Tag: robots

Explore emerging ocean technology in San Diego!

A special event is coming up next Saturday, November 15, 2025. Visitors to the Maritime Museum of San Diego will have the opportunity to explore how emerging technologies are transforming how we use and protect ocean resources.

The event is free with General Admission and is perfect for families, students and anyone interesting in learning about blue technology. Hours are 10 am to 4 pm.

What is Blue Tech? It’s a category of advanced technologies focused on the sustainable development of the world’s oceans and coasts, also known as the Blue Economy.

According to one sign in the Maritime Museum, there will be hands-on exploration and interactive experiences concerning underwater robots, engineering, data tools and more. Student marine clubs will be there with their own innovations, too!

Super cool!

Some high tech equipment I spotted today near the sign…

…

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Feel free to share!

The amazing Doctor Who exhibit in San Diego!

How do I convey how awesome the Doctor Who exhibition is at the Comic-Con Museum?

If you’re a Doctor Who fan or anyone in San Diego who loves science fiction, it’s an absolute, positive must see!

I haven’t been a regular watcher of the long-running BBC show, but when I visited the Comic-Con Museum in Balboa Park today, I was blown away. The museum has hosted epic exhibitions in the past, but this one, Doctor Who Worlds of Wonder: Where Science Meets Fiction, might have the most wow moments.

The exhibition celebrates all fifteen Doctors and displays their distinctive costumes. A variety of props can be viewed up close. Best of all, visitors come face to face with dozens of life-size robots and creatures that have been used in the making of Doctor Who!

Most of the alien creatures are utterly bizarre. Some appear to have been hatched in a nightmare. (See my previous blog post about the exhibition’s awesome Monster Vault by clicking here.)

As fans know, scary-looking creatures in the show can actually be allies of the Doctor. When you travel by TARDIS across time and space, you never know who or what you’ll meet!

The exhibition, like the show, is mostly about wonder. Displays explain how Doctor Who story ideas are often based on actual scientific and technological advancements. Concepts like artificial intelligence, evolution and multidimensional reality are utilized in fantastic ways. Indeed, the show began in 1963 as an educational program. Curiosity is an essential element of Doctor Who.

I took a few sample photos. There’s so much to see, you could spend a good hour exploring Doctor Who Worlds of Wonder: Where Science Meets Fiction.

Visitors begin by stepping through a TARDIS…

…

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Feel free to share!

Deadly monsters of Doctor Who in San Diego!

Should we all be worried? Many of Doctor Who’s most dangerous adversaries have materialized in San Diego!

Fortunately, most are confined inside the Monster Vault at the Comic-Con Museum. People can safely observe the deadly creatures and robots while moving through the museum’s epic exhibition Doctor Who Worlds of Wonder: Where Science Meets Fiction.

A huge collection of props from Doctor Who, the world’s longest running science fiction television show, is possibly the coolest part of the exhibition.

Today, as I visited the Comic-Con Museum, I noticed many Doctor Who fans entering the Monster Vault and remembering some of the show’s most terrifying episodes. Some of the detailed, life-size props are super scary. I wouldn’t care to meet real-life versions!

There are menacing Daleks–the Doctor’s arch-enemy: a hateful, genetically-modified species bent on conquest. There is mad scientist Davros, creator of the Daleks. There are different versions of the deadly cyborg Cybermen.

There is a mutated Dreg, a Sea Devil and a Silurian (both evolved reptiles), an armored Sontaran warrior, an Ice Warrior, a parasitic Weeping Angel that moves when you’re not looking, a bug-eyed Wrath Warrior, and more!

As a nearby sign explains: When designing monsters, sometimes the show’s creators explore different options that don’t make it to the screen… The possibilities of alien life are only as limited as our imagination.

The Monster Vault is one of my favorite parts of Doctor Who Worlds of Wonder: Where Science Meets Fiction. But there’s a lot more to see!

I’ll be blogging more about the Comic-Con Museum’s fantastic (and educational) Doctor Who exhibit in my next post!

