Abstract. Some unrelated thoughts on what the future may hold for us.

Robotic horses and the brave new world #

Just watched a concept video of a robot horse rider!

First thought is wow! I want one of those for myself! Next thing I wondered a bit…. Why am I so attracted to it? Why do I see it for the first time, but immediately realise how cool it is?

What do the gym, active sports (swimming, climbing, mountain biking) and driving have in common? Why do both appeal to me so much and why do I feel the similarities? I think it is a sense of control. The maximum level of nervous system activation to precisely control your own body in space, plus the engagement of similar circuits in the brain to translate your precise micro-movements of control into the desired behaviour of the whole vehicle. It’s like extending the nervous system beyond one’s own body.

And this concept, elevated to the max - that’s what robots like this are! Maximum control! A new generation of riders and wanderers!

Most of the planet’s surface is now accessible by human vehicle. Population will be distributed over a larger area. Villages and small towns will appear in mountainous and forested areas. This may reduce centralisation. A bit of a medieval atmosphere, but with new technology. Of course, this is only one of the scenarios, maybe not even very likely.

It seems to me that such robots could be the key to bring humans “closer to nature”. Closer contact with nature would have a positive effect on human mental health. We have created technology to mostly solve the resource problem (not always and everywhere), but our mental health has taken a hit in this modern world.

The funny thing is, I can see this level of technology coming. I’ve been driving a new state-of-the-art electric car as of late, and I can’t stop being amazed at the torque and precise control that a modern electric motor paired with a modern battery is capable of! In my opinion, the key advantage of electric motors is the ability to not only generate rotational force, but also to hold a given position. They can perform these operations with high precision, hello stepper motors on my performance 3D printer! Position control in space has already been successfully solved with gyroscopes and PID controllers. Existing multicopters are, well, very controllable and manoeuvrable!

Electric motors are already used directly to generate a given force in the cable simulator Voltra. I’m not advertising them, I’d just like to get myself a couple of these for my home gym 😂! The price, of course, is (for now) impressive. In time, there will be more of these products and the price will come down.

When you think about it, it becomes clear how key to the development of technology was the advent of proof of concept of using electric current to create movement. On that, thanks to Michael Faraday and all his predecessors who came close.

In lieu of a conclusion #

Electric motors are awesome! They will help to explore more of the planet and bring back a sense of harmony with nature.

Disclaimer: Translated through DeepL. My English is not that idiomatic yet 😅.