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We have robots doing deliveries. They’re quite cute looking wheeled things, that trundle around at about 5 mph. Usually they’re quite clever at stopping and avoiding people.
Yesterday I was approaching a corner when one of these robots turned in. I put my brakes on, but it ran straight into my front wheeL - I’m guessing that it’s camera didn’t see the thin wheel in front of it, and it didn’t have time to do a full scan. No harm done, and it amused a postman who was going past.
I waited for it to say sorry and beg my forgiveness, but nothing. Damn these robots! They’re supposed to be our faithful servants.
Anybody else had any experience with these things?
Where do you live? Is it in 2035? Did we ever beat the coronavirus and was there a Tour de France in 2020?
Are you from the future? I've never seen one (which doesn't surprise me as they'd all be stolen around here in 5 minutes) 🙂
Positronic brain needs adjusting, first and third law violation.
First Law
A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
Second Law
A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
Third Law
A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
Easily yesterday.
I did see something the other day about a firm using little robots, was a bit niche until the lockdown and now they are nice and busy. Think it was BBC Click or something.
Starship robots in Milton Keynes perhaps?
Yep Milton Keynes
Yep Milton Keynes
If the future's Milton Keynes I'm out!
I’m mildly amused that the OP omitted the location.
Understandable admittedly. I’ve been there!
You can always tell a newbie to MK by the full-on 'WTAF' reaction the first time they see those delivery drones.
I fully confess to reacting similarly when I first came across one of them trundling happily down redway towards me.
The locals seem to have adapted to them in no time at all, just part of the scenery now.
We are living in Blade Runner times
Out of curiosity.
How do they do against vandalism/theft?
I think people are missing the crucial point here, what with all their Milton Keynes mockery* - I've just been assaulted by a robot! This is the first stage in a Terminator-like full on war. Someone needs to come here from the future to sort this before it gets out of hand.
I just returned from the local shop - here is a robot out on it's rounds:
A closer look:
* I've lived all over England, in three Asian countries, and in Australia. All places have their advantages and disadvantages, but I have never lived anywhere as good for cycling as Milton Keynes.
Why all the fat bastards who live here still drive everywhere and moan about parking is a question that worries me.
I didn't watch it earlier as I realised it was in California, not MK. But there is a YouTube video of some guys testing whether you can steal the 'payload' from these robots.
T-2020
#SENDARNIE
#NOTSARNIES
How do they put the parcel behind the bin?
Milton Keynes mockery*
It’s entirely justified and you know it!
Does that thing remind anyone else of a Bigtrak?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Zeon-Limited-BIGTRAK-Bigtrak/dp/B0035IZ85G
Always wanted on them as a kid.
Is the biking better than behind Swindon's NationWide
😝
Ha we had a bigtrak at school we learnt how to program or rather lobbed out of class window when it all went Pete Tong
Why all the fat bastards who live here still drive everywhere and moan about parking is a question that worries me.
Either,
1. They don't cycle because they are fat bastards
or
2. They are fat bastards because they don't cycle.
Imagine how hard it must be to programme those BigTrak delivery things? I feel sorry for the guys in the parcel dept.
Forward 7,964, Left 15, Forward 3,811, Right 21, Forward 23. Dump* (or whatever the command is for emptying the payload).
You may be required to have owned / used a BigTrak to get this.
Parking in MK? just buy an EV and there's a "parking space" right outside the front door of pretty much anywhere you want to go! So much so, that i'm even thinking about fitting a charging socket to our diesel.......
These have now migrated to the north end of MK. They used to just trundle around the Kingston area but I see them every day up around Linford Wood on my way home from work.
I gave some serious consideration to trying to bunny hop one last week but then thought better of it (they're quite tall actually)
I have been banging on about the risk to cyclists with these for some time now as I had a really close shave a couple of years ago when I came absolutely railing it (very irresponsibly in all fairness) round an underpass and one of these little bastards was just pootling along towards me... Had a heart in mouth moment then swerved round it.... But one of these days I'll come a croppa.....maybe some compo in it?
MK is the most cycle friendly city in the UK,
Unfortunately the grid system means there are no traffic jams so all the lazy biffers drive everywhere
It's a bit soulless , but getting slowly better. Woburn on the doorstep loads of lakes & parks and mile's of segregated cyclepaths
They trialled driverless taxis here too
If the future’s Milton Keynes I’m out!
As above Milton Keynes has a pretty decent cycle infrastructure away from the roads - just a bit tricky for non locals to work out routes though.
think there's an app for the cycling round MK to help you navigate
here's the website anyway
https://www.getsmartertravelmk.org/cycling
Maybe these robots needs to beep as they're coming round corners to alert hooligans on bikes that they're coming. I've not had any issues but i'm always worried about nailing someone or something under the underpasses.
Maybe this should be linked in with the £2bn cyclepath money, when do robots have enough rights to demand their own lanes 🙂
I had a really close shave a couple of years ago when I came absolutely railing it
These have been around for 2 years! I’ve never heard or seen of them before this thread!