Latest news with #C-3PO
Scotsman
27-05-2025
- Science
- Scotsman
Why we (probably) shouldn't fear new giant leap forward for robot-kind
Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... From R2-D2 to WALL-E and the Terminator, robots have captured our imagination for years but, in the real world, such machines have proved pretty thin on the ground. However scientists at Edinburgh University have apparently made a giant leap forward for robot-kind by inventing ones that can walk straight out of the 3D printer that made them. The printer costs less than £400 and first-time users can begin cranking out bots within days. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Lead engineer Maks Gepner said: 'Using our new platform, anyone can now easily print things which were previously thought to be impossible. This is a game-changer for engineers and artists alike... we believe soft robotics is ready to make a major real-world impact.' R2-D2 and C-3PO from the Star Wars films have fascinated generations for more than 40 years (Picture: Valerie Macon) | AFP via Getty Images Potential uses include in nuclear decommissioning, the biomedical sector and space. However, we suspect it won't be too long until a science fiction writer uses them to conjure up a dystopian tale of the world under attack by a robot army churned out from some wannabe Bond villain's basement.
Mint
20-05-2025
- Business
- Mint
Mint Primer: A robot for every 3 humans: What happens to us?
The number of humanoid robots in use could reach three billion by 2060. With the global population projected at 10.07 billion that year (source: Worldometer), that's one robot for every three of us. What might this shift mean for human employment, identity and purpose? What do the stars foretell about robots? Humanoid robot ownership could touch 3 billion units by 2060, says a new Bank of America (BofA) report. Midjourney founder David Holz predicts 1 billion humanoids on Earth by the 2040s and 100 billion in the solar system by the 2060s—an idea endorsed by Elon Musk. Sun Microsystems co-founder Vinod Khosla sees 1 billion bipedal robots by 2040. Also read | Elon Musk unveils plans to launch Tesla robotaxis and humanoid robots in Saudi Arabia Morgan Stanley forecasts sales of 900,000 units by 2030. Macquarie expects 6.3 million robots and a $139 billion market by 2035. Citigroup projects a $7 trillion market by 2050, while Goldman Sachs sees a $38 billion market by 2035 as robot density surges. Why are they all so bullish? As human labour costs rise, humanoid robots are becoming cheaper—and global investments are surging, from $308 million in 2020 to $1.1 billion in 2024, according to Bain & Co. These robots can now walk, jump and are getting smarter with advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI. BofA predicts they'll take 20% of industrial and 50% of service jobs by 2060, and even outnumber cars. SNS Insider values the market at $2.21 billion in 2023, projected to reach $76.97 billion by 2032, with Japan, China and the US leading adoption in elder care, defence, retail, manufacturing and logistics. Also read | Musk's humanoid robots are here but they won't help around the house How much do humanoid robots cost? BofA says humanoid robot hardware will cost $35,000 per unit by end-2025, dropping to $13,000-17,000 by 2030-2035 due to scale and improved components. Meanwhile, the robots-as-a-service (RaaS) model that offers access via cloud-based subscriptions is making robots more affordable for smaller firms that can't bear high upfront costs. How will this impact the workforce? Bain & Co. expects robots to handle a wide range of physical tasks at costs equal to or lower than human labour within five years. Raising a child costs $100,000-300,000 and takes 20 years in the US (RethinkX), while a humanoid robot could be deployed in a year for the price of a budget car. By 2035, a million robots could enter the workforce for just $10 billion. Macquarie predicts robots may become as essential to families as cars, with widespread home use expected from the late 2030s to 2050s. Also read | Meta reportedly begins investment in humanoid robots, setting up a showdown with Elon Musk's Tesla A C-3PO in every home sounds pretty good... Something like the Star Wars droid could be yours for a price. As the young prioritize work-life balance, firms may get humanoid robots to fill labour and skill gaps. But AI-powered humanoids such as Tesla's Optimus, Boston Dynamics' Atlas, Xiaomi's CyberOne and India's Vyommitra raise questions on accountability, legal status (Hanson Robotics' Sophia is a Saudi citizen), rights and the potential for bias. Futurist Ray Kurzweil believes humans could achieve a million-fold intelligence by 2045 with chips embedded in our brains.
