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| December 30,
2002: Giving robots
the gift of sight. By Ed Frauenheim. CNET. "A Carnegie Mellon University
professor known for predicting the evolution of super-capable robots says
he's just given robots better eyesight. Hans Moravec has completed work
on a three-dimensional robotic vision system he says will allow machines
to make their way through offices and homes. The technology is 'more than
good enough to reliably navigate robots through a general environment,'
he said. Moravec's system consists of stereoscopic digital cameras and a
3D grid set up in the robot's computer brain. The system determines the
robot's distance from objects by noticing the different placement of the
object in the two camera images and applying a geometric equation. The grid,
which is made up of 32 million digital cells, is used to help handle incomplete
or potentially misleading visual data. For example, an object visible in
one camera lens might be blocked from the view of the other, or a blank
wall may lack distinct features that can be used for triangulation." >>> Vision, Robots, Applications, History December 26, 2002: Making
Robots, With Dreams of Henry Ford. By Scott Kirsner. The New York
Times (no fee reg. req'd). "One robot was tossed into an abandoned
building in Afghanistan by soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division. Another
shimmied through a thin air shaft in the Great Pyramid of Giza. A third
hunted dust bunnies under Helen Greiner's bed. Field testing for products
made by the iRobot Corporation takes place in settings both exotic and
mundane. 'When you put robots into situations where there haven't been
robots before,' said Ms. Greiner, the company's president, 'you very quickly
find out whether they're up to the job, and what design changes you might
need to make.' ... The company took its name from an Isaac Asmiov science
fiction book called 'I, Robot,' and its early revenue came from research
contracts with government agencies like the Defense Advanced Research
Projects Agency, or Darpa, at the Pentagon. But more recently, iRobot
began developing products with commercial partners, like a doll designed
with Hasbro called My Real Baby that was able to convey through sounds
and facial expressions whether its owner was providing adequate care.
The company has also financed some projects on its own, like the Roomba,
a $200 device that got its name from the dancelike circular movements
it makes as it cleans. ... 'Robots used to be things that were bolted
to the floor in factories, and ordinary people didn't interact with them,'
Mr. Brooks said, 'just like computers in the 1960's and 1970's were locked
away behind glass walls. In 50 years, I think the world is going to be
full of robots, and we want iRobot to be one of the companies that's building
them.'" December 25, 2002: A.I.
research pioneer dies. San Mateo County Times (December 25, 2002).
"[Charles] Rosen created 'Shakey,' the first mobile robot that could
reason about its actions. In 1966, Shakey was equipped with a television
camera, range finder, collision detectors, and a reasoning program that
allowed it to execute simple tasks such as moving a box around a room.
'It was the first robot that had the ability to make plans and perceive
its environment,' said Nils Nilsson, emeritus professor of computer science
at Stanford University. ... Rosen was also an accomplished winemaker and
co-founded Ridge Vineyards with some scientist friends. ...He also started
a company that sold a mix for making pickles at home and two years ago
invented a device to dispense inhaled drugs." December 24, 2002: The
shape of playthings to come - Today's toys are more technologically
advanced than ever. What will toys of tomorrow be like? By Chip Walter.
The Boston Globe. "'You're going to see what 10 years ago we would
have defined as science fiction,' says Randy Pausch, co-director of Carnegie
Mellon University's Entertainment Technology Center. 'Toys that know where
they are, that can recognize people and respond to them; toys that build
up a mental state of the things around them; toys that talk to each other
and interact with the television set or the computer. You can envision
all kinds of scenarios.' ... What are the downsides as toys grow more
intelligent and networked? Privacy is a big issue because of the vulnerability
of children. How, exactly, would toys use their intelligence, and with
whom would they be connected? What if the smart doll your daughter is
playing with suddenly says she's hungry and wants to go to McDonald's,
or is bored and suggests talking to mom and dad about a trip to Disneyland?
... The ultimate question may be this: Will the electronic sophistication
of tomorrow's toys enhance the way children play or blunt their imaginations?" December 23, 2002: The
Dream of Mechanical Life - Man and automata. By Hugh Ormsby-Lennon.
The Weekly Standard (Volume 008, Issue 15). "A spate of new books
[editor's note: 13 to be exact] addresses eighteenth-century automata,
ventriloquists' dummies, and puppets--together with more recent avatars
of chess computers, artificial intelligence, androids, robots, and cyborgs.
Does 'computerization' challenge human identity as ominously as 'mechanization'
previously seemed to? ... So, does artificial intelligence transcend Freudian
nightmare now that it has come to suggest not itinerant showmen or tinkerers
with clockwork but university scientists, computer moguls, and global
corporations? Or does a scientist with an uncanny puppet always remain
mad or charlatanical?" December 18, 2002: Visions
of a Robot Future - The Holiday Robot Games and Expo offers fascinating
projects, promising students, and unsettling premonitions. By Silke Tudor.
SF Weekly. "Joseph Hering, coordinator of the NASA Robotics Education
Project, wears a similar shirt along with a large fuzzy Santa hat. Thankfully,
the official NASA patches on his jacket and the determined eyes framed
by his ashy brows command undeniable respect. 'One of the primary aims
of REP is to see students graduating with Ph.D.s in robotics,' says Hering,
standing over a large sticker that reads 'Real robots don't need remote
control. There aren't many universities offering degrees in robotics yet,
but robot research is one of NASA's top three priorities. Further space
exploration depends on it.' To that end, REP maintains a Web-based clearinghouse
for information pertaining to robotics education. The project also actively
facilitates new robotics curriculums at all educational levels, offering
the most promising students a chance to participate in an intensive robotics
program at Moffett Field under the guidance of NASA personnel, and supporting
local events such as this one and national competitions such as BotBall,
a tournament organized by the KISS Institute for Practical Robotics based
out of Norman, Okla." December 17, 2002: A
Massive undertaking. By Peter McMahon. EXN [Discovery Channel Canada].
