Film Theory: Transformers - GOOD Science, BAD Movies!

Do you know who I sympathize with the most in the Teasformer

movies

? People who bought a car that turned out to be a transformer. Imagine you want to go to work, but your car turns into an alien robot and flies away. Okay... That's twenty-eight thousand dollars wasted in the trash. Optimus, the least you can do is ask them for an Uber. Hello internet, welcome to Film Theory! The show with a Ph.D. in details of the movie. I don't know what you guys think, but every once in a while I realize that the future is here NOW!

Well, it may not be the future everyone predicted. I'm still waiting for the hoverboard from Back to the Future, holographic clothing, and a jacket that dries itself. But I'm curious about the other things that await us. In fact, it's hard to rule anything out at this point. Even the weirdest things we see in the

movies

, the Man in Black memory wipes, if the CIA doesn't have them already, I bet they're working on something like that. Willy Wonka's Eternal Magic Balls, YES PLEASE! And what about the

transformers

? Self-aware robots that can, on their own, change shape depending on the situation.

That is a difficult task. Things like that are impossible, right? Okay, but I'm making a video about it. So... Hmmmm... I hear what you're saying: 'MatPat, you've gone too far! Robotics has come a long way in recent years, but Transformers defy the laws of physics, "buttmunch." *an insult to someone with no real meaning according to Urban Dictionary* Well, let me tell you that, hypothetical reviewer; words can hurt, even words like “butt chew.” A word no one has used since they were nine years old! But I'm also not saying that within five years Optimus Prime will land on Earth and decapitate the Decepticons, but rather that the technology we have now makes the Transformers more reality than fiction.

Especially when you look at what these automatic behemoths are made of. Which is a

good

bridge to the question: what are they really made of? Well, it turns out that the sources say a lot of different things. The Transformers have no less than four different origin stories. Whether you're talking about the original Marvel comics, the original TV show, the UK version or the live-action movies, the franchise is exhausting! And don't even get me started on Beast Wars! Man, I love that show! To me, Megatron will always be a cute purple T-rex. So if the conflicting stories weren't enough, they all use words like: 'Quintesson' (sorry, no idea) and 'Cube Creationism'.

Just so you know, this is a serious story. But when you look at what they're made of, all the origin stories agree that Transformers are made of metal and are actually mechanical. Which means that instead of surviving on food and water, they need the right kind of fuel. So... Thanks, Captain Obvious... Machine monsters are made of metal. Can you be a little more specific? Well, most of our information about the chemistry of the Transformers, at a molecular level, we get from the movies. More specifically, the movie 'Age of Extinction'. They even take the time to give the Transformers material a name: 'Tranfornium' Yeah, super creative done there...

If only you'd spent as much time building your fictional world as you did researching the laws surrounding relationships with minors. This is illegal, she is a minor! We are protected by the laws of Romeo and Juliet. We have an existing juvenile record statute two seven zero five - three Romeo and Juliet, you say? And with that knowledge... Yes, yes, I know. It's painful to go to Michael Bay's movies. Michael Bay's Transformers movies are actually unwatchable and offensive, and they take a lot of creative liberties with the Transformers story. "His vocal processors were damaged in the fight." But the fact is that the movies give us the most concrete scientific clues about what the Transformers are made of.

So if we want to look at the real-world technology behind these things, this is the best way to go. So this

theory

will focus on Tranfornium and from there we will see how close we are to creating our own Optimus Prime. And the fact is, the technology here is great, so let's be kind to each other in the name of

science

. Well? Well. In the movie 'Age of Extinction', humanity has grown tired of alien robots destroying their cities when they fight each other. Then the government starts trying to create their own Transformers. Scientists crack the code needed to work with transformanium and BOOM!

