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Why does all the best technology end up in toys?
November 14, 2014
When Boston Dynamics recently released a video of its Atlas Robot doing the “crane stance” from Karate Kid, I, like many others, had a mixed reaction. I was part amazed – I had never seen a robot balance like that on one foot before; part unimpressed – It didn’t even attempt the kick; and part bemused – other than for taking over the world Terminator style, what is its application? Science and engineering are advancing at such a phenomenal rate that real world applications for new technological abilities seem to come quite a long way after the original invention. However there is one area where the latest technology always seems to end up… toys. I often wonder if it is an in-joke amongst the world’s top research labs? -