Skynet?

This is coolbert:

Thanks to the Chicago Tribune an indication that the military robot literally speaking is making great strides forward.

"THE TALK"

"Mechanics of speed"

"4-legged robot faster than a fleet-footed Bolt"

Usain Bolt of recent Olympic fame the world-record holder sprinter we are speaking about the military robot  NOW faster than the fastest human!!

"Chalk one up for robots. Humankind, you appear to be losing your supremacy."

All this thanks to the American DARPA [Defense Advanced Research Projects Administration].

"The Defense Advanced Research projects Agency's robotic cheetah has sprinted past another speed milestone. The four-legged robot can officially run faster than Jamaican Usain Bolt, the fastest man in the world."

See the video of the "cheetah" in action at bit.ly/QmsLm6.

And from the DARPA web site some qualifications:

"the Cheetah had a slight advantage over Bolt as it ran on a treadmill, the equivalent of a 28.3 mph tail wind, but most of the power Cheetah used was to swing and lift its legs fast enough, not to propel itself forward.

"To contribute to emergency response, humanitarian assistance and other defense missions, a robot needs to negotiate difficult terrain. Most rough-terrain robots use wheels or tracks to ride over bumps; however, the most difficult terrain demands the use of legs, as legs can step over both high obstacles and deep ditches."

The Cheetah as of this moment has the appearance of a contraption - - tethered, held upright by an arm and not autonomously moving.

Skynet we are not yet!! But wait a while!! And when those robots become sentient and begin to communicate with one another independently of human control, watch out!

coolbert.