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"I think we're still on that topic, still trying to figure out what computers are, how they change us, why we use them."
- Neal Stephenson
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| Rubber Soled Feet | ||
| Silent padding for clanky robots. |
There is nothing more jarringly unpleasant than the clanking of metal robot feet on hard floors!
| They were terrified at what they saw. It was
described as being “a huge iron mass that resembled a man.” Violet-colored blazes raced over the
hideous giant. Brilliant red lights glowed where its
eyes should have been. The thing had arms and
legs. It stood erect, turned its head from side to
side in a monotonous manner with a mechanical
leer on its metallic features.
The salesmen were paralyzed with fear as it stalked down the aisle of the store. Its feet were shod with rubber, apparently; for when it moved there were no noises other than a slight grinding whirr. According to the Daily Bulletin, it walked, or rather glided, to the vault, reached into the trays, and scooped up a handful of blue diamonds. |
| Technovelgy from The Robot Terror,
by Melbourne Huff. Published by Scientific Detective Monthly in 1930 Additional resources -
|
You'll also find this in Isaac Asimov's Reason:
The robot rose erect smoothly and his thickly sponge-rubber soled feet made no noise as he followed Powell.
Compare to the silencer-padding from Robot Unwanted (1952) by Daniel Keyes and the rubber hoof from The Warlock in Spite of Himself (1969) by Christopher Stasheff.
"Cutie," he said, "I'm going to try to explain something to you. You're the first robot who's ever exhibited curiosity as to his own existence – and I think the first that's really intelligent enough to understand the world outside. Here, come with me."
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Additional
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More Ideas
and Technology from The Robot Terror
More Ideas
and Technology by Melbourne Huff
Tech news articles related to The Robot Terror
Tech news articles related to works by Melbourne Huff
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'...they moved with the ease of dandelion puffs.'
'...some bored drone pusher in a remote driving centre...'
'These pods were programmed to hang in space in a hexagonal grid pattern...'
'...the meteor caught and halted just as a small boy catches a swift ball in his cap.'
'We have decided that it shall be but one ship... it must contain everything needed to take us through the generations.'
'You’re the robopsychologist of the plant, so you’re to study the robot itself...'
