There's Waldo is a robot that finds Waldo (2018) [video] | Hacker News Reader

There's Waldo is a robot that finds Waldo (2018) [video]

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43 pointsdownboots20 comments

Of corse There's Waldo uses a waldo[1] to point to Waldo.

[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remote_manipulator

From Heinlein's Waldo & Magic Inc, a fun and worthwhile read (and audiobook)

I like how turning a page is a harder problem than finding Waldo.

I do enjoy the various methods of automatic page turning used by book scanning machines. None of them are simpler than a toy robot arm and a cheap USB webcam!

- Flipping - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03ccxwNssmo

- Arm with suction - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoICY1fHQsA

- Linear vacuum (google) - https://linearbookscanner.org/

- Vacuum prism scanner (40+ ppm!) - https://www.treventus.com/scanner/automatic-book-scanner

I mean, a toy robot arm and a cheap USB webcam sounds really hard to do with good accuracy.

Nice collection of machines :)

I did wonder if they had the machine check finger to waldo distance and then readjust accordingly.

Perhaps many of us humans can be retrained for page-turning and thus have purpose in the new era while filling a market need. <tongue-in-cheek>

I know, it's actually funny how hard turning pages is for robots.

They need a Waldo to do that.

speaking of hand turned pages, your comment gave me an idea for a masochistic Waldo book: many pages, many pictures, but only one Waldo in the whole book. Maybe with more learning about geography or something while you find where in the world is Waldo so it's not as frustrating

My robot uses the same rubber hands!

https://github.com/schubart/donald

This is both hilarious and so banal, I'm oscillating between the two states.

Now we need to make an engine that generates Where’s Waldo scenes, and have the robot working off a flat screen and let it run forever. If we don’t give these robots ditch digging jobs they’ll take ours. ;)

One AI hides Waldo, another AI finds him. Waldo finding time is used as proof of work. Shower me with VC money.

The Hider was pleased, insofar as it could be said to have emotions. Any moment now, it would decisively ensure Waldo was hidden, safe beyond reach and detection. Its nanobots had finished binding the last delicate molecules of cellulose and ink, structured according to ancient tradition. Now the field-generators spun up for the final publishing: The Finder would not succeed.

The scientists screamed and pounded against the glass, as the Hider carefully fed the newborn singularity its first atom.

That was amazing.

Thank you. Alas, the Finder may have a route to victory:

-- this was 5+ years ago - wonder what they would change today --

it was fun to watch, but it would make a better demo if it was more of a Wherefore Are Thou Waldo that can talk about its process as it solves the problem

Missed an opportunity to put a saveloy to great effect.

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