Monkey Update

Looks like Brian Dennehy's getting an upgrade this afternoon.

"Scientists expect that technology will eventually allow people with spinal cord injuries and other paralyzing conditions to gain more control over their lives." I love how articles like these always have sentences like that. It's like they're just trying to say "Look, we're a mature publisher, we're publishing this to give hop to our paralyzed demographic, not just because the idea of robot monkeys makes us giddy."

Every month lately I see stories about new scientific advancements in monkey cybernetics, and I continue to contend that this can only end in tears. The age of robot-monkey vengeance is nigh.

Did anybody else just start daydreaming almost immediately about what they could do with a fully cybernetic body housing their gray matter?

Robot Nixon is baaaack!

I heard this on the news this morning, and I never thought of the JoCo link...I'll hand my JoCo fan club membership in now.

Video of him using his arm is both sort of cute and creepy at the same time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfE_PUtzMe8

Sorry, that one was from a year ago - the one the article talks about is probably this one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxIgdOlT2cY

Definitely more cyborg/mecha looking.

Well... say goodbye to the Statue of Liberty. There will be nothing to stop the ape uprising now. And the saddest part... we did it to ourselves. I just hope the cyber-monkeys don't team up with SkyNet when they enslave us.

It's a short distance from this to THIS http://www.herospy.com/wp-content/hero%20spy%202006/toys/cygor.jpg

Dammit! I didn't see this on the RSS feed and emailed it in separately. Now I feel worthless. I hope you're happy.

And, since I notice no-one else has said it yet, I for one welcome our new monkey-robot overlords.

Yep, I spotted this earlier today and instantly thought of JoCo, I just think things like this are bloody brilliant, do you reckon there's any song ideas from this?

A song about a monkey trapped in a lab where he's forced to use cybernetic arms?

Ok, the real question is this: are these robot monkeys, or monkey robots? Let the flamewars commence!

I heard after they perfect the robot arms they're going to add the pony legs.

And the question on my mind is "Can the monkeys still use their natural limbs?"

Am I practical, or just not insane enough?

Fredrick Heath-Rinn said: "And, since I notice no-one else has said it yet, I for one welcome our new monkey-robot overlords."

You mean protectors.

OK, I've noted before that Pittsburgh is home to the National Museum of Robotics and is the site of the filming of zombie flick "Dawn of the Dead" (actually that was in the suburb of Monroeville, but still...) But now Pitt and CMU are doing experiments with monkeys and robot arms? This is getting more than a little alarming. I mean not only is this now the epicenter of Robots, zombies and monkeys, they're starting to *combine* them?

If CMU comes up with a zombie monkey with a robot arm I'm getting out of town fast.

P.S. Great to get the email about the JoCo gig in Pittsburgh on Saturday. I'll be there... provided it's Pittsburgh, PA rather than (ahem) Pittsburgh, NY as the email stated. Let me know if driving directions are needed...

I saw this on the news. Interesting experiences. Its like a sneak preview of what Man will be able to do in the future, no?

" Indeed, it’s an exciting time to be a monkey in a lab. "

Unless you were a monkey involved with this study ?

http://www.theonion.com/content/video/study_multiple_stab_wounds_may_be

I will agree on eating something like that, but I'm not so sure about the robotic arm though!