It’s that time again, friends. Jeff Bezos is back in Palm Springs with his invite-only MARS conference and that means another wild and crazy photo opp for the Amazon founder – with this year’s edition being him holding onto a giant robot dragonfly before it flies away.
Thank you @FestoAG, but bigger please…. I want to get on! #ThinkBig #MARS2019 pic.twitter.com/uXqvkf623B
— Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) March 19, 2019
The MARS conference thing is for Machine learning, Automation, Robotics and Space – it should actually be MlARS, but whatever. Other attendees at the conference include veteran astronauts Mike Massimino and Story Musgrave along with Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill – because, sure, why not?
Just hanging out with my childhood idol who inspired little Sidd to build robots #starwarsfan #lukeskywalker #MARS2019! pic.twitter.com/9fc6AKVYjS
— Siddhartha Srinivasa (@siddhss5) March 19, 2019
When Luke Skywalker photobombs your selfie… you’re at #MARS2019 pic.twitter.com/f7VTRGITcz
— Dr Chiara Mingarelli (@Dr_CMingarelli) March 18, 2019
Here are some other WTF moments from MARS in Palm Springs:
Robots…#Centauro robot yoga…1/2 #MARS2019 pic.twitter.com/h3z2CGhCSV
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) March 18, 2019
Here’s a soft robot of hers with skins wrapped around, causing flexing. #MARS2019 pic.twitter.com/ew2hZO8wBY
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) March 19, 2019
Robotic friends roaming the grounds of #mars2019! Such an incredible first half of the day! #Robotics #MachineLearning #IoT #technology pic.twitter.com/W99PusEIfo
— Andrew Morawski (@amorawski) March 18, 2019
And just by unsnapping and turning the skin 90 degrees the flexing robot becomes an inching robot! #MARS2019 (video of big screen, actual robot there on stage but easier to film big screen) pic.twitter.com/JCFt46fcBm
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) March 19, 2019
It’s Hexa! At the Palm Springs sir museum! #MARS2019 pic.twitter.com/eOT57KAI19
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) March 19, 2019
And here is @JeffBezos being mobbed by a robotic dragonfly. Forbidden Planet!! #MARS2019 pic.twitter.com/QfnmQJZ9Dj
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) March 18, 2019
MARS began this weekend and continues on Monday in Palm Springs. If you happen to catch a photo of Bezos or Luke Skywalker flying around Palm Canyon Drive on a giant dragonfly (hey, it could happen), let us know.