" EXN producer Peter McMahon talked to Weta Digital's Stephen Regelous,
who created Massive, the artificial-intelligence-powered software that's
responsible for the vast swarms of battling orcs, humans and elves in
the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy. Massive was originally developed
to allow large crowds of computer-generated movie characters to interact
as if they each had minds of their own. Now, Regulous says the software
could even be reverse-engineered to use simulated A.I. in controlling
large groups of real-life robots on missions where it's useful for them
to be able to think for themselves." December 17, 2002: Robot
Says: I Shrink I Am, I Shrink I Am - Scientists trying to create robots
that sense human emotions. By Robert Preidt. HealthScout. "Vanderbilt
University researchers are trying to create a robot that can sense your
emotions and respond appropriately. In an article in the December issue
of Robotica, the researchers report they've taken the first steps towards
creating a touchy-feely robot that can sense your psychological state.
There are two parts to this project. The first is to develop a system
that accurately detects a person's psychological state by analyzing information
from number of physiological sensors -- for example, one would measure
heart rate. The second part is to have a robot process this information
as soon as it's collected, and convert it into a form that can be processed
by a computer." December 17, 2002: Research
seeks emotion-sensing robot. By Scott R. Burnell. UPI /available from
The Washington Times. "'We are not trying to give a robot emotions,'
Smith said. 'We are trying to make robots that are sensitive to our emotions.'As
the project develops, the team hopes to integrate other inputs, such as
voice- and face-recognition software, to refine the rules, Sarkar told
UPI. ... Research has shown students learn most effectively in an optimal
challenge level that avoids both frustration and boredom, Sarkar said.
Accurate monitoring of physiological data would help a computer alter
a task's difficulty to maintain that optimal state. ... The research is
right on target in terms of helping robots and humans interact more effectively,
said Robin Murphy, a professor of computer engineering at the University
of South Florida in Tampa and director of the Center for Robot-Assisted
Search and Rescue. December 15, 2002: Robotic
Warfare - part of The 2nd Annual Year in Ideas. By William Speed Weed.
The New York Times Magazine (no fee reg. req'd). "This year at Edwards
Air Force Base in California, the biggest advance yet in robotic warfare
took its first flight: the UCAV, or Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle. Like
the Predator, the UCAV has no human on board. Unlike the Predator, the
kite-shaped UCAV is an autonomous plane that flies itself without constant
direction from any human being. Its ground-based controller (notably not
called a pilot) programs missions with a computer, but he does not direct
the aircraft moment by moment. ... The Army is developing the Unmanned
Ground Combat Vehicle, a tank that can autonomously negotiate landscapes
and fire weapons. And the Navy plans to build a robotic killer submarine.
... Beyond the obvious advantage of keeping Americans out of harm's way,
robotic systems have other advantages. Robotic planes and subs don't have
to accommodate human safety needs, so they're cheaper to build. Not only
can computers think faster than humans, they'll also never suffer from
the emotional stress of battle. Moreover, computers can communicate with
each other at lightning speed. ... The Air Force's [ Col. Michael] Leahy
insists that, though total autonomy is technologically feasible, it is
not morally allowable. 'A human must always be in the loop to authorize
weapons release,' he says." December 15, 2002:
RoboVac - part of The 2nd Annual Year in Ideas. By Virginia Heffernan.
The New York Times Magazine (no fee reg. req'd). "Of all the works
of prophecy of the last century -- '1984,' 'Brave New World,' 'Atlas Shrugged'
-- the one that appears to have generated the most hope about the future
is 'The Jetsons,' the cartoon series that had its premiere in 1962. On
that show, the chipper Jetson family boasted, in addition to a Zippo-size
encyclopedia and a telephone with a video screen, a robot named Rosie
who took care of household chores. So many other utopian dreams were dashed
long ago, but the fantasy of a happy, chore-loving robot has remained
vital into the 21st century, and this year a Massachusetts company called
iRobot offered Roomba, America's first affordable robot vacuum cleaner." December 15, 2002: At
last ... a robot that really can think. By Eva Langlands. Sunday Herald.
"It cooks, cleans and washes your windows at the touch of a button
-- and even matures with age. Thinking robots that evolve like humans
could soon be fact rather than fiction, thanks to a group of Scottish
scientists set to develop the world's first real-life R2-D2. Until now,
scientists have attempted to create thinking robots by installing a complex
processing network but the systems have failed to operate autonomously
in advanced tasks. The new technique, however, allows the robot to evolve
in a developing environment, enabling it to become more complex and sophisticated
over time, like humans. ... Current models can wash windows, mow the lawn,
or even operate as artificial limbs. They could also replace humans in
the event of an earthquake or dangerous levels of radiation, and perform
exploratory tasks underwater. ... 'We are on the cusp of a huge tidal
wave of artificial intelligence. It could be about to take off in the
same way as the internet did a few years ago.'" December 14, 2002: Radical
robot squad joins the rescue team. By Deborah Smith. The Sydney Morning
Herald. "This week the team received a $10 million funding boost
from the Federal Government to set up a new robotics centre with the University
of NSW and University of Technology, Sydney. The think tank, called the
Centre of Excellence for Autonomous Systems, will be headed by Field Robotics'
director, Professor Hugh Durrant-Whyte. .Mr[Frederic] Bourgault says autonomous
systems are a fusion of machines, computers, sensing systems and software.
