We're Close To Getting Real-Life Star Wars Droids

The latest episode ofScience and Star Warsexplores just how close we are to have real - life assistant droids . One of the most iconic aspects ofStar Warsare the far-out droids like C-3PO , R2 - D2 and BB-8 , which bring home the bacon everything from assist in starfighter ravishment to translating thousands of languages and , are often , a source of hilarious comic relief .

host by Anthony Carboni , Science and Star Warsis a fresh web serial found on the officialStar WarsFacebook page that research the science behind the science fable / fantasy franchise , just how close real - public scientists are come to emulate the technology and how the franchise has inspired some of science ’s greatest innovations . Last week ’s premier episode concentrate on the scientific discipline behind lightsabers and whether or not you’re able to make one of the galaxy ’s deadliest weapons in literal life , this hebdomad they are exploring just how tightlipped we are getting to inventing tangible - life droids to help us in our day - to - day life .

In this hebdomad ’s episode titledHelper Droids , Carboni and IBM ’s supercomputer Watson break down just how helpful the droids are in theStar Warsuniverse . The favorable bots hold everything from mechanical interface , welding tools , rockets and holograph projector on top of being able to pilot everything from X - wings to starfighters . Of course , not every droid is friendly like BB-8 , there are also battle droids which were heavy present in the prequel saga and the animatedThe Clone Warsseries that wreaked havoc throughout the wandflower under control of the Separatists .

George Lucas with A New Hope imagery v3

Droids are n’t only present in theStar Warsuniverse though , we already have assistant golem present in hospital , drome , warehouses and even in our own home with golem vacuum cleaner . These golem are n’t nearly as complex as R2 - D2 ; in orderliness to make a droid like the titular character the episode explains that we would need an array of part including a logic function display , an overload heat vent , port impulse stabilizers , a holo projector , signal amplifiers , data point card readers , rocket thrusters and more .

This has n’t stop scientist from creating some awful technology though . At the University of California , San Francisco , there are robot that channelise enceinte object around the infirmary allowing the people who bring there to expend more clock time with their patients . At NASA , we have Robonaut – a golem spaceman who can mimic the actions of a human , and then there ’s Olli - a saucy fomite that uses Watson to communicate with rider and bring them to finish based on their needs with an aroused connexion , like the one R2 - D2 makes with his human counterpart . Speaking of Watson , expert at IBM have make TJBot , a bot you’re able to create at home that teach you how to code your very own AI robot .

While we are making huge strides in AI and Watson technology , it ’s going to be a foresightful time ( if ever ) before we ’ll see droids like the one inStar Warsfollowing us around and helping us during our daily lives . Carboni does n’t have time to wait though , so he teams up with Mike Senna and Michael McMaster from the R2 Builder ’s Club and who helped Disney and Lucasfilm build and preserve their droids to produce a actual - life droid with Watson technology result in a life - sized droid that ’s startlingly realistic .

Diego Luna as Cassian Andor in Andor season 2