Artificial transformer! So how far am I from creating my own bodyguard/caravan? Well, let's see what we know about Transfornium Play! That tape. A rare earth metal, molecularly unstable and industrially unusable. According to Tobias Fünke's evil twin, we are talking about an unstable, rare and unusable metal for industrial purposes. We also know a few things about the Transformers themselves. The Transfornium must be quite light, because some of the Transformers can fly, which would not be possible if they were made of lead, for example. They also enter and leave the Earth's atmosphere, so the metal must have a high melting point.

Specifically; Upon entering the atmosphere, objects reach a temperature of 1,477 degrees Celsius, or 2,691 degrees Fahrenheit for anyone in the

good

old United States of America, where independence is dictated by how complicated the measurement system is. Therefore, the melting point of any material used must be above that point. Is there any substance on earth that meets all these requirements? Well... A quick look at the usual suspects on the periodic table tells us... no. But then what is this? One group of metals is called rare earth metals because, big surprise, they are rare. Man, it seems like chemists are just as bad at naming as the writers of "Age of Extinction." Maybe I should stop making fun of them?

Search the house! What do you mean by searching the house? You don't have a court order! My face is my command.' - No, absolutely right. Well, the best Transfornium analogue would be the lightest one on the list: the scnadium. Atomic number twenty-one. It's lightweight, with a density similar to aluminum, so flying like Starscream won't be a problem. And it has a melting point of 1,540 degrees Celsius, well above the limit for objects trying to enter the atmosphere. This prevents Optimus and his friends from punching Alex Mack and turning into a puddle of molten metal every time they pass through the atmosphere.

We don't use scandium in that industry because it's very rare, just like we hear in the movies, and the scandium even looks like the transfornio sample we see in 'Age of Extinction.' On a chemical level, if we were to start manufacturing our own Transformers, scandium would certainly be a very good and very precise candidate. And while that's all well and good, it's far from the complete answer. Because the biggest obstacle to transformation is not chemistry, but physics. The problem with making Optimus Prime is not making something that resembles the shape of his truck, because it's just a truck.

We want a substance that can transform into basically anything, and it turns out that advances in robotics are making Transfornium seem less and less like a crazy fantasy and more and more like an inevitability. In fact, the basic elements are already present. For example, we already have machines that can respond to their environment when necessary. They are called "self-forming modular robots" and can change shape, walk and, in some cases, even fly. Take a look at the M-TRAN3: an example of a self-forming modular robot made of connected parts that can change its shape and movement as desired.

As you can see here, it has formed into a long chain that moves in an undulating motion, similar to a caterpillar. But it can also form a trellis, grow legs and even walk! Sure, it's primitive, but let's face it, it already looks better than the walking domino blocks we saw in "Interstellar." In both the real world and the world of Transformers, the robot can customize its appearance to best suit the task it must perform. You might be thinking this thing is slow, unremarkable, and looks more like a miniature plastic AT-AT from 'Empire Strikes Back' than a Transformer, but keep in mind that the M-TRAN3 made its debut at a trade show. robotics in 2005.

In 2005, the Nintendo Wii and the iPhone 1 were things of the future. More recently we had M-BLOCKS, small blocks that self-assemble without legs, wheels or other external parts, just blocks that jump back and forth and assemble themselves with nothing more than magnets. But still, if we were looking for something like transformation we would need robots that were smaller, faster and more versatile than these self-forming modular robots. As we see in the movie, the transformnium is programmable, it has memory. It may seem like programmable matter is over our heads, but in reality scientists are developing just that; a branch of nanotechnology called claytronics.

Think of claytronics as a mix between robotics and computer

science

. Claytronics uses a system of very small programmable computers known as Claytronic atoms or catoms, which work together to create three-dimensional objects that the user can interact with. So imagine you're Skype or FaceTiming with someone a few years from now. At this point, all you'll see is a two-dimensional image of the person you're talking to. But claytonics would allow the device to scan the other person's entire body, recreate it from catomen, and create a three-dimensional version of that person right next to you in your room. And then, when the cats are done playing with your friend, they can turn back into a sofa, a table or a television, for example.

