In a contest worthy of televised action via ESPN 8: The Ocho, robotics teams are pitting animatronic skiers against one another, an hour away from the Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. The competition is dubbed the “Edge of Robot: Ski Robot Challenge,” and features eight robotics teams representing various research universities, institutes and private companies, each competing for a $10,000 prize. Each “skier” must navigate an 80-meter course and successfully maneuver around race gates. The fastest time wins.
Luckily for those harboring paranoia about the impending takeover of Earth by the artificially intelligent, these robots could definitely use a few more ski lessons under their belts, as evidenced below.
Sidenote: These robotic dogs developed by Boston Dynamics should definitely strike fear into those preparing for the A.I. takeover.