They are designed to operate in 'dirty, dangerous and difficult places
such as mines shafts or earthquake sites.' Members of the Sydney team
had a breakthrough in finding a way to allow a robot dropped in a new
location to move around and map its surroundings while keeping a track
of its own position. Previously robots have been unable to do both tasks
at once. The new mapping system does not rely on the robot using independent
information such as global positioning system satellites...." December 13, 2002: Revving
up the rovers. By Molly Bentley. BBC. "With launch dates just
six months away, Nasa's science team is making final preparations to send
two rovers into space in an effort to understand the past environment
of Mars. ... [T]he twin rovers will cover more ground in a day - 100 meters
- than Sojourner did in its entire mission. And the rovers are designed
with autonomous capabilities. Once Earth transmits their daily assignments,
they fulfil them on their own." December 12, 2002: Pacifist
Leonardo may have made mistakes to foil warlords. By Tom Leonard.
The Telegraph / available from The Sydney Morning Herald. "Leonardo
da Vinci inserted a series of deliberate flaws into his inventions, perhaps
to prevent them being put to military use, a new television series says.
... Five designs - for a tank, glider, parachute, diving suit and robot
- were built for the series by enthusiasts and tested by experts. ...
Mr [Michael] Mosley believes the clue lies in one of the notes Leonardo
made beside his aqualung design. It reads: 'Knowing the evil in men's
hearts they will learn how to kill men on the seabed.'" December 11, 2002: Honda
Shows Off Upgraded Walking Robot. By Yuri Kageyama. The Associated
Press / available from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. "Honda Motor
Co. may have come up with the most attentive and perhaps honest car dealer
ever in its child-size walking robot Asimo. The four-foot-tall machine,
shown to reporters Wednesday, already knew how to walk, climb stairs and
recognize voices. An upgraded version now also understands human gestures
and movement. ... Asimo uses the visual information taken by a camera
in its head to recognize 10 different preprogrammed faces and will call
out that person's name. ... In a demonstration at Honda headquarters in
Tokyo, the new robot understood where a person is pointing and moved in
that direction. ... Asimo -a name based on the Japanese word for 'legs'...." December 9, 2002: They,
Robots. Book Currents column by Mark Rozzo. The New Yorker. (Printer
friendly version available here.)
"In 1739, the French inventor Jacques de Vaucanson unveiled his latest
startling creation: an anatomically convincing, yet wholly mechanical,
duck—one that quacked, ate grain, and, most impressively, excreted.
Vaucanson's mechanical duck was a sensation, and, as Rodney A. Brooks
relates in his engaging FLESH AND MACHINES: HOW ROBOTS WILL CHANGE US
(Pantheon), one of the celebrated early attempts to replicate—or,
at least, imitate—life. Brooks ... tells the odd history—from
that Enlightenment duck to Deep Blue, a computer program that famously
beat Garry Kasparov at chess—of what he calls 'mankind's centuries-long
quest to build artificial creatures.' ... [I]n BUILDING BOTS (Chicago
Review) ... [William] Gurstelle examines the growing popularity of 'combat
robotics,' a sport that he predicts could soon 'grow into another NASCAR.'" December 6, 2002:
Real love from fake dogs? Cosmic Log by Alan Boyle. MSNBC. "We
know that real pets can make a positive impact on the health of senior
citizens — but could robot pets have the same effect? That’s
what Purdue University’s Center for the Human-Animal Bond plans
to find out, in cooperation with the University of Washington. ... In
another facet of the investigation, the researchers found that some Aibo
owners formed a strangely organic relationship with their inorganic pets.
University of Washington psychology professor Peter Kahn said one owner
reported that when he got dressed in the morning, he turned his Aibo in
another direction for modesty’s sake. ... There’s nothing
wrong per se with the no-muss, no-fuss robotic interaction, Kahn said,
but there is a nagging worry: 'Our concern is that it’s replacing
interaction with real animals,' he said. Would children raised with robotic
pets develop the same sense of responsibility for their fellow creatures?
That’s giving psychologists like Kahn something to think about.
... Can a robo-companion serve as a comforter? Or does this trend serve
as a somewhat sad social commentary?" December 5, 2002: Research
examines robot-assisted therapy. United Press International. "Computerized
'pets,' such as those coming from Japanese electronics makers, could approach
their flesh-and-blood counterparts in providing people with social interaction
stimuli, scientists said Thursday. Purdue University is running a year-long
study that puts an 'AIBO' robot dog for six weeks in the homes of people
65 years and older who live alone, said Alan Beck, director of the Center
for the Human-Animal Bond in Purdue's School of Veterinary Medicine. Cats
and dogs have the well-documented ability to improve patients' stress
levels, blood pressure and other factors. Using robots could do the same
while alleviating a medical staff's worries about possible animal drawbacks,
such as the need for feeding and exercise, Beck said. ... Japanese researchers
have done similar studies with Paro, a fairly simple, 'baby seal' creation
with a few novel twists to appear more true-to-life." December 4, 2002:
Will Smith Set to Get Robotic Costars. By Stephen M. Silverman. People.
