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Description
Here's a painting that I worked a bit differently to usual on. I started this one as a pencil sketch drawing from life which I never really do anymore. I was at the Save Large™ supermarket here in Miramar where I'd seen this guy working stacking cans a few times over the last month or so and today I happened to have my sketchbook on me.
New Zealand's labour laws are still catching up with the rest of the world when it comes to regulating mechanical employees so we have this weird situation now where bots are forced to take 15 minute breaks three times a day just like their flesh and blood colleagues. This unit was standing totally still and alone waiting for his timer to run out the enforced rest period, a perfect sketcher's model!
Right, I'm gonna voice what is probably a pretty unpopular opinion: I don't like these guys. I am certainly not robophobic in the least but I am positive we will see an incident with these particular units in the near future. They are over-engineered, under-regulated and take voice commands way too literally. I hadn't finished my sketch when his break was over and unthinkingly I asked him to freeze - he over pressurized his coolant reservoir causing LN2 to flow over the articulated sections in his torso, seizing him up solid. I got the hell outta there before his supervisor came out so I don't know what sort of state he's in now, I'll check back in a few days.

UPDATE - rather tragic news: [link]

Description
Here's a painting that I worked a bit differently to usual on. I started this one as a pencil sketch drawing from life which I never really do anymore. I was at the Save Large™ supermarket here in Miramar where I'd seen this guy working stacking cans a few times over the last month or so and today I happened to have my sketchbook on me.
New Zealand's labour laws are still catching up with the rest of the world when it comes to regulating mechanical employees so we have this weird situation now where bots are forced to take 15 minute breaks three times a day just like their flesh and blood colleagues. This unit was standing totally still and alone waiting for his timer to run out the enforced rest period, a perfect sketcher's model!
Right, I'm gonna voice what is probably a pretty unpopular opinion: I don't like these guys. I am certainly not robophobic in the least but I am positive we will see an incident with these particular units in the near future. They are over-engineered, under-regulated and take voice commands way too literally. I hadn't finished my sketch when his break was over and unthinkingly I asked him to freeze - he over pressurized his coolant reservoir causing LN2 to flow over the articulated sections in his torso, seizing him up solid. I got the hell outta there before his supervisor came out so I don't know what sort of state he's in now, I'll check back in a few days.

UPDATE - rather tragic news: [link]