Robot Olympics

Like the rest of you, I'm enjoying a few clipped videos of robots doing crazy shit. But I gotta say: I don't get this whole thing. They created a robot that runs faster than Usain Bolt? Who gives a shit? An ebike goes faster than him too. Just because the robot is shaped human-ish this becomes a proper comparison? Why not just put the robot up against a Honda?

What goes on in China is so bizarre to me. Here's an interesting little clip on the broader Chinese perspective and what's happening with their economy over the past 25 years. They shifted from manufacturing into real estate development post 2008. That lead to this huge property bubble and many Chinese folks were completely wiped out of their savings/retirement because they had invested in real estate. And this bubble was popped by the government, and now they are shifting all resources into AI, EVs, and robotics. Hence, the Robot Olympics. So I guess I see all this as similar to the real estate thing...when I was in China, I saw these huge massive buildings in the middle of nowhere with no one living in them. No grocery stores around, no schools, no one had money to buy the apartments. I asked, who owns these places? They say "people in Beijing," This would be like someone in DC owning a luxury apartment in rural Tennessee, but with no infrastructure around it as an investment. Do people do this? How would it ever pay off? Now, with the robots shaped like humans. Does anyone want this?

I saw someone saying they'd play tennis with one of these robots. Really? How much would one cost? Would you pay 100K to play tennis with one? 10K? Rent for $50 a hour? How about hitting with a 15-year old from JV team and pay them $15 a hour if you have no other options...