Indian Express
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Woman awarded Rs 34 lakhs after colleague calls her ‘Darth Vader'
A workplace conflict in the United Kingdom took a bizarre twist when a woman received nearly £30,000 (Rs 34 lakh, approximately) in compensation after being likened to Darth Vader during a team-building exercise. The comparison, made during a Star Wars-themed personality quiz, was deemed 'upsetting' by an employment tribunal in London, as reported by The Guardian. Lorna Rooke, who worked as a training and practice supervisor at the NHS Blood and Transplant department, became the center of controversy in 2021 after the unusual incident. During a staff bonding session, employees were invited to take a quiz designed to match them with characters from the Star Wars universe based on personality traits like introversion and decision-making style. Rooke, however, didn't participate–she was on a personal call when the activity took place. Despite this, a colleague took it upon themselves to fill out the quiz in her name and then announced to the team that her personality resembled Darth Vader's. While the quiz attempted to frame the comparison in a positive light, describing Vader as 'a very focused individual' who could contribute to team effectiveness, the broader cultural image of the character – a fearsome enforcer with a history of violence and intimidation – made the remark sting. As the tribunal noted, 'Darth Vader is a legendary villain of the Star Wars series, and being aligned with his personality is insulting.' Rooke said the comparison damaged her standing among colleagues and contributed to her eventual resignation just weeks later. Although the tribunal didn't recognise the incident as the sole reason for her departure, it did conclude that it constituted a legal 'detriment,' thereby entitling her to compensation. This unusual case joins a growing number of quirky workplace disputes that have held up in court. In a similarly strange 2022 ruling, a French man successfully sued his employer after being fired for being 'too boring,' with the court agreeing that the company's party culture clashed with his personal rights. In the Star Wars universe, Darth Vader is a cyborg – part man, part machine – who draws power from the 'dark side of the Force' as he hunts down his son, Luke Skywalker, and battles the Rebel Alliance. The epic storyline also includes iconic characters like Han Solo, Princess Leia, Chewbacca, and the beloved droids C-3PO and R2-D2.
The Guardian
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
The galaxy far, far away comes to Melbourne in a new LEGO exhibition
When you hear the term 'dream job', what comes to mind? Movie star? Chocolate taster? Astronaut? Well, for kids big and small, Ryan 'The Brickman' McNaught has a fantasy career that's hard to top: judge of TV show LEGO Masters and certified LEGO professional. In his latest project, McNaught has channelled all his skill and passion into creating a 'galaxy first' LEGO Star Wars exhibition at Melbourne Museum. This cinematic-scale exhibition – which took more than 25,000 hours to complete, using more than 8 million LEGO bricks – offers visitors the chance to see some iconic Star Wars characters, spaceships and landscapes re-created in LEGO, as well take part in hands-on LEGO activities, such as building LEGO starfighters and custom lightsabers. The exhibition opens on 4 May. From kids to the young at heart, it's a rare chance to get up close with the galaxy far, far away. C-3PO and Ryan McNaught. Photo credit: Dani Evercroft. Visitors will find classic characters created by the LEGO master, including favourites such as C-3PO, Princess Leia and Darth Vader. Anyone who's ever tried to construct a small-scale LEGO Star Wars set will know what a challenge it can be, so it's easy to imagine the skill needed to build detailed versions of full-sized characters and spacecraft – some of which are as big as four metres high. McNaught finds joy in that challenge, and has plenty of favourites pieces he's excited to show off. 'Over the years I've always loved a 'cutaway' model where you can see the inside of something awesome, like the Death Star or a Star Destroyer, so they are super cool, but, unquestionably, my favourite [pieces] are the characters,' he says. 'Making a face in LEGO is easy, but making a face that looks like someone is hard – so hard that there aren't many people that can do it at all, so that makes them awesome.' As well as Star Wars characters in LEGO form, the exhibition offers an interactive, hands-on experience, with visitors getting the chance to build some LEGO sculptures of their own. There will be interactive elements and engaging experiences for fans of all ages. Battle scene exhibition. Photo supplied. 'I think [I'm most excited by] the interactive components of the exhibition where our models hopefully inspire people to make their own stuff,' McNaught says. 