor belt, dalek, Dalu, ipad, itray, Japan, order, replacement, robo-waiters, robot restaurant, south korea, star wars, thailand, tips, waiters, Yo Sushi | Comments Off

Terminate This!

Posted on May 8, 2013 by jrenstro

In science fiction, robots have been solving cases and apprehending criminals for a while. From Robocop to Terminator to THX 1138 the idea that robots may replace police officers has in recent years begun the transition from fiction to fact. … Continue reading →

Posted in Could this Happen? | Tagged afghanistan, bomb, bomb defuser, Boston, boston marathon bombing, drones, howe and howe, IED, iraq, iRobot, law enforcement, military robots, packbot, police robots, robocop, robot combat league, SWAT, terminator, THX 1138, tsarnaev, warrior, watertown | Comments Off

Bugging Out

Posted on February 21, 2013 by jrenstro

In Guillermo Del Toro’s movie Cronos, an ancient device embodied in a scarab restores youth and vigor to the aged antique dealer who finds it. It also creates a taste for blood; near the end of the movie, the now … Continue reading →

Posted in Could this Happen? | Tagged afghanistan, boston dynamics, cronos, cybee, cyborg, DARPA, del toro, DNA, ender's game, ethics, flight of the bumblebee, insects, land mines, mike libby, mind control, moth, nature, orphan black, orson scott card, remote controlled beetle, remote controlled cockroach, robert heinlein, robot insects, sand flea, science, sentience, slate, spying, starship troopers, stem cells, surveillance, technology, war zones | Comments Off

A Very, Very, Very Fine House

Posted on February 8, 2013 by jrenstro

Ray Bradbury’s lovely, human-less chapter of the Martian Chronicles, “There Will Come Soft Rains”, features an automated house that cooks meals for its inhabitants, issues gentle reminders of when to wake up and go to sleep, draws baths, washes dishes, … Continue reading →

Posted in Could this Happen? | Tagged "There Will Come Soft Rains", actuators, app, automated house, cloud, communication, control, downton abbey, house, Martian Chronicles, mini-computer, motion detector, motion sensor, nanny cam, ninja, Ninja Blocks, Open hardware, Open Source, programming, Raspberry Pi, Ray Bradbury, remote control, robot house, robots, Sara Teasdale, sensors, temperature sensor, twitter, Wally Wood, wireless | Comments Off

Should This Happen?

Posted on January 13, 2013 by jrenstro

In Stephen King’s novel (and movie) Thinner, a vengeful gypsy curses an overweight and corrupt lawyer, causing him to drop pounds as though they were steaming hot potatoes. Sounds a lot better and easier than jump-roping one’s way to slimness, … Continue reading →

Posted in Could this Happen? | Tagged abdomen, Asimov, aspirate, aspire, AspireAssist, bariatric, battlestar galactica, BSG, bulimia, calories, diet, digest, eat, eating, exercise, gastric bypass, gastric restriction, George R.R. Martin, intestine, lee adama, obesity, overeating, port, pounds, stephen king, stomach, thinner, tube, weight loss | Comments Off

More Than Meets the Eye

Posted on December 12, 2012 by jrenstro

I’ll admit to one thing up front: I’ve seen all the Transformers movies. I still think the first one was the best one, but I’d watch five more, too, if they make them. Until recently, I thought of those movies … Continue reading →

Posted in Could this Happen? | Tagged Asimo, Cathedral of Dreams, Kenji Ishida, optimus prime, quasi-static locomotion, revision 7, robot, terry persun, transformers, zero moment point | 2 Comments

Well, You Know, I Work Out

Posted on November 25, 2012 by jrenstro

Ever wonder how superheroes get such absurd muscles? I mean, when’s the last time you ever saw one in a gym? Sure, Superman developed his biceps by hauling car around and Clark Kent is likely built under the bland and … Continue reading →

Posted in Could this Happen? | Tagged 2045, acidity, artificial muscle, Batman, carbon, carbon nanotubes, futurist, gym, Hulk, hydrogen ion, ligand, macrocycle, molecular machine, molecule, muscle, nanotechnology, nanotube, pH, Roxtane, Spiderman, superhero, Superman, Wonder Woman, working out | Comments Off

Because Titanium Lacks Flexibility (and it’s so 2010)

Posted on August 23, 2012 by jrenstro

The first time I ever watched Transformers, my first thought was that the Decepticons were far cooler than the Autobots and my second thought was how amazing it would be to be able to change shape. Since the days of … Continue reading →

Posted in Could this Happen? | Tagged autobot, camouflage, cephalopods, color, cuttlefish, DARPA, decepticon, harvard, maximum mobility and manipulation, microfluid, octopus, optimus prime, robot, sam malone, shape, shape shifter, silicon, size, squid, temperature, terminator, transformers, true blood | Comments Off