Vote: Battle of the nonviolent robots (The Sweet Sixteen)
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And then there were 16.
These robots don't want to fight. That's why you have to pick the winners. After two weeks of "battling" it out, our field of nonviolent robots is down to 16 competitors.
Voting is open from now until Sept. 17. Check back then for the results of this round and vote on the Elite Eight matchups.
- See last week's final scores
- See last week's matchups
- See the tournament rules and first week's matchups
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PROTOTYPE DIVISION
===================
(Credit: Honda.com)
1. Asimo
Fittingly pronounced "awesome-o," Honda's amazing humanoid bipedal robot, is this year's tourney favorite, and with good reason. It's already been inducted into the Robot Hall of Fame. It climbs stairs. It looks like an astronaut. And most unfortunately for its opponents, it has some pretty sweet dance moves, as this video can attest.
(Credit: Robot Watch)
3. OmniZero.4
The demonstration-winning robot from this year's Robo-One 11 event in Japan is built for entertainment. Known to his friends as "Li'l Clompy," OmniZero.4 climbs ladders, skips rope, breaks the hell out of eggs, and politely bows. Sure, he can be physically intimidating if you're an egg or 1 foot tall, but everyone else can just kick him into a swimming pool if he gets confrontational.
(1) Asimo vs. (3) OmniZero.4: Who wins?
Asimo
OmniZero.4
====
(Credit: John W. Cornwell)
4. Beer-Launching Fridge
Another robot that could potentially do some damage if you're not paying attention, the Beer-Launching Fridge holds up to 10 cans of delicious beer and flings them to you so you don't even have to get up. Unfortunately, at this point, you'll have to know designer John W. Cornwell personally, because he has the only one. But he may build more. One can hope, or at least buddy up to him on Facebook.
(Credit: BeatBots.org)
2. Keepon
The robotic star of two Spoon videos (one unofficial one, and one official one) has the most soul of any Nerf robot we've ever seen. In addition to bass (which it picks up through its nose mic), the secret to Hideki Kozima and Marek Michalowski's head-bobbing robot is in its base. Base! How low can you go?
(4) Beer-Launching Fridge vs. (2) Keepon: Who wins?
Beer-Launching Fridge
Keepon
=========================
CONSUMER DIVISION
=========================
(Credit: Michael Kanellos/CNET Networks)
1. Pleo
When most people consider the concept of a robotic dinosaur, thoughts of mechanical T. rexes and velociraptors duking it out on a rickety bridge over a flaming pool of tar come to mind. Ugobe's Pleo is about as far away from that image as possible. He's cute, cuddly, "learns" things as time passes, develops moods and personality traits, makes grunting noises, and is slated to be in stores in October for around $250. However, the robot version of Carl Everett doesn't think Pleo exists.
(Credit: Caleb Goessling)
6. Nintendo R.O.B.
Any votes for R.O.B. will come straight from nostalgia, because Nintendo's game-playing robot sure didn't have many gaming skills. With only two compatible NES games (the forgettable "Gyromite" and "Stack-Up") and molasses-slow movements, R.O.B. was rarely part of any old-school gaming session beyond his first foray out of the box. These days, R.O.B. has hung up his Gyro Blocks and now has his own MySpace page.
(1) Pleo vs. (6) Nintendo R.O.B.: Who wins?
Pleo
Nintendo R.O.B.
====
(Credit: WowWee)
4. Robosapien
Another selection from the ultracompetitive WowWee Conference, Robosapien has a bunch of tricks. Namely, belching, farting, caveman noises, dancing, and more farting. That's a nice little repertoire for $50, and Robosapien's hacker-friendly innards have paved the way for some sweet mods. This is another dark horse with an enthusiastic fan base that may propel it to the late rounds. It is also good at farting.
(Credit: Mobile-review.com)
2. Sony QRIO
Hey, where's Aibo? Sorry. Sony's robo-dog was pummeled in the Sony conference finals by this lesser-known humanoid robot. Face and voice recognition, communication skills, and memory were some of QRIO's noticeable traits, but its smooth, fluid dancing moves (showcased in this Beck video) were QRIO's main drawing point. Development on the robot was halted before it hit store shelves, but you can't blame that on QRIO.
(4) Robosapien vs. (2) Sony QRIO: Who wins?
Robosapien
Sony QRIO
=================
MOVIE DIVISION
=================
1. Marvin
the Paranoid Android (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy)
The only robot in this year's competition that is (allegedly) the subject of a Radiohead song, Marvin's vast intellect is both his strength and his vulnerability. He may be too mired in depression and bored with this trivial tournament to even put up a good nonfight, or he may completely destroy the competition by employing his 5.5 million IQ. Either way, the championship is there for big number 42's taking if he wants it badly enough.
