Most engineers build robots and smart machines for several reason: to speed up tasks, to assist in complex actions, and to automate, among others. But there are other people who just want to build robots out of sheer curiosity, and eventually hurt themselves – like this teen who developed one that shines laser into his own eye.
In a rather mesmerizing YouTube video, Michael Reeves asked a very important existential question, followed with a problem that only kids of this age could seek the solution for.
“It’s an age-old question, is there a God? What is the meaning of life? And can I have a robot that recognizes my face and shoots me with lasers in the eyeball?”
Not taking this question sitting down, the 19-year-old went on to construct a machine that, upon recognizing him, shoots a laser into his eye. He only needed a facial recognition software, a laser, and a pizza box.
Source: Michael Reeves
And good thing that after several tests of mindlessly hurting himself, Reeves said that his eyes are fine.
“A lot of people seem concerned about that, which I admit is warranted. I used a 5-MW laser diode, and never had it in my vision for more than a fraction of a second.”
Source: Michael Reeves
But what motivated him to do this experiment? Reeves had this to say: “I really like the concept of object recognition and machine learning. And this method of computer vision uses a type of machine learning for object recognition, so it was perfect for me.”
Now a student of computer science at Northern Arizona University, Reeves plans to leave after this semester and concentrate on software development with his own company.
“I work as a programmer and contractor for a couple of institutions, but my main focus is my company that I own and manage along with a few friends,” he said.
It’s still puzzling, however, that he had to sting his eyes a little bit just to experiment with object recognition and machine learning.
He later revealed in an interview with CNET, “As for why I implemented it in a way that shines a laser into eyes, I can’t be sure of what I was thinking.”
We’re thinking that perhaps Reeves has a twisted soul.
Source: CNET
