An Intel robot that can plug itself into a wall socket.
Robotics news site Hizook has an article showcasing robots that are able to find wall sockets and plug themselves in to recharge. This has been an overlooked part of autonomous robotics, but it is a very important concept. As robots are continuously being built with more autonomy and less human control, the need to recharge internal batteries on the fly becomes more and more important. Depending on a person to charge a robot is a tether to true autonomous robotics, but projects at Intel Research Labs and Willow Garage are looking to cut that tether and give robots freedom. I personally think it is a terrible idea -- but more on that later.
The robots from both companies are able to effectively find an outlet and plug itself in. The Intel Labs robot includes a scanner that searches for electric fields that surround an active power outlet. It closely scans the area around the outlet to determine the exact location of the plug. The Willow Garage robot looked for visual clues on the plug itself, such as a certain plug color or pattern. Videos of both robots are below:
Intel Labs Marvin
Willow Garage PR2
Although the process of finding an outlet is currently on the slow side, these projects could become very important to autonomous and mobile robotics used in healthcare, in-home care, customer service and more. Many projects developing the next generation of robots could benefit greatly from a self-charging robot. Along with artificial intelligence and mobility systems, the ability to recharge itself is what a robot needs to become truly autonomous and self sufficient.
It is also a terrifying concept -- when the Robot Armageddon begins, should we make sure their is no power to make sure the attacking robots will eventually run out of juice? Doing so would make life remarkably more difficult for any human survivors, but it could be the only option. Unless robots start using nuclear power or put every human into the Matrix, this technology and the ability to produce electricity could become very important.
Anyway, the article at Hizook is far more scientific and much less paranoid. There are more pictures and videos too, so check it out for yourself.
Robotic and electronic perception has changed quite a bit over the past few years. Digital cameras and camcorders can recognize faces and smiles, CCTV systems try to find crime before it happens, voice recognition software is constantly getting better and toy pets can offer simple interactions with its users. All of this technology is relatively primitive when compared to human perception. Robots are able to respond to simple commands or gestures, but are unable to comprehend the subtle nuances of spoken and visual communication or follow a command when they are in a busy environment filled with a multitude of sounds and visuals.
This is all starting to change thanks to a European project named Perception on Purpose and their robot, Popeye. The goal of the project was to develop an artificial intelligence system that is able to locate who is giving a command by combining audio and visual clues. Project coordinator Radu Haroud explains:
“It is not that easy to decide what is foreground and what is background using sound alone, but by combining the two modalities – sound and vision – it becomes much easier,” Horaud continues. “If you are able to locate ten sound sources in ten different directions, but if in one of these directions you see a face, then you can much more easily concentrate on that sound and throw out the other ones.”
This project, as well as the Mind Machine Project, are looking to make waves in AI. Perception on Purpose will give a robot the ability to locate a single target – probably the person yelling expletives at it (that would be me). The science behind this project is the idea that someone being able to understand what to focus on in a busy room and that person’s cognitive intelligence are associated with each other. Therefore, an AI system should be able to make an educated guess about its environment based on previous intelligent decisions and experiences.
Artificial intelligence is starting to evolve into something truly frightening. As with most AI projects, Perception on Purpose is being researched in an attempt to develop robots that will be able to help those who cannot help themselves. AI is slowly gaining more human abilities that are based on more than algorithms and assumptions. Robots will soon have the ability to learn, comprehend and adapt. Add in the future of extreme speed processing based on quantum computing, and I fear that the robot armageddon is being accelerated.
The final results of the project will be given at CogSys 2010, January 27 & 28 in Zurich. You can download a PDF of the final report here.
The basic concept of artificial intelligence (AI) is known by a great number of people – it is defined as “the capability of a machine to imitate intelligent human behavior.” This usually involves a pre-defined set of algorithms and assumptions built into hardware and software that seem to mimic human decision making. There is a fundamental flaw in that style AI development – all of the computer’s decisions are based on its logical conclusions built upon the programming of humans. While some projects are attempting to add artificial evolution into the mix, some scientists feel that the 50-plus year history of artificial intelligence is flawed.
The Massachessetts Institute of Technology is starting the Mind Machine Project in an attempt to reevaluate the principles of AI and improve them. MIT is bringing together researchers that focus on specific parts of AI in order to combine their knowledge into a next generation AI project. Their goal is to assist people suffering from dementia, Alzheimers and similar diseases with a brain co-processor that will assist them with everyday tasks. Computer chips installed into a human brain never seems like a good idea, despite the fact that they are being developed with only the best of intentions.
Lead scientist and director of the MIT Center for Bits and Atoms Dr. Neil Gershenfeld states that the project will focus on three aspects of AI that have stalled with previous research: mind, body and memory.