…

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Feel free to share!

Autonomous cars test on San Diego streets!

In the past few days, I’ve spotted autonomous Waymo cars navigating streets in San Diego. Bankers Hill is where I saw two of the cars, to be exact. Both had drivers behind the steering wheel. I had my camera at the ready this afternoon to capture the above photo. Yes, there is a driver in there.

Waymo is the company that has those driverless autonomous taxis operating up in San Francisco. You hail them with your phone and input the destination.

Here in San Diego, and other test cities, Waymo cars are being driven through certain neighborhoods in order to gather data, refine maps, and learn about the peculiarities of different places. Here’s an article that thoroughly describes the Waymo tests in San Diego. They began very recently.

I can see how many people are wary of driverless cars. The concept is revolutionary and still pretty new. One hears of glitches.

I suppose, however, that at some point in the future, driverless cars will be ubiquitous in every city around the world and taken for granted, just as other groundbreaking technologies eventually become the norm. I grew up with a rotary dial telephone . . . and an astounding invention: the electronic push button calculator!

We live in exciting, uncertain times when technology is taking gigantic leaps forward. Artificial intelligence, chips in heads, advancing robotics, virtual reality worlds… Where will all of this take us? How will this change us?

I wonder. Will the automation of practically everything make life more fulfilling?

I guess humanity will take the journey and find out…

…

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Feel free to share this!

Smiles and fun at the La Jolla Holiday Festival!

Natalie Miragliotta, 2024 California Cinderella Teen, smiles at the La Jolla Holiday Festival!

Before the 68th Annual La Jolla Christmas Parade kicked off today, a Holiday Festival beside the parade route got underway in the late morning. Fun-seekers and families gathered for the colorful event in front of the Athenaeum Music and Arts Library!

A variety of activities could be freely enjoyed, including robotics demonstrations by students, a kids entrepreneur exhibit, face painting, and, of course, the opportunity to take photographs with Santa Claus!

I arrived for the afternoon’s Christmas Parade much too early. To pass the time, I took a long walk around the Village of La Jolla, which included a visit to the Holiday Festival!

I found plenty of smiles and fun!

Look at all the Santa hats!

Photos were snapping at the Kiwanis Santa’s Village. Was that dog naughty or nice?

La Jolla Youth Robotics had a cool demonstration table.

A sophisticated robot created by Overclocked, Team 2485, a FIRST Robotics Competition team from Francis Parker School in San Diego.

Table featuring Young Entrepreneurs Club. I think those tubs contain slime!

The Kumeyaay First Peoples exhibit featured native wildlife images that kids could color.

Friendly guy from The Salvation Army with a red kettle.

My Gym Children’s Fitness provided more fun at the La Jolla Holiday Festival.

A nearby shooting star above the Village of La Jolla.

La Jolla Christmas Parade participants smile for a photo near the Holiday Festival!

…

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Thank you for sharing!

The Wild Robot cast appears at Comic-Con!

Lupita Nyong’o and Kit Connor surprised an outdoor crowd today at Comic-Con 2024 when they appeared in public to promote their upcoming animated film The Wild Robot!

Late Saturday morning, a remote controlled robot version of Roz (the movie’s protagonist), created and operated by Catalyst Engineers, was standing near the entrance to the Omni San Diego Hotel, moving its head and body and talking to random fans who’d gathered nearby. Little did anyone know that voice actress Lupita Nyong’o was actually hidden from sight and speaking through the robot.

When the cast members suddenly appeared from around a corner, the crowd went crazy!

The Wild Robot is an upcoming American animated science fiction film that will hit movie theaters on September 27, 2024.

I arrived early and waited for several minutes, having an inkling of what might transpire, and managed somehow to get some fun celebrity photographs!

Oh–that bird on Roz’s shoulder is an orphaned gosling with whom the robot develops a relationship while shipwrecked on an uninhabited island.

…

Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

If you’d like to view my coverage of Comic-Con so far, which includes hundreds of cool photographs, click here!

