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University's Morgui robot deemed too scary for kids
Terrifying robots most certainly aren't anything new, and be it frightening or downright creepy, there's probably a bot out there weird enough to freak just about anyone out. Enter Morgui, the University of Reading-based robot that has been around for some time, but is just now getting the credit a bizarre skull that follows humans around should. The creation, which consists of a disembodied head, oversized blue eyes, and a classically evil grin, has been officially banned from testing around anyone under the age of 18 (permission notwithstanding) by the school's ethics and research committee, leaving the "Magic Ghost" to spook only mature audiences from here on out. Mo, as it's so aptly nicknamed, sports a metal head, the ability to detect visual / auditory cues, and sensors for radar, infrared, and ultrasonic detection as well, but oddly enough, it cannot detect human emotion, so you better not count on this fellow to have sympathy on your soul when you're screeching. The purpose of the machine is to judge how "people react to robots," and when the bot just so happens to lack any form of facial covering beyond a skeletal structure, we're sure the reactions are quite noticeable.[Via CollisionDetection]
NBC Universal announces Chiller, the HD horror channel
While we've already heard DirecTV's claim to carry 100 HD channels in 2007 (or something like that), we've just found that one of those hundred will be dedicated entirely to the horror genre. NBC Universal has just announced that its first 24/ 7 horror channel, to be dubbed Chiller, will launch in both SD and HD formats on DirecTV. Additionally, NBC plans on offering up Chiller content through video-on-demand, although we don't know if HD VOD plans are in the pipeline. Although long-term programming goals haven't quite been nailed down, users can expect a solid lineup of classic horror content when it launches on March 1st, including Friday the 13th, Twin Peaks, The Shining, Psycho, The Birds, Sphere, The Crew, and quite a bit more. Be sure to hit the read link for the full rundown of initial programming.
