Legend states, that once in the United Kingdom, was born the first Robotic humanoid ambassador, Eric, who traveled around the world delivering speeches and firing sparks out of his mouth and flashing teeth. One day, the first robot mysteriously disappeared without a trace.
Forlorn to the Damage of Time
What happened to this robot that no one saw him again? For the old 1920s he was everything you imagined a robot to be, since he was not only a walking innovation gadget but the pioneer traveler of Robots because of its considerable mileage touring the globe.
As no one quite knows whether he was blown-up or taken to pieces for spare parts, I’m sure it must be pretty hard to shake the honors of being the UK’s first robot, so I wonder if he was forgotten as the world moved on and maybe just decided to flee –seemingly forever.
Boom! Before a new problem, a robot cannot react, as it has no creativity. That’s why perhaps suddenly this famous machine got old fashioned: from loved to forsaken. All this means, is that his creator probably decided to give him a full-freedom pass, and this poor futuristic dude got lost, or instead, his owner gifted him a rest in peace.
We Build Robots to Understand Ourselves
Imagine a scene in the future, when you’ve replaced your flesh-and-blood lover or friend with an automated counterpart… Could there come a day when robots become so ‘humanlike’ that we won’t think twice before entering into a relationship with them, or even distinguish them as different from ourselves? There are plenty of myths about robots, you must know.
After the lost plans of Eric were found, to raise him again means not only to have evidence of the results of breaking the mind barriers and limits, but to bind our roots on robotic with our ancient behaviors from a futuristic point of view and perspective. Tricky, huh?
Accelerated Rates of Obsolescence
So as the case of our British robotic grandfather, there are lots of antiquated technologies that are actually quite young —and which people thought would be around for much longer than they were. Below a random top 4:
- Folding Maps: The advent of GPS has all but killed the humble printed map. Just make sure you have one of these handy for after the apocalypse.
- Cigarettes: Thanks to e-cigarettes, the conventional cigarette is, for all intents and purposes, obsolete. Because — let’s face it — it only ever served as a nicotine delivery device.
- Public Pay Phones: Can’t find one? This always happens to me. I’m sure the person next to you has a mobile phone.
- Computer Ports: The Universal Serial Bus (USB) has certainly lived up to its name, eliminating ports for such external devices as printers, mice, and keyboards
Luckily, Eric, resembling the Tin Man of The Wizard of Oz, will be back as the main actor in an exhibition at The Science Museum in London between more than 100 robots, with the purpose of helping the audience to better understand and appreciate the origins of the robotic.
