First Jetpacks. And Now a Robot Orders a Scone
It’s been a good week for the future.
Just a few days after we announced the tardy arrival of jetpacks (finally!) here in the 21st Century, a robot was spotted ordering a scone in Mountain View, California.
Yes, a real robot. This future overlord of humanity was manufactured by Anybots, Inc. (also of Mountain View), and was caught on camera purchasing a pastry at Red Rock Coffee by Aaron96121, who posted this amusing 5-minute video on YouTube.
Anybot specializes in “telepresence robots,” that are controlled remotely and allow people to attend meetings around the world. They are mounted on a motorized base and can be controlled from any computer through a web browser. They also have built-in video and voice capability, and reportedly retail for $15,000 – $30,000.
They’re also decent tippers, if the video can be believed. This particular robot was fetching a scone for its current master, an Anybot engineer, doubtless before returning to its normal routine of plotting the eventual overthrow of mankind.
As one astute commenter at YouTube posted, “I for one welcome our scone-eating robot overlords!” Amen to that, brother. As long as I get a jetpack.
Oh, dear. I can almost SEE the plot thickening. It’s like a roux. And you’re RIGHT in the middle of it.
Will businesses be more or less inclined to cut back on unnecessary meetings once ALL the attendees are robots?
I’ll feel even better about our robot overlords when they’re spotted buying books.
Sarah,
LOL! Indeed. But what if they skew the demographics of the publishing business? What if robots like books on plate tectonics and Danish poetry? Will I still be able to buy my favorite fantasy novels, if robots outnumber humans by 2050?
Ah, who am I kidding. Give me a jetpack, and robots can run the world any way they want.