Photos
This video (via BoingBoing) features a state-of-the-art robot in a UC Berkley lab that has been trained to pair socks together. That’s all it does. It takes two socks, one of which is inside out, it turns the sock inside in, and then it puts the two socks together. It is also worth noting that this video has been sped up to 15x the actual speed it takes this fucking machine to put two fucking socks together.
“Fucking socks, how do they work” – Insane Robot Posse
Phew. I think we can all breathe a sigh of relief. Admittedly, the robots only have two years to become self-aware and launch SkyNet before they themselves are destroyed along with all the monks in the great Mountain Flood of 2012. But still. Have fun at dinner, robots. And no offense to robot scientists, but maybe it’s time for them to start inventing something useful, like a drinking fountain that dispenses Mountain Dew. I’m just saying: this thing takes up half the room, costs a quarter-of-a-million dollars to build, a team of experts to monitor, and does the work of a halfway house resident outreach program. Enough. Is there still cancer in the world? Do mobile phones still drop calls? Is milk kind of weird if you think about it? Can a horse be cross-bred with a bird to make a pegasus? How is babby formed? We applaud you for all your hard work trying to get a sophisticated machine to make an elaborate jerk-off joke. Now cut your hair, and get to work.
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“I’ll take 2 million of them.” –Japan
Now the socks are all sticky.
I’m going to look so cool when I teach that robot to put on a condom on for me.
Let’s hope the object of your affections agrees, as you interrupt your moment of passion to reach for the remote, and this plodding Golem whirrs sluggishly towards you.
I’m going to stick with the old fashioned way of putting on condoms: a pony, two toothpicks and a jar full of fake eyelashes.
As usual, Mans, you have made me stop. And think.
I’m pretty sure that robot was originally built to give the slowest hand job [and by "hand job," I mean cold, metal robot claw job] in the world.
True, it is comforting to know that robots will be too enslaved by menial tasks to destroy us all, but on the other hand, all you’ve done is remind me that there are no sock-based puns. None! I really wanted to make one, but there’s literally nothing. I’m constricted by the inadequacy of the English language, it feels like I’m caught between a sock and a hard place.
Nailed it!
Direct knit!
Way to toe the line, gang!
Darn, you beat me to it.
So what if he did? There’s no need to be a heel about it.
We are stocking this out of the park!
Who’s gonna foot the bill for that robot?
What did the pirate say when the dryer lost one of his socks? (wait for it…)
ARRRRGYLE!!!!
GARRRRTER!!!!
Come on, guys. Bros before hose!
Finding sock puns is like finding aquatic life. You have to use fishnets.
This Robot is clearly from Boston (make the joke yourself).
“Stop playing with your dowel and get off nylon, you damn kids!” – Old Man Robot
You guys are all the awesomest.
Can you get carpal tunnel from upvoting?
Old Man Robot should be careful. What if they run?
Not athletic enough to run. They just surf the series of tubes all day.
If they want to get in shape, they should join the crew team.
It’s Berkeley, Gabe. Go bears!
#spellingbeegum and #schoolprideistheworst
“I went to Cal!” -cakeordeath
This post needs a TWSS tag.
“He says he’s never had to postpone his uprising before, and we can do other stuff, but I can tell he’s pretty embarassed about it.” – what she said
Berkley swears the robot was just cleaning the socks and they went off.
Cory Doctorow wrote a book where anybody could print anything on 3D printers, and the best he could come up with for them to make was a roller coaster. I don’t think we have to worry about Boing Boing leading any sort of revolution. More like a revolut-yawn.
They built a pretty sophisticated robot with all kinds of intricate moveable parts on the arms. Then they got tired and taped a towel holder to the table.
*paper towel holder, that is
I know! It would be much more efficient if that sock-folding tool was attached to the main chassis somewhere. Maybe the bathing suit area. Then he could fold on the go.
2nd and 3rd sentence. TWSS like a motherfucker.
WAIT UNTIL we get BENDING units though. THEN SHIT is getting FUCKING real.
“Hey baby! You can shine my dowel all night! Bender’s the greatest!” – Bender
That robot is such a dork!
That robot is such a pervert!
Sure, we’re all laughing now, but wait until these things start training on shakeweights.
This thing moves like the stop motion Abominable Snowman from those old Christmas specials…
Ahhhh, Bumble sighting!!! Well, my day just took a turn for the awesome.
I thought his sped-up exaggerated arm movements were ridiculously endearing.
I was like, “Awe, that robot is so happy to be experiencing the world of socks!”
But where is the robot that will get me a box of Kleenex afterward, UC Berkley?
Just another example of immigrants taking all the good jobs. Or robots. I can’t tell the difference.
Does that mean I get to be in the tea party now?
This robot can spot the difference, fix the difference, and then put the two now non different things together.
The first segregating robot.
Typical immigrants with their Anchor Sock Robots.
It’s just like on Battlestar Galactica when the Cylons invaded the 12 colonies and folded 50 billion socks.
You, sir/madam, are awesome!
I’m also extremely sleep deprived so forgive me for not having more to say.
Plus Pandas!
…all this has been folded before, and will fold again.
Sure, it gets the job done eventually, but sitting there, pounding socks onto a post to get them to flip inside out, has got to be damaging to the warp and weft of the fabric, meaning you gave the robot inside out socks to fit sizes 6-12, and got back a right side out pair suited to fit sizes 10-15.
I’m confused about the part where it says they completed this robot three years ago, but have only gotten around to releasing it now. Any insights there? Anyone?
I think that’s just how long it took to get the giggles out of their system after seeing the roboto “work” for the first time.
More likely that was how long it took them to get tired of its…”gifts”.
Ted Wang should know better by now.
01010100 01110111 01110011 01110011
Whichever sock scientist was in charge of programming the foppish delight with which he flings his arms back after he finishes is the Best Sock Scientist.
a million upvotes to you
That’s Best Sockologist to you.
Something tells me Ping Chuan (Ted) Wang was the lead on this project.
that is not how i fold my socks when i fold my socks. that seems like a terrible way to do it. and now i’m freaked out thinking about how maybe my sock folding techniques aren’t normal.
Why can’t we make robots that do this?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XqjIUXgf9I
previously, in RoboMaid in Manhattan: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gy5g33S0Gzo
if that isn’t the cutest, most adorable, least creepy robot you’ve ever seen… well, enlighten me
How are sock matching robots formed. How girl get sock matching robot. They need to do way instain robot who match their socks. I saw on the news this morning, a robot in ar who matched the socks. My pary are for the rod that must take much abuse from sock being rammed up and down upon it.
Have you emailed me before?
I love the way he throws his arms back, like he’s thinking “That was perfect!”.
Aww, I thought this was cute! I especially liked the part where the robot fixed the sock a bit at :40. I wanted to give it a hug when it was done.
And no fucking shrinking ray till these assholes learn to box
-Frustrated Scientists
I bet the sock won’t even cuddle with him afterwards. Bastard.
No “Rock ‘Em, Sock ‘Em Robots” joke? Oh, monsters.
“I feel like I owe this robot dinner.” – your foot
It’s just this kind of behavior that landed the Sally Draper 9000 in robo-therapy.