(Credit: StarWars.com)
6. C-3PO
Decisions, decisions...Would you cast a vote for C-3PO just because you love
Star Wars? Or does this droid's incessant nattering and worrying grate on
your last nerve? Threepio's fate could go either way in this competition, which
makes him one of the more intriguing tourney competitors. Two
things I will say for C-3PO: No one would understand most of the stuff R2-D2 said
without his reactionary dialogue, and his Halloween costume is best accompanied
by creative
use of jazz hands.
(1) Marvin the Paranoid Android vs. (6) C-3PO: Who wins?
Marvin the Paranoid Android
C-3PO
====
(Credit: Johnny-Five.com)
5. Johnny Five (Short Circuit
2)
He may be "alive," but he's still a robot. Johnny Five's distinction in the
tournament, other than his unparalleled knowledge of pop culture and classic
literature, is that he's the only robot that has been arrested. For the purposes
of nonviolence, it's important to note that this is the Short Circuit 2
version of Johnny Five, the one with the toolbox instead of an on-board laser.
(Credit: Amazon.com)
2. D.A.R.Y.L.
Whereas most movie robots can just crush anyone mercilessly with a combination of
brute force and laser beams, D.A.R.Y.L. takes a more down-to-earth approach. He
will obliterate your high score in Pole Position, make any Little League
pitcher's ERA balloon to double digits, and ruin the grading curve on tests.
(5) Johnny Five vs. (2) D.A.R.Y.L.: Who wins?
Johnny Five
D.A.R.Y.L.
=================
TV DIVISION
=================
(Credit: Toyshow.org)
1. Twiki (Buck Rogers in the
25th Century)
Despite the bidibidi-bad haircut and the inconsistent silver-or-gold color scheme, Twiki is a player to be reckoned
with. The reason for such a high seed? Twiki's actually a double threat,
thanks to the fact that he wears another robot--Dr. Theopolis--on his chest like
Flavor Flav's clock. Yeaaaaah bidibidi-boyeeeeeeee.
(Credit: StarTrek.com)
6. Data
(Star Trek)
Commander Data may have lacked emotions for most of his run, but he definitely
can win people's hearts. His childlike innocence combined with the most powerful
positonic net-powered brain ever gives him an idiot savantish lovability.
Combatants should keep in mind what Tasha Yar found out: Commander Data is fully functional. (Commander Data scouting report written by resident Trekkie Tom Merritt.)
(1) Twiki vs. (6) Data: Who wins?
Twiki
Data
====
5. K-9 (Dr.
Who)
Yes, K-9 has a laser in his nose, but he ain't gonna use it unless the good
doctor tells him to. His top weapons are intelligence and mobile database
serving. What K-9 lacks in visual sophistication, the robot dog more than makes
up for in sheer loyalty. All that persistence has paid off for K-9, too: He's
getting his own spinoff
series in 2008.
2. Bender
(Futurama)
With Bender, the TV Division has one of the most potentially violent nonviolent robots in the competition. Bender's personality is a volatile cocktail that could blow a fuse at any second: He drinks with the best of them, has a smart mouth, and enjoys bending things. The Futurama star may also have the biggest fan base in the tourney.
(5) K-9 vs. (2) Bender: Who wins?
K-9
Bender
All scores represent percentage of votes, but let's pretend it's like a basketball game.
============
Movie Division
============
(1) Marvin the Paranoid Android 79
(8) Dot Matrix 21
(3) Robby the Robot 36
(6) C-3PO 64
(4) Teddy 25
(5) Johnny Five 75
(2) D.A.R.Y.L. 58
(7) Woody Allen 42
============
TV Division
============
(1) Twiki 60
(8) Vicki 40
(3) KITT 34
(6) Data 66
(4) Muffit II 63
(5) K-9 37
(2) Bender 73
(7) Crow T. Robot 15
(7) Tom Servo 12
%20%7C%20Crave%20-%20CNET&srcUrl=http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-9774284-1.html){kind=small}
Roomba? Please.
For what it's worth, the "Lost in Space" robot is doing very well in the Nonviolent Robot NIT.
Oh, and you are a doofus.
I thought he lost to KITT!
- Keepon Robot
-
by mandygirl247
January 17, 2008 1:48 PM PST
- I found more about the Keepon yellow robot. He is soooo cute! Check him out at http://www.cmu.edu/robou.
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