You gotta check this out

[melkonianarg 0]

Hey, if its real thats amazing and I want one, and if its just a computer generated image, its still cool, and I still want one...How much effort must have gone in to that monstrosoty (that is prob. the wrong word since it makes the robot seem ugly, which i dont think it is!!!)

[synapticflame 0]

It looks too good to be true, but my initial snoopings haven't turned up anything particularly fishy. A co.uk whois search turns up reasonable results. The source code for the site suggests that whoever wrote it did so by hand, and was intentionally trying to make the site look more basic than it is. Things like the text "File/Directory" at the top of one of the pages, when it's not a server file listing at all, or the widespread use of a monospaced font, which actually styled in, and not there by default. I think this is a beautifully executed and well-thought-out hoax. Also there is a very polished feel to each of the videos - it's exactly as long as it needs to be, and no longer, and very well arranged and shot. Either one of the team members is a video whiz, or this is a super duper joke.



But it would be really cool if it wasn't
Ok, that's enough time wasted. If this thing is for real, it will be on tech news sometime anyway.

EDIT: I have played with the site some more. Try looking at some of the folders above the page in the directory structure. The root, http://www.r50rd.co.uk/, redirects to the actual content, http://www.r50rd.co.uk/research/internal/vngin/index.html .
Also, intermediate folders simply have blank pages with no content.
It's kind of fishy if you ask me. Oh, and the personal site looks a bit... erm... contrived.

Edited October 28, 2004 by synapticflame (see edit history)

[synapticflame 0]

Looks like my Google Fu is slightly lacking... I searched for "r50rd" just now and it looks like this was slashdotted a while back - it's viral marketing for BMW.

http://forums.xisto.com/no_longer_exists/

Guess the ping between me and the internet zeitgeist is about... let's see... 8 months

[psychiccyberfreak 0]

I've always dreamed of making bots like that!amazing! how did he do it? I cant belive I'm working on a cruddy little coustom build PC. THAT"S AWSOME.if only it had a cockpit, some flames painted on it, so i could drive it down to 7 11 everyday and pick up girls.mabie its too early to do that, but AWSOME!!!

[Deaths Aprentice 0]

Wow , cool robot !Heh , hes wasting his time and money though

[DingDong01 0]

NIIIIICE

[finaldesign 0]

I think it could be just a commercial or big hoax team, becaouse on that video in "dark", lightning form robot looks too artificial.But if that robot-thing really exists it's pretty damn good, just to get off the wires and soon we will play mech-warrior on streets.