this post was submitted on 30 May 2025
181 points (97.9% liked)

A Boring Dystopia

13012 readers
303 users here now

Pictures, Videos, Articles showing just how boring it is to live in a dystopic society, or with signs of a dystopic society.

Rules (Subject to Change)

--Be a Decent Human Being

--Posting news articles: include the source name and exact title from article in your post title

--If a picture is just a screenshot of an article, link the article

--If a video's content isn't clear from title, write a short summary so people know what it's about.

--Posts must have something to do with the topic

--Zero tolerance for Racism/Sexism/Ableism/etc.

--No NSFW content

--Abide by the rules of lemmy.world

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

It's like RoboCop, except the robots are villains helping human villains villain more comprehensively.

all 46 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] [email protected] 68 points 1 month ago (3 children)

In a past job, I got a chance to deal with one of those Boston Dynamics robot dogs in action. Was not impressed.

Given NYC, would not be surprised if they're tagged, sensors are torched, or they're covered in bodily fluids. Or they end up at the bottom of the Hudson river shortly after deployment.

Come to think of it... most likely scenario: scrapped and sold for parts.

[–] [email protected] 27 points 1 month ago

They will have to be very well designed and able to withstand powertools. Once people figured out how to remove batteries from rental ebikes/scooters it quickly becomes a thing.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 month ago (2 children)

May I ask what didn't impress you? From what I saw online it's pretty much just walking robot you can putt sensor/robotic hand/ and such things on it. And seems like for that it is great but I'd assume the price tag for something that can't do that much is steep. Just curious what real use they have and what they are bad at.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 month ago

It's been a while, but for the price, it had an under-powered processor and anything other than just walking around had to be custom programmed. It got used for a few trade shows, where people watched it walk around, sit down, etc. Robotic grappling arm? There were more stable, wheeled platforms where you could actually place items and autonomously have it delivered.

Main use-cases were as an overpriced security guard, or a webcam with legs, but the operations costs were pretty high. It couldn't really get around hilly, dirt or muddy terrain, so you had to stick to paved routes. There were attachment peripherals, but for every single use-case, there were better, cheaper, more flexible equivalent solutions.

The most impressive thing was the coordinated movement of the legs, pretty solid build, and the sound of the servos. But that meant you couldn't use it for stealth scenarios. Oh yeah, it looked pretty menacing and scared children.

We figured if it was ever put out into real service, it would get jacked by a few yokels with a pickup truck, or smashed up by highschoolers on a dare. Eventually the novelty wore off, and it got retired to a demo area for visiting customers.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

As someone who works with (industrial) robotics, unless this thing is actually just a pov drone operated by someone nearby (and thus not a robot) its going to be so buggy and sloppy after ten mins in the real world.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

If they ever have these in Manchester it’d end up with hooded scallies riding hacked ones around and they’d get dumped in a canal. The Street finds its own use for things.

[–] [email protected] 38 points 1 month ago (2 children)

"you have five seconds to comply..."

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 month ago

And just to show I'm serious, you have zero seconds to comply.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

Don’t point it at me, point it at ED 209.

[–] [email protected] 38 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

Well, can't wait for videos of hooded people beating them up at night. I see that happening.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Hoods and face paint as well as face disfigurement are now illegal.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 month ago (1 children)

There go the Baseball Fury's

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

The Lizzies would kick that thing's ass.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

You must now carefully carry your bicycle to prevent face disfigurement from a fall. Door slammers will face steep fines. Acids are now illegal, you must crank your vehicle to start it up.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

No admission to the talkies without an onion on your belt

[–] [email protected] 26 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Wasn't that the plot of RoboCop?

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I mean, these things are kind a dog-like ED209, the big robot that killed the exec in the beginning. Unless there is the brain of a cop that died inside that dog mech, I'm going to have to go with no.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 month ago
  • brain of a cop inside a robot dog
  • robot dog tries to shoot itself first
[–] Viking_Hippie 4 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

It's been 20 or 30 years since I last saw it, but wasn't the only robot the Good Guy? Because these robots are just tools for the villains of real life to better oppress people..

[–] [email protected] 35 points 1 month ago (1 children)

The cyborg, RoboCop was a good guy. But even he had programming blocking him from opposing or harming the crooks that headed the corporation that built his robotic body and they were not good guys at all. They also had the fully robotic walking tanks Ed 209, that did their bidding fully (when not experiencing bugs).

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

You have ten seconds to comply! Rawr!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

Yeah that was fixed the very next firmware update.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 month ago

No, the cyborg (personhood, empathy) is the hero, the hulking robots are unthinking beasts that follow the commands of their human masters...

[–] [email protected] 25 points 1 month ago (1 children)

It's like RoboCop, except the robots are villains helping human villains villain more comprehensively.

Ummm.... That's exactly the plot of RoboCop....

[–] Viking_Hippie 10 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Oops lol, hadn't seen it since I was a kid over 30 years ago so I guess I'm more than a little fuzzy on the details, broad strokes, and the everything else of it 😂

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago

The least realistic part of Robocop is that the cops were still trying to be good people.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago

In your defense, it's a coke-fueled nightmare with so many story points that it can easily be confused for 3 separate movies.

In offense to me, I think the remake has a better foundation and better acting and only suffers from trying to appease a wider audience.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

goddamn these are gonna be fun to vandalize.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 month ago

I hope they are destroyed by citizens.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 month ago (2 children)
[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

Yes I'm sure they haven't iterated on it in the past 6-8 years

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 month ago

This is the dumbest shit I ever heard of

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 month ago

So, more ED-209 than RoboCop.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 month ago

People have a moral duty to destroy these anti-human robopigs

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago

The K5 is pitched as an "Autonomous Security Robot" and was unveiled in 2014. K5 units have made the news for various incidents like driving into a pond or running over children.

🤣

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago

This article is 2 years old, I live here and I haven’t seen them yet. They’ll have to be accompanied by human officers anyway, cause NYers will absolutely destroy these things if they catch them alone

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago

I foresee a new market popping up of parts stolen off of kidnapped and parted out robots form the NYPD.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago

This April fool's(2nd?) video come to mind: how to disable a robot dog if it attacks you

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago

Michael Reeves had the right idea turning these into beer pissbots.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago

"You have been observed violating the law. Please stand still to ensure a painless termination. Have a nice death."

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

Listen all y'all!

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

I hope someone zaps one and reprograms it with Alan Tudyk’s voice.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago

That’s not dystopian at all! …

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

I can't wait for somebody to slap an inflatable tube man on one.