Well, that’s it, folks.  Happy Thanksgiving.  We’re all doomed.

The machines have risen.

And they want…to beat us stupid in ping pong.

In case you’re wondering, this isn’t from Japan.  This was developed by a Vietnamese robotics firm, but it’s an image of the future that is so utterly bizarre as to make you wonder if this is some kind of leftover April Fool’s stunt. All the same,  today I bring you the TOPIO ping pong robot.

Yes, it looks vaguely Schwartzeneggerian (is that even a word?  Well, hey, I’m a writer.  We make up jargon from time to time): it’s big, it’s downright ripped (robots should NOT have abs of steel), it’s wearing what looks like sunglasses and it plays ping pong.

In development since 2005, it recognizes very fast moving objects, has a low inertia mechanical system, and even has an artificial intelligence.  But man, it really does look like it’s going to kill somebody, doesn’t it?

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