And it was really creepy when the Johnny Cab exploded, and the poor sap’s plastic skin was melting as it (or HE) said, “WE HOPE YOU’VE ENJOYED THE RIDE!” Gives you chills, doesn’t it?

Well, that same weird creepiness has come to reality, folks. And this is no joke. The technology of GPS has created its own real Johnny Cab. Only it’s not a ‘cab’. It’s a passenger. They might as well call it ‘Johnny Passenger’. Or ‘Johnny Side-Seat Driver’. Whatever its name will be, it’s pretty creepy. The GPS System designed like a robot is named ‘Charles’. Charles the GPS Robot. It’s not a tiny box sitting on your dashboard anymore; it’s a mannequin, only shoulders, neck and a head. He sports somewhat shaggy middle-aged hair, too, and wrinkles. Even creepier.

And yet it gets even creepier. The reason why scientists at Cambridge designed Charles was to allow GPS to be more “sympathetic to the driver’s moods”. The robot can actually read a driver’s facial expression, voice tone, and other behavioral hints. Kind of funny, actually. Because first of all the idea behind it is unclear. Why would they want to do that?

Maybe to allow GPS to say things like, “Oh, don’t worry, honey, you’ll get there in time”, or something like “look! you can make a stop at that McDonald’s without getting lost, and grab me a large order of fries!” Essentially, it’s a ‘friendlier’ GPS!