"Will Smith has never been accused of being a mechanical actor, but
that label may apply to his next role. Variety reports that the 'Men in
Black' star, 34, is set to star in the futuristic sci-fi thriller 'I,
Robot,' based on an Isaac Asimov short-story collection from the 1940s
that is credited for setting the groundwork for such films as 'The Terminator'
and 'A.I. Artificial Intelligence.' ... Asimov's source material consisted
of nine short stories that all contained the same three laws of robotics,
notes Variety. Those laws are, 'A robot may not injure a human or, through
inaction, allow a human to come to harm; a robot must obey orders given
to it by a human, except where it would conflict with the first law; and
a robot must protect itself, as long as that protection doesn't violate
either the first or second law.'" December 3, 2002: Making
'bots pulls students in. National contest hopes to battle trend and
draw more teens to engineering field. By Cathy Kightlinger. The Indianapolis
Star. "With enrollment in engineering-related college courses dipping
across the country, educators hope that growing participation in middle
and high school-level robot-building competitions will spark renewed interest
in those fields. In one such competition, called FIRST Robotics, students
build robots out of metal, small motors, electrical wiring and, in some
cases, colorful Legos. Unlike Comedy Central's "Battlebots,"
these robots are built to perform tasks -- not annihilate each other.
... Across the country in 1983, more than 441,000 students were enrolled
in undergraduate engineering and technology programs. By 1999, that number
had dipped by nearly 80,000, according to the National Science Board.
... Perry Meridian senior John Prather changed his career plans after
participating on the Far-Southside school's FIRST team. The senior had
considered becoming an accountant until about two years ago, when he joined
the team. Now he wants to become a computer or electrical engineer. 'Starting
from the first year I got on it, I thought it was going to be something
fun to do,' he said. 'Then I started learning things I never expected
to learn.' ... 'We're kicking the kids out at 11 p.m. on a Friday night.
We have to push them out.' The FIRST Robotics program began in 1992 as
the brainchild of scientist and inventor Dean Kamen, the man behind the
portable dialysis machine and the stair-climbing wheelchair." December 3, 2002: LEGO
team performs at preschool. The Baxter Bulletin. "Pinkston Middle
School's FIRST LEGO Team, The Manic Mechanics, recently demonstrated its
2002 Challenge "City Sights" to preschoolers at Noah's Ark Preschool.
... They hope their effort will spark the interest of younger children
and get them excited about being on a FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition
of Science and Technology) LEGO team when they are older, according to
a recent press release. ... This year's task is to build a robot to help
in urban development and repair. Teams learn to become innovative and
original in their construction of these robots. The teams also have research
projects pertaining to the challenge each year, the release said." December 3, 2002: Mars
rover inspires toy robot. BBC. " Drawing inspiration from the
US space agency's Mars rover, scientists in the US are working on creating
a robot that can teach children about science. Researchers at the Robotics
Institute at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) have already created a simple
version of the rover, called a Trikebot. ... The CMU team says that although
the rover is intended as a toy for children, there is a serious side to
its work. The team hopes children will learn about the abilities and limitations
of robots." November 20 - December 3, 2002: The
New Age of Service Robots - From Fighting Fires to Serving Beer. Knowledge
@ Wharton. "R2-D2 and Rosie the robot maid may be coming soon to
a home, or nursing home, near you. Thanks to advances in computing and
navigation technology, robots - including sophisticated robot toys and
appliances - are now being developed to serve people directly. ... While
robots have long been used in industrial settings, safe, effective elder-care
robots are most likely several years away. Already some critics suggest
that the enthusiasm over personal androids may be overblown. But industry
players have little doubt the age of service robots is dawning. 'In 20
years, you will get one or several robots in homes, hospitals, everywhere,
entertaining (and) helping people,' says Bernard Louvat, CEO of Evolution
Robotics, a Pasadena, Calif. firm that sells both a personal robot and
software to help other firms develop robots. The idea of a mobile, thinking,
autonomous machine has long captured the human imagination. ... [Joe]
Engelberger is widely regarded as the 'father of robotics,' and at 77,
he wants to sire yet another mechanical child. He is seeking funding to
create a rolling, two-armed robot that could help older people stand up,
cook meals for them, clean their toilets and even carry on simple conversations
- effectively keeping them out of nursing homes." December 1, 2002 [issue date]: The
Robot Evolution - MIT's Rodney A. Brooks is among researchers leading
the charge to develop a smarter and more useful artificial creature. By
Jill Jusko. Industry Week. "The manufacturing industry is no stranger
to robots. Huge robot arms are commonplace in several industrial settings
-- particularly automotive -- and primarily engage in long-run, repetitive
tasks such as welding and assembly. ... Then there are the intelligent
robots of science-fiction movies and books, such as C3PO and R2D2 from
the Star Wars movies, which seem almost human in their ability to reason
and feel and interact with human beings. In his latest book, 'Flesh and
Machines: How Robots Will Change Us' (2002, Pantheon Books), Rodney A.
Brooks, director of the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, suggests that the 'science
fiction fantasy,' as he calls it, is not so far off. ... But what could
increasingly intelligent robots mean to manufacturing?" November 27, 2002: New
Rules For Old Games. By Paul Grippi. WBNG. " The day when robots
compete on the athletic field isn't too far away. On the floor of Room
115 in Rhodes Hall the world of the Jetsons gets a little closer. Robocup
is a class where students build robots and teach them to play soccer.
Project manager Rafaello D'Andrea explains, 'This is very different from
robot wars and the main reason is that these are fully autonomous. There's
nobody controlling these robots with a joystick. All the intelligence
is on-board.' ... These mechanical Pele's have a more practical future
than fun and games. It is a step forward for artificial intelligence.
