Self-Assembling Robots

            On Sunday morning I searched for the chords for “Le régiment des mal aimés” (The Regiment of Broken Hearts” by Boris Vian and I only found one set that had been copied on two other sites. On Monday I’ll see how they fit and if they don’t I’ll work them out myself. 

            I finished posting my translation of “L'avant-guerre, c'est maintenant” (The Pre-War is Happening) by Serge Gainsbourg. That completes 1980 in my Gainsbourg project. Next, I’ll work on the songs from his 1981 album, “Mauvaises nouvelles des étoiles” (Bad News from the Stars). But first I’ll have to move the 1981 Gainsbourg folder over from the old computer, as well as the audio file for that album. 

            I weighed 85.8 kilos before breakfast. I had three strips of bacon, a fried egg sunny side up, and a slice of toasted Bavarian sandwich bread. I drank coffee with milk for the first time in a month and a half. 

            I felt sleepy at noon and so I took an early siesta until 13:30. 

            I weighed 86 kilos before lunch. I had a toasted tomato and five-year-old cheddar sandwich with a can of Brio. 

            I took my afternoon bike ride more than an hour earlier than usual. There were a lot of people on the street because it was a sunny, although cool day. I rode to Yonge and Bloor. A middle-aged cyclist passed me driving like a maniac while singing at the top of his lungs a song that he seemed to be making up as he went along.

            I weighed 86.2 kilos at 16:25. 

            I got caught up on my journal at 17:30.

            I went over to my old computer but Windows wanted to do updates, so I let that happen while I returned to the new computer. Once the old one was ready I copied all my Serge Gainsbourg translations and audio files to a USB drive and brought them over to the new one so I can start learning his songs from 1981 tomorrow. That year is made up mostly of songs he wrote for an album by Catherine Deneuve and the songs from his own album, “Mauvaises nouvelles des etoiles” (Bad News From the Stars.” 

            About a month ago someone smashed a window at the Dollarama across the street, near the entrance. It’s happened before and usually, they have new glass installed within a couple of days. But this time the plywood is still up after all this time and I wonder why. Insurance issues? 

            I worked on my essay for about an hour and made some progress in merging a couple of paragraphs. I have four days before the deadline and I have an appointment with Apala to discuss the paper on Monday. 

            I grilled a steak in the oven marinated with the chipotle, salsa, piri piri and honey I’d mixed yesterday. I had it with a toasted slice of Bavarian sandwich bread and a beer and it was pretty good. I ate while watching an episode of Astro Boy. 

            In this story the Institute of Science has developed a self-assembling robot spaceship in which each part has its own electronic brain. The problem is that the main power supply lever in the first engine room either forgets what part it is or it’s just antisocial and doesn’t want to be part of an assembly. Because of that part the test is always a failure. 

            Meanwhile a foreign power ruled by the iron fist of Captain Olga is also trying to develop a self assembling ship, but for the purposes of world conquest. Her chief scientist, Professor Schlepkin has failed tests far more drastic than Astro Boy’s tests. First, the robots assemble into a pig and then into a cat with an upside-down head. Olga threatens him with liquidation if he fails again. 

            The next time when the lever for the Institute ship fails to assemble, Olga’s agents snatch it and take it to their island. The plan is that when Astro Boy comes for the lever they will capture him. Meanwhile, they will reassemble the lever into a human shape to hide it. Olga requests that it be made to look like her son Tommy who died in an accident. 

            When Astro Boy arrives on the island, Schlepkin tells him that the lever is hidden in a rocket in the sky. But when he flies up to get it he is caught in a trap of Voltron rays that drain his energy. They take Astro Boy apart and make copies of all of his pieces, then they assemble a copy that follows their orders. The real Astro Boy is tossed into a warehouse. 

            Captain Olga has become obsessed with the lever in the form of her son Tommy and tries to act as the robot’s mother. But when Tommy finds that Astro Boy is in trouble he goes to save him. Tommy swims to another island with the motionless Astro Boy and collapses on the beach, both of them now drained of energy. 

            Meanwhile the copy of Astro Boy has successfully perfected the assembly of the robot ships and Olga is using them to invade the island without realizing it's where Tommy has swum. Olga sees one of her robot tanks advancing toward Tommy and she orders a missile to destroy the tank. The power supply for the tank lands near Astro Boy and he is able to fully recharge himself. Then he begins to destroy Olga’s robot army and navy. 

            Schlepkin sends the copy of Astro Boy to attack the real one. But the copy does not have full understanding of his own body and doesn’t know that his chest plate is his weak spot. When Astro Boy hits him he is defeated. When Astro Boy saves the copy from falling, the copy warns him to throw him away because he was built with a bomb inside. Astro boy tosses the robot and it explodes. Then Olga has her robots assemble into a flying island, attacking Astro Boy. 

            Astro Boy rescues Tommy and goes to a weather station and uses the phone to communicate with the robot parts at the Institute. He orders them by phone to assemble and they fly together to Olga’s island. Astro Boy takes Tommy into the engine room and recharges him, then he asks him to assume his position in the ship, which he does. Then the robot ship destroys Olga’s forces. Astro Boy saves Olga and Schlepkin from the burning wreckage and in the hospital, they promise to be good from now on. 

            Amazingly scientists have already started developing self assembling robots. They are made up of magnetic robot cubes that can fly together. 

            The plan is to make them form useful shapes like chairs and ladders. It’s quite impressive to see the progress in this field. I watched a 2013 video showing the cubes interacting abut then ten years later they’ve got them hovering in the air and interacting. One combination is a flying dragon. I would imagine that in the future we’ll be able to have them piled up in the corner and when you need a ladder or a chair just give a voice command and they fly into that shape.