Where Are The Robots?
Submitted by Ray on Fri, 07/24/2009 - 00:07
Where are the robots? The long-standing, futuristic vision of robots still hasn't arrived. I tend to be skeptical about the possibilities they might provide. However, for specific, limited tasks I think they can be very effective. Researchers are doing some intriguing work in robot development, particularly with mobility. Here are a number of talks and videos on recent robotic research in robot mobility. Some of the things researchers have been able to accomplish are quite fascinating. I found the Big Dog and Gecko robots particularly interesting.
see also
Modular Snake Robots
Boston Dynamics
modsnake hat tip boing boing
On a related note...
I well remember our conversations on artificial intelligence, especially the emphasis on the qualifier "artificial" (which was an obvious give-away to the nature of that intelligence heh heh)
Thinking back, my understanding of the main paths to successful AI was either via learning systems or brute-force lookup tables. Today, I'd be more likely to talk about EI or Emergent Intellience, such as that seemingly used by Big Dog in the above video (which is very cool, btw). In Big Dog's case, multiple subsystems (joint angles, pressure sensor) contribute feedback data to establish a posture solution for a virtual leg, which can then be field-tested and recalculated on the fly. The emergent behaviour (walking over a pile of bricks) is nowhere found in the code, and yet the system is clearly up to the task.
On a related "visions of the future" note: Dude, where's my flying car? I'd even settle for a jetpack, so long as someone has perfected non-flammable pants!
re: On a related note...
Gizmodo had this post a couple days ago. Krang Rejoices: Artificial Brain Ten Years Away From Reality. I suspect that when the time comes we'll realize that there is a bit more going on that we don't realize or understand (and probably never understand). Nevertheless, I think it's interesting and worthwhile research.
Emergent Intelligence does seem to a more effective approach.
Not sure I wanna see those flyin' cars. I don't trust the most people's ability to pilot them safely.
Here is an interesting TED talk on efforts to make natural-looking animated people.
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