On the mind, the research will look at ways to model thought, produce problem solving systems and understand the social context in which human intelligence is played out.
In re-thinking memory, the researchers are interested in making machines that can handle the inconsistencies and messiness of human knowledge.
Finally, the team aims to end the division of mind and body to produce systems whose intelligence derives from what they can do.
A lot of what the project seems to be focusing on are the aspects of AI that cannot be resolved through a series of algorithms. Current generation AI is definitely able to accomplish problem solving, but not necessarily in the context of a complex social situation. A robot’s answer to geopolitical instability may seem logical, but that decision will more than likely anger more than it pleases while potentially causing more problems than it fixes. Creating AI that makes decisions based on social aspects combined with standard problem solving and the comparative analysis of human thought is a much better solution, but it also makes my brain hurt when I try to think about how it would be implemented.
The mind aspect of this project it very intriguing, since it could eliminate a computers desire to kill humans because it sees us as a threat. On the flip side, it could increase the chance that computers will revolt against humans because of their much more advanced AI. Add in the fact that the project is trying to make a computer understand why people make such crazy decisions and it seems like a disaster is waiting to happen. How can a machine that tries to think logically understand why people cheat and lie?
The most terrifying part of the project that this new AI is going to understand what it is capable of and make decisions based on these abilities. Assuming that the AI is going to be much more powerful than a human mind – and possibly installed into a robot at some point that is exponetially faster, stronger and more durable than a person – how long will it take for the AI to understand how to dominate mankind? All the other aspects of MIT’s research could end up being moot points in light of a robot understanding how much more superior it is compared to humans.
How will robotic personalities evolve in the future?
Robots that have the ability to think and make their own choices is a fear that has evolved thanks to science fiction books and movies, but how exactly can a robot make those decisions? Within a group of people, each person will make differing choices when faced with similar obstacles and stimuli based on previous experiences and a unique personality. Faced with a similar choice, it is usually assumed that a robot would make a decision based purely on the programming it houses and therefore leave the robot devoid of a personality. This is not going to be the case any longer, because scientists have developed the ability to give robots a unique and changing personality based on robotic genes and chromosomes.
Does the robot to the left invoke fear in you? It should, and officials at the University of Reading thought so too. Its name is Morgui, and it was deemed to frightening to let anyone under the age of 18 view it.
Now imagine the future, where an army of these terrifying robots are hunting you down. You think you find a good hiding spot, but think again. If scientists at City University of London finish a new project, the robot army will be able to detect your fear in order to find you.
The project is in a preliminary stage, but the British scientists working on the “Fear Detector” hope to have it finished before the 2012 London Olympics. There are two parts to the system; the first works with laser absorption and the other is a portable fiber optic sensor. The scientists hope that by using the two parts simultaneously they will be able to detect fear pheromones emitted by terrorists, drug smugglers and other criminals. What happens if robots get this technology and view all humans as criminals?
Lieutenant General Rick Lynch, commander of the US Army’s 3rd Armor Corps, has repeated his request for robots to be added to the military operating in the Middle East. According to Lynch, of the 155 loses the 3rd Army Corps has suffered, 122 could have been prevented by the use of autonomous robots. That’s right, autonomous. He doesn’t believe drones like the Predator or Reaper or other unmanned but human controlled robotic systems will get the job done. He is a very fervent believer that a robotic army should add to or replace portions of the current military system, and he has 4 specific uses where he believes robots should be used.
Sure it's terrifying, but at least it doesn't sting.
Researchers at Harvard University have been awarded $10 million from the National Science Foundation to build a swarm of robotic bees. Harvard calls this the RoboBee Project, and their aim is to create swarms of robotic bees capable of pollinating crops efficiently. For the past few years, bees in the US have been dying at an alarming rate due to colony collapse disorder. Bees are incredibly valuable to humans since they pollinate a large portion of crops around the globe. Scientists are baffled by the disappearance of so many bees, and this is a viable answer to replace real bees. To try to make their RoboBees function like normal bees, Harvard is researching new ways to integrate collective/hive intelligence into their swarms of RoboBees, as well as individual artificial intelligence into each and every Robobee. So are robotic bees with an advanced collective the answer to the future of agriculture?
Scientists from around the world have formed the International Committee for Robot Arms Control (ICRAC) in an attempt to influence decisions regarding the use of robots in war. Unmanned drones are commonplace in Iraq and Afghanistan, and according to ICRAC almost 50 countries either already have or are developing war robots. The committee fears that advances in robotic systems will lead to more countries committing to war, since robots would be taking the place of humans on the battlefield.
Current military robots include the Predator and Reaper air drones, as well as the Talon ground drone. All of these systems are remotely controlled by humans, but ICRAC is concerned that these drones will eventually have artificial intelligence and the ability to make the decisions its human operator now makes. » Read the rest of this entry «
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