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15 catwalk. In other areas, state-of-the-art industrial robots have proven to be impressively precise, provided that they have the right teacher. A Japanese technology group programmed one of its robots to mimic the movements of sword master Isao Machii using motion capture technology. Equipped with a katana sword, the robot sliced bamboo canes with terrifying precision. ROBOTS WITH A REPERTOIRE OF JOKES Even the hotel and catering industries experimented with mechanical employees at an early stage. In 1983, as home computers first found their way into private households, the guests at a Californian fast food restaurant were already being served by two robots acting as waiters. Although they dropped one or two trays, they had a few jokes up their sleeves to amuse their guests to make up for it. Although both of them have since gone into “retirement”, the idea that robots can be used to look after guests continues to be very much alive today. A Japanese hotel, for example, is managed (almost entirely) without humans. Whether it’s at the check-in desk or when help is needed with carrying luggage, this hotel located at a theme park has put its faith in robots. It’s only the beds which are still made by human employees, because the machines can’t do this part (yet). So, as you can see, the point in time when robots will actually be able to take over the planet is still a long, long way away. Until then, these machines will most likely still have to pay for their ticket in economy class, just like Athena, a robot developed by the Max Planck Institute, who flew in the cabin from Los Angeles to Frankfurt. A frequent discussion nowadays is whether or not we should consider robots achieving world dominance to be a real and imminent danger. But before things could actually reach such a point, our occasionally clumsy metallic comrades would have to overcome an almighty evolu- tionary hurdle. The attempts which various robotics projects are making are sometimes quite bizarre and yet sometimes incredibly impressive. Just keep reading here to find out more about some of the weirdest robots on the planet. Even if some men may not agree, putting on makeup is not just a process of simply applying cosmetic products to a certain area. The perfect makeup application actually requires the user to have a real appreciation for aesthetics and empathy for the person the cosmetics are being applied to. This is something which scientists from Austria had to learn the hard way after they had a makeup robot attempt to apply lipstick. The robot did admittedly complete its task with exceptional precision, however, it didn’t quite match the test subject’s individual face. This meant that the result was unfortunately more suited to a circus than a The first step is always the hardest THE ROBOTS ARE ON THE RISE – but they’re sometimes quite clumsy too Razor-sharp look: the katana long sword requires the utmost precision. VISIONARY

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