'For example, making your own Star Wars fighter, then having it scanned and watching it fly around in combat out the window of a Star Destroyer.' The scene inside LEGO Star Wars: The Exhibition resembles a Star Wars film set, populated by life-sized droids, full-scale lightsabers and realistic starships. For McNaught and his team, building the LEGO Star Wars exhibition was a painstaking labour of love. It took, he says, a long, collaborative effort to get the exhibition off the ground. 'It's far from only me; we have a dedicated team of 38 people who make it happen,' McNaught says. 'It's nearly 25,000 hours of designing, engineering and building – there's so much work that's gone into it. I've personally been working on this project pretty much nonstop – apart from filming LEGO Masters – for three years.' Getting this project off the ground was no easy task. McNaught and the team needed a lead time of six months just to source the rare and unusual LEGO bricks required for these one-off builds. Even then, the skill needed was 'way over the next level', McNaught says. Ryan McNaught in the Millennium Falcon cockpit. Photo supplied. 'The thing with this exhibition is it is about firsts,' he says. 'There's a reason the majority of the models we have made have never been done before. It's because they are so hard, technically, and these models are pushing the limits of what LEGO can do. I mean, imagine making the first ever life-sized Princess Leia and not doing it justice?' Despite the thousands of hours and millions of bricks taken to bring the exhibition to life, McNaught feels as if he hasn't even scratched the surface of the Star Wars universe. 'The museum is only so big,' he says. 'The Star Wars galaxy is so content-filled I could make another two of this exhibition with all new things. Imagine Boba Fett's [starship] Slave I, or a giant sandcrawler as examples.' The Emperor's throne room. Photo credit: Eugene Hyland. It's fair to say that 'The Brickman' loves his job. He get a lot of joy out of all that planning and building with LEGO, and is excited by the impact that exhibitions such as this can have on visitors. 'I get to bring happiness to people, so that's pretty awesome,' McNaught says. 'Hopefully I'm inspiring a Sally or Johnny to take over from me one day.' After seeing the exhibition, visitors can continue their adventure by exploring the main Melbourne Museum galleries, with general admission included in all tickets. Embark on a journey through the galaxy's first LEGO Star Wars exhibition.
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Ed Sheeran says he collects movie props — and would spend 6 figures to get George Clooney's Batman suit
Ed Sheeran collects movie props, he shared on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast this week. The "Bad Habits" singer said he owns "Hook" costumes, C-3PO from "Star Wars," and a Batgirl suit. Sheeran said he wanted George Clooney's "Batman & Robin" costume — and would pay six figures for it. Even the world's biggest pop stars have nerdy hobbies, Ed Sheeran revealed on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast this week. When he's not penning record-breaking songs or performing them to sold-out stadiums, the "Shivers" and "Shape of You" singer enjoys browsing online auctions and scooping up movie props. "I'm a huge 'Hook' fan, so I bought Robin Williams' Pan costume and Rufio's sword and then Julia Roberts' Tinkerbell costume," Sheeran said. Actor Dante Brasco plays Rufio, the leader of the Lost Boys, in the Peter Pan sequel. The British singer-songwriter said those items cost less than six figures each, but he's spent that kind of money on props in the past. "I bought C-3PO. That was … not cheap," he said. Other props from the original "Star Wars: A New Hope" movie have sold for huge amounts in recent years, including two X-Wing starfighters that fetched about $2.4 million and $3.1 million each. Podcast host Alex Cooper asked Sheeran if he regretted spending so much. He replied emphatically that he did not. "I just buy one prop a year for my birthday," Sheeran said, adding that he looked forward to his annual purchase and thought all year about what he'd buy next. "I'm trying to get the George Clooney 'Batman costume," he said, noting "Batman & Robin" has a special draw for him as it's the first movie in the franchise he watched. Sheeran said he already owned the Batgirl costume worn by Alicia Silverstone in the movie, and he wanted a matching set. Cooper asked Sheeran how much he'd be willing to shell out for the Batman costume. "I would go up to six figures for it, I think … that's like history though, it's history." The costume in question appears to have sold at auction for $63,000 on March 26, an online listing shows. Sheeran didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider. Cooper also queried his eBay habit. Sheeran said he spent "a lot of time in hotel rooms," and music and movies were his "two passions." During their conversation, the former busker revealed that he'd purchased an old pub counter on eBay. He used it to convert a run-down barn on his property into a pub where he keeps his movie props and memorabilia such as signed footballs. Sheeran added that there's a tunnel connecting to the pub and he's built a cinema and listening room in it, so it's less of a ""man cave" than a "man catacombs." Read the original article on Business Insider
