Robot taxidermy provokes thoughts, awwws

Artist France Cadet has created what was clearly meant to be a thought-provoking treatise on animal rights, the changing relationships of humans and animals, our ethical concerns on hunting, and an ever-morphing perception of what it means to be human... but it also comes off as looking really, really cool. Using the better half of the Aibo-wannabe I-Cybie robo-dog, Cadet reprograms the half-bots -- called "Hunting Trophies" -- to detect movement and react angrily when a viewer approaches. There are 11 different species in the collection, including a robot impala, lion, zebra, and warthog. Guess what? Despite those lofty philosophical goals, each one is more adorable than the next. Want.

[Via PROTEIN OS]

[JimJam @ Feb 29th 2008 8:22AM]

Finally our robot overlords get their comeuppance.

[Brent @ Feb 29th 2008 8:23AM]

Animal rights? What about robot rights? If this robo-dog becomes self aware, he's gonna be petty miffed that somebody chopped him in half. I wouldn't wanna be around when that happens.

[Flashpoint @ Feb 29th 2008 8:24AM]

So what...

On my wall as 3 Robosapien heads, and I've got 4 stufffed Aibo's

[Ryan Trevisol @ Feb 29th 2008 8:45AM]

Don't expect a whole lot of mercy from our robot overlords.

[Zzephyr @ Feb 29th 2008 5:09PM]

I've got all of the Teletubbies heads mounted on my wall.

[Pasukin @ Feb 29th 2008 8:31AM]

It looks like one of the robot reindeer from Futurama.

[Fernando @ Feb 29th 2008 8:45AM]

Relevant to my interests. Do want.

[chillis @ Feb 29th 2008 9:04AM]

So are they for sale? Whats the price? cant find it anywhere.

[Shane @ Feb 29th 2008 9:29AM]

Reminds me of those stupid singing fish that were so popular a few years ago.

[Nick @ Feb 29th 2008 10:00AM]

billy bob the big mouth bass (or something like that).

I like the concept and execution.. i dont like the artspeak.

[Jon Acheson @ Feb 29th 2008 9:51AM]

There is a chain of restaurants called Bugaboo Creek that are made up to look like hunting lodges, and the stuffed moose and deer heads are animatronic. They're kind of annoying, as they repeat the same patter every 15 minutes or so.

What's funny is, the animatronic talking tree by the door is far more disturbing than the talking moose and deer. That tree is just WRONG.

[Bob @ Feb 29th 2008 11:21AM]

My daughter loves going there just to see the tree talk, I personally love the food they have some good steaks there.

[Sporkinum @ Feb 29th 2008 9:58AM]

Prior Art..Gumby did that in Robot Rumpus 50 years ago.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-701878518630200611&q=robot+rumpus+site%3Avideo.google.com&total=1&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0

[CB @ Feb 29th 2008 12:18PM]

That's so cute!

[_D @ Feb 29th 2008 2:11PM]

This totally reminds me of Disneyland's Bear Country Jamboree.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Countrybearjam_heads.jpg

_D

[grjohnston @ Mar 1st 2008 3:45AM]

Really? "Comes off as looking really, really cool?" I thought that Engadget was famous for making fun of the crap they filter through, not lauding it.

[ziggy @ Mar 1st 2008 7:24PM]

So it looks like the French are trying to get someone else to handle their confrontations yet again... only this time its robots and when they wake from their primordial preconscious slumber they won't like being enslaved by wussies.