The Singularity Is Coming, and It Says You Run too Slowly!

Runners have all sorts of ways to make themselves run faster. Personally, I like using my Garmin Forerunner, since nothing makes me feel slower than watching my snail’s pace tick off on my wrist. Then I convince myself the Garmin is judging me for being slow, and it makes me push harder. Others use landmarks, like trying to run harder to the nearest tree and then slowing down, etc. Now there’s a way to train harder that ups the geek ante to near-infinite levels.

According to Runners World, engineers in Australia have invented “joggobot”, a flying drone that floats ahead of you during a run. Yes, your neighbors thought you were weird when you started wearing calf compression sleeves. They might give you a side-eye when they spot you out in the pouring rain or blinding snow still running. But nothing will prepare them for this:

Now, the folks at Runners World had some excellent questions about the Joggobot, but I have a few more. Namely, will Joggobot protect me from my neighbor’s unleashed Chihuahuas? Nothing deadly, but a few well-timed laser blasts will probably prevent me from feeling like the Pied Piper leading an army of angry small yapping dogs into the road by accident. Will Joggobot lead me home if I get lost? Also, does Joggobot have good reflexes? If it’s ahead of me and a squirrel falls out of a tree (this happened in front of me once) will Joggobot be able to dodge the flying rodent and keep pace? And speaking of pacing, would a world record run while being paced by a Joggobot count? Finally, when the Joggobots go sentient and take over, will they punish us for making them run?

Personally, the idea of chasing (or being chased by) a flying robot just sounds terrifying. I plan to stick with the old-fashioned ways of getting myself to run faster; as I said above, pretending the Garmin is judging me, letting the Chihuahuas chase me, and of course, pretending I am outrunning the zombie apocalypse. What’s your take on the Joggobot? Would you want a friendly robot friend for exercise? Let us know in the comments!