The possibilities are literally endless. Remember the cool nanobots from 'Big Hero 6'. Yes. It's more or less the same. And here's the funny thing: While you might think that kind of technology is decades, if not hundreds, away, experts believe we're pretty close now. A 2014 Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies paper states that researchers at Intel Labs expect simple claytronic products to be available for commercial use around the year 2020. And researchers at Carnegie Mellon University are making notable progress. They have created electromagnetic atoms that can disassemble and adjust themselves in a tenth of a second. So, give it a few more years and a programmable shape-shifting matter, similar to the transformio, could be in your own living room!

Or, in this case, in the garage. But then there is one last question; If we can produce transformio, then real Transformers shouldn't be too far away, right? Loyal fans of

film

theory

will remember a Skynet episode of The Terminator, where we learn that artificial intelligence is expected to progress to the point of self-awareness perhaps as early as 2045. So if we can create shape-shifting robotic computers via claytronics by 2020, and true artificial intelligence by 2045, then it should only be a matter of time before they become our ruling robots, right? Well, there's still a big problem with building robots that can transform and assemble into more than meets the eye, and that problem isn't with the robots themselves or with artificial intelligence.

In fact, the biggest problem is also the stupidest. And yes, I know that's grammatically incorrect, but I did it for effect. I know it's stupider. The problem, believe it or not, is this: real friends. There is one major problem that prevents Transformers from existing in the real world, and that is a problem we all encounter in our lives: Batteries not included. Yes, from the days of the battery-draining Super Scope Six, to Megatron Transformer walkie-talkies, to the phrase you say every day: "I need to put my phone on the charger," batteries are what hold most of us back.

Even as our circuits move to the microscale and our computers become more and more powerful, we can't say the same for batteries. Over the past 60 years we've had a trillion-fold increase in computing power (not an exaggeration, a literal trillion-fold increase in computing power), but since 2007, our phone's battery life mobile has only improved 22%. And the battery size is still relatively large compared to the size of the phone. The problem is not making the Transformers, but giving them power. There are simply no entirely new power sources for these kinds of super-advanced hybrid AI robots, and that's standing between us and the transformer revolution, my friend.

Well, at least until they become our rulers and start harnessing human electronic potential to power them like in the Matrix. I'm sorry, what? But hey, that's just a theory, A FILM THEORY! And cut! But seriously, we all know that the Matrix human battery thing is complete fiction, so there's no need to post that again onthe comments. But I know you will do it anyway. You've already done it. If you're a fan of

film

theories like this, you'll love the idea of ​​bringing the fictional world into the real world. If so, you should click here to check out my Game Lab series, on my Game Theorists channel, where we take the same idea but do it with video games.

And even if you don't like video games, I promise you'll like this one. Do you like fantasy movies? Well, then you should watch the episode where we storm a castle. For honor! And action movies? Watch us dismantle a bomb. "I'm opening the box now." Do you like Matrix? Then you will like the hacker episode. "You get access to a network and from there you go further and further." 'That?' 'Oh no!' People who do stupid things to animals? Well, then watch me ride an ostrich. 'You are fast! And it's going in the completely wrong direction...' 'This is crazy!' It's on YoutubeRed, but all the episodes are there right now, so if you get a free trial you can watch them all over the weekend and then you know... decide what you want to do with your subscription from then on.

I'm not going to rule out what to do; you can cancel. But you may feel overwhelmed by the quantity and quality of YoutubeRed programming and keep your subscription. I just want you to watch my show. That... that's really the only thing that matters to me. In fact, we were just nominated for a Streamy Award for Best Nonfiction Web Series, which is a huge honor and speaks to the amount of work that's been done. So if you want to take a look at it, I would really appreciate it. Just click on the ostrich head to go there.

Now if you'll excuse me, next week we're going to the final frontier (Star Wars reference). See you then.