Searchers used a similar system in World Trade Center rescue operations." November 24, 2002: Interview
with Joe Jones. Questions by Sander Olson. Nanomagazine. "Joe
Jones is a lead researcher for iRobot corporation. iRobot is doing groundbreaking
research on robots and robotics, and has just introduced the Roomba robot.
Roomba is specifically designed to clean floors, and can function effectively
in real-world environments. Mr. Jones has spent the past two decades working
in the field of robotics. ... 'I don’t believe that more powerful
computers will necessarily lead to more powerful robots. That is a fallacy
that most people have. They believe that robots are just like computers,
and that a bigger processor with more memory will lead to a better machine.
If that were the case, we could simply put a radio in a robot, connect
it to a supercomputer, and produce an excellent robot. But that isn’t
the case, there are certain problems that need to be solved, and the computation
is not the limiting factor. Two of the most important problems are manipulation
and vision. Adding better computers to robots won’t necessarily
solve these problems.'" November 21, 2002: Caves
of steel. The Economist. "A technological revolution is coming
to the business of mining. ... LHDs are also the subject of another high-tech
approach. In a paper in Information Sciences, Jonathan Roberts
and his colleagues at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research
Organisation (CSIRO) in Kenmore, Australia describe their experience turning
them into autonomous robots. ... Dr Roberts and his colleagues have therefore
set out to make a completely autonomous LHD [Load, Haul, Dump vehicle].
The basic principles—arcana such as reactive navigation and neural
networks—have been kicking around robotics laboratories for years,
but the CSIRO group is among the first to apply them successfully in mines.
Dynamic Automation Systems, a spin-off firm affiliated with CSIRO, now
has two autonomous LHDs running in commercial mines." November 12, 2002: Robots
on drugs. By Bill Lewis. The Tennessean. "Robots, a common sight
on automobile assembly lines for years, are appearing in growing numbers
in hospital pharmacies, including the one at Centennial Medical Center
in Nashville. Automakers have long known that robots perform many mundane
and repetitive tasks better than people. ... Hospitals, where medication
errors endanger thousands of patients nationwide every year, are learning
the same lesson. ... Called Robot-RX, the computerized system fills prescriptions
with a minimum of human involvement. And, while one study of hospitals
and skilled nursing facilities found that one in five doses of medicines
was given in error, the robot is said to be 99.97% accurate. ... Preparing
a dose of a medicine by hand costs 15 cents, on average. Robot-RX's cost
is 5 cents. ... That frees pharmacists to do more of the things they went
to graduate school for, such as interacting with nurses and doctors and
becoming more involved in patient care, [Alfred A. Del Gandio Jr.] said." November 11, 2002: Professor
excels with robotics. By Jon Gilman. The Exponent. "Shimon Nof,
a professor of industrial engineering and director of Purdue's PRISM laboratory,
was too fascinated by the precise movement of the robots to notice the
weld sparks that landed on his chest. Nof founded the PRISM lab - which
stands for Production, Robotics and Integration Software for Manufacturing
Management - in 1991 with support from government and industry. Nof first
became interested in robotics after reading Isaac Asimov's novel, 'I Robot,'
and has since devoted his life to the field. 'Asimov's perception of the
good that can be accomplished with robots was very inspirational,' Nof
said. ... Through his years of research, Nof has pioneered computer-aided
manufacturing and robotics not only for use in industry, but in education
as well." November 9, 2002: Forces
eye role for airborne drones. Like U.S. predator - 'Intelligent' craft
would mimic human brain. By Tom Blackwell. National Post. "The Canadian
Forces are looking seriously at using unmanned, remote-controlled planes
of the kind that killed several Al-Qaeda operatives recently, partly as
a way to cope with chronic shortages of troops and money. Canadian defence
researchers also want to advance the promising technology by adding a
form of artificial intelligence that mimics the human brain and could
independently spot potential targets. ... 'The whole purpose of looking
at [unmanned planes] is reducing the risk of exposure of your personnel
to dangerous situations,' said Lt.-Col. Murray Haines, with the department's
directorate of science and technology. He also acknowledged the research
program stems out of the department's need to make do with less. ... Researchers
are looking at incorporating 'biomimetic intelligence,' the science of
replicating the brain process in man-made systems. Such technology could
help make the drones not only gather the images they see below them, but
identify targets such as tanks or buildings, said Lt.-Col. Stephen Newton,
who is overseeing the research project. That means the human operators
would not have to watch hours of video or infra-red images, but could
simply confirm when the machine had identified a target, then take action,
he said. And the 'knowledge warrior' could operate several drones at the
same time." November 1, 2002: Robot
Dreams -Build Your Own R2D2. By Dave Hook. Library Journal. "Collection
Development: Building a robot involves knowledge of several fields such
as electronics, motors, wiring, computers, programming, control systems,
power systems, power transmission, mechanics, and fabricating. In creating
a robotics collection, librarians need to consider their users' skill
levels in these areas. Beginning enthusiasts may want to know where to
start and how to go about building their first robot. The more experienced
hobbyists will be more interested in where to find parts or code for programming
their controller. ... Most of the titles listed here are for beginners
and assume little previous knowledge, although there are also a few manuals
for the more advanced hobbyist." October 27, 2002: Robot
photographer debuts at the Ritz. By Sara Shipley. The Post-Dispatch.
