Robot Octopus. Two words that are awesome together.
I want a robot octopus
To play with in the pool
To go for walks on rainy days
And follow me to school
To count upon its tentacles
And help me out with math
To find my rubber ducky
When I lose it in the bath
I want a robot octopus
I’ll take one, any size!
With sensors in its tentacles,
And artificial eyes
I’ll run it by remote control
It’s gonna be such fun…
I want a robot octopus
Could someone make me one?
I had a robot octopus;
of schemes I had a sockful
he couldn’t help me with my math
–he figured sums in octal.
There’s a poll associated with that link…
I want a robot octopus for Christmas.
Only a robot octopus will do.
Don’t want a squid, no sea anemone.
I want a robot octopus so he can play with me.
I want a robot octopus for Christmas.
I don’t think Santa Claus will mind, do you?
He won’t have to find a box and wrap it up for Yule.
Just fly the sleigh down low and drop him in the swimming pool.
When I’m still asleep on Christmas morning,
Cozy as could be…
Oh what joy and what surprise
If I opened up my eyes
’Cause eight robotic arms were tickling me!
I want a robot octopus for Christmas.
Only a robot octopus will do.
No radio-controlled snakes or platypuses.
I only like robot octopuses.
And robot octopuses like me too!
Mom says the robot could crush me with one arm;
But Isaac says a robot cannot let me come to harm.
There’s lots of room for him in our Jacuzzi tub.
At bath time he could wash me there and give me a back rub.
When I’m still asleep on Christmas morning,
Cozy as could be…
Oh what joy and what surprise
If I opened up my eyes
’Cause eight robotic arms were tickling me!
I want a robot octopus for Christmas.
Only a robot octopus will do.
No radio-controlled snakes or platypuseses.
I only like robot octopuseses.
And robot octopuses like me too!
“Billions of years of evolution have resulted in a dizzying array of perfectly adapted mechanisms…” — Liz Bonnin
That quote in the article was from a biologist commenting on the usefulness of copying nature in designing a robot. It reflects one of my pet peeves. I expect creationists to call things “perfectly adapted” because they think God did it, but a biologist should know better. Life forms are in a constant struggle for survival and we may end up with an arms race or a stand-off but nothing is *perfectly* adapted. At best we can call it “barely adequate” [TM]. If the organism were any worse, it would die out. If closer to “perfect”, it would overwhelm its environment and either die out or create an arms race in which its level of perfection would be relatively reduced. You only have to be minimally fit to survive and reproduce. There is no evolutionary pressure to be perfect.
Ok, pet peeve rant over. Robo-octopus is very cool.