Innovative robotic ship visits San Diego.

A bright green, very sleek ship caught my eye today as I walked along San Diego’s Embarcadero. The ship Armada 78 07 was docked at Broadway Pier.

Armada 78 07 is an innovative, environmentally responsible vessel that utilizes robotic technology. It was built by Ocean Infinity and operates as an offshore supply ship.

According to what I’ve read, it’s part of a small fleet of Armada ships that has entered service in the past year or two. The Ocean Infinity website states: Today we operate a hybrid model of robotics alongside fuel-efficient conventional vessels. But, we’re beginning the transition away from conventional vessels with the development of hybrid and ammonia powered uncrewed and ‘optionally crewed’ robotic ships, ‘Armada’.

Here’s their video about building a fleet of robotic ships.

…

Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter)!

Going “back to the future” in San Diego!

It’s now possible to go “back to the future” in San Diego. A newly opened exhibition at the Comic-Con Museum, POPnology, takes visitors back in time, demonstrating how fantasies in the popular culture have often predicted future technology!

Artificial intelligence, smartphones, robotics, 3D-printing, virtual reality . . . many technological developments were first depicted in science fiction (including pulp magazines, novels, television, movies) long before they became real. POPnology celebrates how fantasy can become reality!

Do you know that author Jules Verne, in the 19th century, dreamed up videoconferencing, moon rockets and electric submarines? And that H. G. Wells predicted genetic engineering, lasers and automatic doors? And that Ray Bradbury anticipated earbuds, self-driving cars and ATMs, long before they existed?

This extensive exhibition is loaded with nostalgic artifacts, models and interactive displays. If you’re interested in the history of technology, there’s plenty of information for your brain.

And for fun? There’s a Back to the Future DeLorean, complete with flux capacitor! (Will time travel be in our future?) Kids can remotely manipulate a robot arm to transport dinosaur eggs. (Jurassic Park!) There’s an honest-to-goodness 3D-printed automobile. There are lots and lots of cool robots–a sure kid-pleaser. And much more!

There are surprising new discoveries at every turn!

POPnology is certain to fascinate both the young and the old, as it transports curious minds from the past (and present) to the future.

I took a few photographs at the Comic-Con Museum to provide a small taste….

…

Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter)!

Drone Soccer coming soon to San Diego!

Something super cool is coming to San Diego! Drone Soccer will soon be rolled out to some of the City of San Diego’s Recreation Centers!

What is Drone Soccer? Check out the U.S. Drone Soccer explanatory video here. Flying “soccer balls” powered by drones are maneuvered strategically, as players strive to score goals by flying their ball through an elevated hoop. (Sounds a bit of like Harry Potter’s airborne game of quidditch to me!)

Kids playing Drone Soccer in San Diego will learn all sorts of great STEM knowledge, including robotics, engineering and drone piloting–all the while having lots of fun!

Parks and Recreation had a canopy set up in front of the Municipal Gymnasium today letting people know this is in development. It’s still in the early stages, so there’s no dedicated San Diego webpage or social media page that you can follow just yet. I was told that should be finished shortly.

The hope is that next year, during the U.S. Drone Soccer 2024 National Championships at the San Diego Convention Center, some local teams will be ready to compete! How cool is this!!!

Are there any schools in San Diego that already have Drone Soccer teams? Are you a teacher? You need to check this out! Spread the word!

Meanwhile keep your antennae up. If I learn more in the days ahead, I’ll provide an update here!

…

Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!

The Chrome Lady robot of San Diego!

Walking along El Cajon Boulevard after my visit to the Rolando Street Fair last weekend, I noticed a very cool mural painted on the side of a tattoo parlor. I had discovered The Chrome Lady!

The silvery female robot indicated I’d arrived at The Chrome Lady Tattoo.

I asked one of the tattoo artists if he knew who painted the robot, but he wasn’t sure. I didn’t see a signature on the mural.

If you’re ever near the intersection of El Cajon Boulevard and 62nd Street, look for it!

…

Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!