"Meet Lewis, the world's first robotic photographer, a machine that
may take pictures better than you do. The 300-pound, trash-can-sized robot
rolls around a room, detects faces and takes photographs based on classic
composition rules. Lewis debuted Sunday night in St. Louis at a conference
sponsored by the Council for the Advancement of Science Writing. 'You
can think of it as a computer on wheels,' said Bill Smart, an assistant
professor in computer science at Washington University. He created the
robot with his wife, Cindy Grimm, a fellow assistant professor in the
department. ... Smart and Grimm didn't set out to build the perfect automated
photographer. The project was simply a good way to meld Grimm's work in
modeling and computer graphics with Smart's research in robotic navigation
and artificial intelligence." October 23, 2002: At
the Intersection of Robbie and HAL. Contrary to sci-fi portrayals
where robots rule the world, tomorrow's robots will aid in the simplification
of our daily lives. USC is leading the Southern California effort to bring
them seamlessly into society. By Gia Scafidi. USC Today. "Aiming
to bring robotics out of the lab and into society, USC has established
its first robotics research center, the largest multidisciplinary robotics
effort in Southern California. ... 'As robotic technology becomes more
and more advanced, this field will have a huge impact on society,' said
Maja Mataric«, CRES [Center for Robotics and Embedded Systems] founding
director and USC associate professor of computer science. 'Until now,
societal pressures and fear of robots in our lives have kept robotics
at bay.' ... 'The key to fitting robotics into society is gradual change,'
said Mataric«. 'Robotic devices are socially acceptable today because
they don't stand out.' ... Innovative robotics research and development
could provide us with the means to care for more disabled persons, remotely
check in on elderly parents or children home alone or even replace underpaid
and overworked factory workers, suggested Mataric«." October 19, 2002: I
love Lucy - This robot is the cleverest in the world. Her creator
claims she is smarter than a frog. Is that as good as it gets in the search
for artificial intelligence? By Jon Ronson. The Guardian. "For 50
years, scientists across the world have dedicated themselves to inventing
a robot that, like Pinocchio, will come to life. This Herculean endeavour
is known as the race to create AI - artificial intelligence. It is a Tuesday
in late September. I'm on my way to meet Lucy, who is coming to life.
Lucy, it is said, is the world's most artificially intelligent robot.
For one so brilliant, it's a surprise that Lucy does not live in Harvard
or MIT. She lives near Weston-super-Mare, on a table in a shed in a back
garden down a country lane. ... Steve [Grand] says I'm impressed with
Lucy for all the wrong reasons. She looks good. She does things. That's
the problem with the public, he says. We only want something that does
something. We don't care about the means, just the ends. ... 'You know
why people fear machines? Because they fear that if machines are like
us, then we must be machines. Well, I'll tell you - I know machines better
than a lot of people, and I'm proud to be a machine.'" October 11, 2002: Scientist
says you can be a person without being human - Sussing out a 'partner
species.' By Joseph Brean. National Post. "Watching this scene on
video in a conference hall at the University of Waterloo, Canada's top
engineering school, it is easy to believe robots are the way of the future.
It involves a far greater leap of faith to believe Anne Foerst, who is
trying to convince the audience that robots are the people of the future.
Dr. Foerst, a Lutheran minister and computer scientist who helped build
Kismet, believes it is only a matter of time before robots have souls.
... In developing a theory of personhood that includes robots, Dr. Foerst
is slowly reconciling her religious beliefs with her scientific theories,
and teasing out the religious implications of playing God with science.
She believes building robots in our image will transfer to them the gift
we received by being built in God's image. They won't be human, she says,
but they will be persons. After all, she says, 'God was not intending
to build gods.' ... Among the computer scientists and religious scholars
who came to hear Dr. Foerst's talks at the University of Waterloo, there
was a clear consensus that what sets us apart from robots is the nature
of our intelligence. Whereas today's robots run through their 'mental'
operations with brute force, the human brain is more intuitive and adept
at taking logical shortcuts. This supposed difference clouds a key similarity,
Dr. Foerst says, and this similarity is at the heart of her work. She
argues that intelligence depends on the body; the mind does not exist,
nor did it evolve, separately from the limbs and muscles it controls.
This kind of thinking puts her in a camp that broke away from the Cartesian
idea that we are minds that have bodies, and replaced it with the notion
that we are simply thinking bodies. The insight had a profound effect
on robotics." October 4, 2002: Robots
try humble path to success. By Charles J. Murray. EE Times. "Never
mind the computer or even the Cuisinart. Engineers at a handful of companies
are finally turning out machines that promise to be useful from the ground
up: smart, economically priced robots that can vacuum floors and mow lawns.
The soul of these new machines is the home appliance. They have more in
common with, say, the toaster than the PC, much less the pricey industrial
robots used in automotive and other manufacturing plants. Guided by artificial
intelligence and equipped with sensors or sonar, these products are looking
to ignite the long-awaited migration of robots into the home, where they
will serve, Jeeves-like, on demand. ... Indeed, by lowering the price
of entry for consumers, makers of the new breed of 'bots hope to launch
a market. 'Home robotics today is where the PC industry was in the 1970s,'
said Paolo Pirjanian, chief scientist for Evolution Robotics. 'We're at
the beginning of the creation of a large industry that's positioned to
grow very fast.'" October 2002: World Robotics Survey -> see some of the articles about the latest survey October 2, 2002: SPE
[Society of Petroleum Engineers] - Industry slow to adopt downhole robotics.
