Google's robot strikes back at humans in horror remix
The Atlas humanoid robot loves its box. Humans take away its box. Now Atlas is hell-bent on revenge.
Google-owned Boston Dynamics released a video last week of its humanoid Atlas robot performing impressive tasks like opening doors, walking through snow-covered woods and picking up boxes.
But all the viewers could talk about was how mean the humans were to Atlas. They knocked the robot around with a pole and smacked a box out of its hands.
The human-on-robot bullying is actually part of a practical demonstration of how Atlas responds to changes in its environment and then adjusts to complete a task. But YouTube comedy filmmakers Auralnauts saw it as a opportunity to remix the video into the beginning of a horror movie.
The remix kicks off with the ominous missive: "First create a need for something, then take that thing away."
The strategic addition of a voice-over creates a world where jerk humans have built a robot that loves its precious box more than anything. Poor Atlas searches everywhere for its darling box, only to have the villainous humans knock it away.
This does not end well.
The rise-of-the-machines remix effectively builds sympathy for Atlas and vilifies humans. The cliffhanger ending is effective and uncomfortable. Auralnauts released the video Friday.
Auralnauts is a master of remixing videos and turning their original meaning into something completely new. Check out the Star Wars-without-music video for a disturbing take on the throne-room scene from "A New Hope."
(Via Reddit)