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Sweaty, Anxious Robots Are the Future
If my many years of consuming vast amounts of media have taught me anything, it’s that eventually, we’ll make robots and those robots will inevitably rise against us. Movies, television, video games and books all try to impart the same lesson, but we refuse to listen. I get it, I really do. Robots are cool. Or rather, they’re cool right up to the point where they start getting goosebumps and sweating on us in an effort to gain our trust.
Having likely never seen Terminator, read I, Robot or witnessed the near-extinction of the Quarian race at the hands of the Geth (that’s Mass Effect, for you non-gamers), teams of Roboticists are ignoring our warnings as they continue their work on creating realistic robots — or robots that behave like humans, because apparently, a robot that behaves like a robot just won’t do.
They’re trying to accomplish this by focusing on the little details, the things you might not notice when interacting with a fellow human, but it’s stuff you would almost definitely notice, even subconsciously, when interacting with a robot. Things like making eye contact, using hand gestures, or expelling air when it talks is fine with me, I wouldn’t have my robot any other way. It’s the idea that we’re now working on robots that get goosebumps when told a ghost story, which I’m honestly having trouble wrapping my mind around, that starts to weird me out.
As if that’s not creepy enough, Professor Tomoko Yonezawa is leading a research team at Kansai University in Osaka, Japan that’s currently working on a robot head that actually sweats.
You might ask, “Couldn’t a robot just state its intentions and ‘feelings’ instead of needing this subtle and complex cue system?” According to research at Georgia Tech, sometimes we actually feel uneasy when the robot explicitly states its intent before an action. It’s just… awkward.
What’s more, Yonezawa says that “sometimes we make facial expressions that are different from what’s going on in our mind.” In contrast, involuntary behaviors reveal our “true feelings,” and by giving robot these capabilities, we could feel more at ease with them, because we would be able to read their intentions.
So that’s the future, folks. You excited yet?
News
‘Hellraiser: Resurrections’ – BOOM! Studios Event Unleashes Five Brand New One-Shot Comics [Exclusive]
BOOM! Studios recently announced that three classic Clive Barker Hellraiser comic books are coming back to shelves, and we’ve got another exciting exclusive for you today.
Bloody Disgusting can exclusively report that BOOM! Studios will return to the labyrinthine horrors of Clive Barker’s legendary Hellraiser universe with five all-new one-shots this Fall!
A brand new generation of creators will explore the untold corners of Clive Barker’s infernal mythology, revisiting iconic Cenobites while introducing terrifying new stories that expand the boundaries of the Hellscape itself with Hellraiser: Resurrections.
Each week through the month of September, a new chapter of damnation arrives, revealing the forces gathering in the shadows. The descent begins with HELLRAISER: RESURRECTIONS – NEW WOUNDS #1 from writer Mike Costa and artist Paco Camallonga as they draw readers into the hedonistic world of Hellraiser.
When an investigation into the mysterious Puzzle Box goes sideways, the gateways to Hell open anew.
Then, hear the unmistakable chattering of death itself in HELLRAISER: RESURRECTIONS – THE ONANISTIC RITUAL #1 from writer Zac Thompson and artist Gavin Mitchell.
The Chatterer bares his teeth for a brand-new mission. His goal? To reclaim his rightful place as the right hand of the Hell Priest himself!
Next, venture deeper into the hierarchy of Hell with HELLRAISER: RESURRECTIONS – THE DEEP GOSPEL #1 from writer Tini Howard and artist Jenna Cha.
The Female Cenobite was dead. Or close to it…until the Engineer found her. But when she rejects the Engineer’s plans for her remaking, she’s cast down into the harrowing Nidus: the place where the larval stage of Cenobites fight to survive. She’s been here before and made it out alive—and she’ll do it again.
The horrors continue in HELLRAISER: RESURRECTIONS – HELL’S COUNCIL #1 from writer Nero Villagallos O’Reilly and artist Francesca Ciregia.
We saw the fall of Butterball at the end of Hellbound: Hellraiser II. Now we’ll witness his rise as the wounded Cenobite is taken in by a mysterious do-gooder who slowly nurses him back to health, all while worming her way into his brain…and maybe even his heart?
Finally, the event culminates with HELLRAISER: RESURRECTIONS – THE RETURN OF THE PRIEST #1 from writer Sarah Gailey and artist Alessio Avallone.
Caught in the sensory deprivation of Middle Hell, Elliot Spencer suffers the worst fate: no feeling at all. When the glory of Leviathan’s light finally sears through him, granting him the gift of pain—it’s revelatory. The Hell Priest must journey to remake himself and gather his Gash once more to bring the cherished blessing of pain to all that deserve it.
From fresh visions of beloved Cenobites to horrifying new revelations hidden within the depths of Hell, Hellraiser: Resurrections serves as both a celebration of Clive Barker’s enduring mythology and the first chapter of an exciting new era for the franchise. The series kicks off a new publishing initiative that will bring a new Hellraiser ongoing series and miniseries to life through 2027.
Hellraiser: Resurrections begins this September with five weekly one-shots from BOOM! and distributed by Penguin Random House. You can preorder the series at your local comic shops and digitally through major content providers, including Kindle, iBooks, and Google Play.
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