By Guntis Moritis. Oil & Gas Journal. "Joe Donovan, Intelligent
Inspection Corp., Houston, chronicled the oil and gas industry's slow
adoption of autonomous downhole robots in his presentation at the 2002
Society of Petroleum Engineers Annual Technical Conference & Exhibition
in San Antonio today. Currently, his company's robot, called MicroRig,
is undergoing reliability testing. He said the untethered, 30 ft long,
150 lb, 2-in. OD tractor tool will be capable of carrying various tools
downhole and working without guidance from the surface because of the
artificial intelligence built into the robot. Donovan attributed part
of the failure of a past attempt to introduce such a tool to cute naming
concepts that were foreign to the oil and gas industry. The 'Bore Rat,'
introduced in 1997 came with such terms as 'missions' instead of runs
in the hole. These terms had a negative connotation in the market, Donovan
said." October 2, 2002: A
21st-century golem. Festival revisits, updates Prague legend. By Matej
Novak. The Prague Post. "In his essay 'The Idea of the Golem,' Gershom
Scholem writes, 'Golem-making is dangerous; like all major creation it
endangers the life of the creator -- the source of danger, however, is
not the golem ... but the man himself.' Argentine Ambassador Juan Eduardo
Fleming had these words in mind when conceiving Project Golem 2002/5763,
named after the respective years in the Gregorian and Jewish calendars.
'The project's goal,' he says, 'is to rescue, revive and project the values
enshrined in golem symbolism and tradition' -- a tradition that began
in biblical times and has made its way through to the present day. 'Today's
Golem,' says Fleming, 'means artificial intelligence, robots, cloning,
the Internet, computers.' And as Scholem indicates, these are not evil
or destructive on their own but have the potential to become so based
on what man, the creator, instills in them." October 1, 2002: Man
vs. Machine - Unions Desperate to Keep Jobs as Technology Replaces Human
Labor. By Dean Reynolds. ABC News. "There is no question that
technology has made the workplace safer and more efficient. Today a robot
can do the jobs of 10 workers. Steel mills are less dangerous. Sorting
machines have made the movement of goods more efficient. New cars are
turned out in much quicker fashion -- all because of technological advances.
Organized labor understands that, but, like Cato, feels left out of the
discussion. 'We ought to have a say in [the use of technologies],' said
Ron Blackwell of the AFL-CIO. 'We ought be able to shape whether they
are going to be technologies that create jobs and help everyone.' ...
Jeremy Rifkin, of the Foundation on Economic Trends, suggests the problems
are deeper. 'We're going to have to rethink what human beings do on this
planet,' he said. 'We're so conditioned to the idea that the central worth
of a human being is to have marketable skills and to work in the marketplace.
The bottom line is that by the mid decades of the 21st century, we're
going to replace most workers with intelligent technology.' All of this
could end years of labor drudgery, of dead end jobs, and dissatisfied
workers, Rifkin said, 'but we have to rethink what a human being does
and how we can get income to him once we replace him with robotics and
technology.'" September 29, 2002: The
next revolution in household chores. Downtown Journal column by Monica
Collins. Boston Herald. "When iRobot did focus-group testing in Chicago
and the Boston area, groups of soccer moms and young parents were asked:
'Do you want a robot in your home to help with cleaning?' Initially, participants
were appalled by the idea. 'They were envisioning a little android who
would work the vacuum behind their backs,' [Helen] Greiner said. 'When
we showed them (Roomba), they had an epiphany: 'Oh my gosh, that will
save me time.' ' ... Although iRobot makes robots for the military (many
were deployed to search caves in Afghanistan), the domestic market offers
the greatest possibilities for growth. The biggest stumbling block to
robotic success might be public perception, not the reality. Potential
buyers must be convinced the bots are user-friendly. My dog must be convinced
they don't bite." September 27, 2002: Science
fiction becomes fact. icCoventry. "Science Fiction fantasy will
be brought to life at this month's TechStyle event with demonstrations
of the latest in cybernetics and artificial intelligence. ... Professor
Kevin Warwick, who is at the forefront of cutting-edge research into cybernetics,
will be at TechStyle, a brand new free event for the city, which merges
fashion and technology. He will be demonstrating and talking about his
collection of self-built robots, that learn about the world in the same
way humans do, by making mistakes and learning not to repeat them. Each
of the robots has a task to learn. One of the robots navigates its way
around a space by remembering the location of objects it bumps into another
is learning how to walk. Professor Warwick will also be talking about
his own personal experiences as a 'cyborg' ...." September 26, 2002: Our
friends electric - Your robot cleaner will be your best mate. By Peter
Rojas. The Guardian. "It's the 21st century? Where are the robots?
Long a staple of science fiction, robots have been working in manufacturing
for decades but, save for a few luxury models, have made little impact
in the home. That's all about to change, with the introduction last week
of the first mass-market robot designed to help around the house - the
Roomba Intelligent FloorVac, a home vacuum cleaner that doesn't cost much
more than a regular vacuum cleaner. ... The Roomba marks the moment when
robots finally enter our lives as useful tools. It's likely to prove as
portentous as the introduction of the personal computer more than 20 years
ago, and will affect our lives just as profoundly. As there has been little
discussion about the impact on our emotional lives of surrounding ourselves
with autonomous, intelligent robots, we are not prepared for what will
happen when we open our homes to robots." September 23, 2002: Human-Free
Kick At Robocup 2002 - humanoids battle it out in soccer. By Dennis
Normile. Scientific American Explore. "'The goal of RoboCup is to
develop a team of robots that can beat the human World Cup champions by
2050,' says Hiroaki Kitano, a Sony artificial-intelligence specialist
who is also president of the RoboCup Federation. The notion of robots
taking on Brazil would be laughable if roboticists around the world were
not so enthusiastically answering the call. Kitano and his collaborators
started RoboCup in 1997 with hopes that a grand challenge would spur advances
in robotics and artificial intelligence. The first year only a couple
dozen groups competed with wheeled robots and simulations... This year
there were almost 200 teams. ... More significantly, humanoid robots took
to the RoboCup pitch for the first time. ... The wheeled robots, which
donÕt have to fritter precious computational power on balancing, can react
in real time to moving balls. For pure efficiency, there would seem to
be little reason to walk. So why bother with legs? That has been a perennial
robotics question. 'In the early 1980s there was a big debate in the U.S.
over whether robots should look like humans or not,' explains Christopher
G. Atkeson, a roboticist at Carnegie Mellon University. ... In Japan,
opting for legs or wheels has long depended simply on the application." September 23, 2002 (issue date): Next Frontiers
> Careers & Technology > Hot Tech Careers > A
Solution to Flight Risk: The military gives a starring role to unmanned
aircraft. By Kevin Peraino. Newsweek.MSNBC. "It's hard to imagine
that there are hot jobs in aerospace and aviation, considering the financial
woes of the airlines. But research on all types of unmanned aerial vehicles
(UAVs) - from reconnaissance drones that fly at 65,000 feet to low-flying,
fully armed fighters - is one of the industry's bright spots. Consulting
firm Frost &Sullivan estimates that the U.S. military market for UAVs
will reach almost $1 billion by 2007, up 25 percent from today. Boosters
say drones could also be used for homeland security, guarding oil and
natural-gas pipelines, for example. [Dennis] Gvillo's project made its
first test flight in May. The 26-foot tailless craft will be programmed
to perform its mission autonomously." September 23, 2002: Company
Makes Robot Vacuum Cleaner. By Larry Blasko. Associated Press / available
from The Herald-Sun. "She's named Roomba, and is manufactured by
iRobot Corporation, just outside of Boston in Somerville, Mass. Like any
case of infatuation, this one makes you throw out objectivity, but it's
safe to say she's unlike any vacuum cleaner I've ever met. For one thing,
Roomba is a robot with smarts, billed by her manufacturer as a 'Intelligent
FloorVac.' ... Roomba is able to move effortlessly from bare floor to
throw rug and back to floor or onto carpeting. If she gets stuck when
confronting a throw rug head on, she's smart enough to switch to an angular
approach. ... Those who, for any physical reason, find it hard to handle
a standard vacuum cleaner should check it out, as well as those of us
who will vacuum the floors every five weeks, whether they need it or not.
All kidding aside, this is an affordable application of artificial intelligence
to an everyday task, and just another addition to the wonders that were
pure science fiction not too long ago." September 22, 2002: 'Danger,
Will Robinson! Dust Bunnies!' By Wayne Rash. The Washington Post (Page
H07). "Home robots that do actual work have been dreams for decades,
while the few actual robots to be sold for use in homes have been simply
toys -- fun, but not much help. But the Roomba, from Somerville, Mass.-based
iRobot Corp. (www.irobot.com), actually works. This flat, round device
is no R2-D2; it does only one job, sweeping and vacuuming floors unattended.
But it does that job effectively and without requiring any special training
-- and it costs just $200. The Roomba's parent company comes with good
credentials: Those robots you saw on television searching for survivors
in the ruins of the World Trade Center were made by iRobot. The Roomba
is derived from models the company built to clear minefields; it uses
their search algorithms to find dust bunnies instead of explosives."
September 18, 2002: Somerville
firm thinks robot will really clean up. By Hiawatha Bray. The Boston
Globe. "Somerville-based iRobot Corp. has sent its robots into the
caves of Afghanistan and across the sands of Egypt. Now comes the hard
part - getting past the front door of the American home. ... [Colin] Angle
is hoping that the company's latest product, Roomba, an automated floor
cleaner, may fit that bill. Roomba is a six-pound battery-powered disk
with just enough intelligence to scour the dust and dirt from carpets
and bare floors. A user can turn it on and leave, according to the company,
and Roomba will find its way around the room using a combination of infrared
sensors and sophisticated navigation software embedded in its tiny brain."
September 6, 2002: Robotics:
Awakening an industry - Attacks created emphasis on defense. By Christopher
Davis. Pittsburgh Business Times. "'Definitely, 9/11 has really given
us reason to mobilize as a community,' said Ronnie Bryant, president of
the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance, a 10-county economic development group
that formed the Center for Defense Robotics and has orchestrated the region's
Future Combat efforts. 'These activities are the results of responding
to the tragedy.' ... The program focuses on developing new unmanned vehicles
and weapons enhanced with artificial intelligence that will give the Army
more lethal and tactical capabilities, often without endangering troops.
'I think the situation in Afghanistan really highlighted the need for
unmanned vehicles,' Mr. Bryant said. With the federal government expected
to spend $34 billion on Future Combat Systems, in addition to the billions
that will be spent on homeland security measures, the market for defense-related
robotics products is rapidly expanding, Mr. Bryant said." September 1, 2002: Robots
Revolution: The arrival of robots at General Motors Corp. in 1961
brought the promise of flexible automation. Today's advances in research
offer robots the chance to reach their full industrial potential. By John
Teresko. Industry Week. "About 800,000 robots populate global manufacturing
with almost half working in Japan. About 121,000 industrial robots work
in the U.S., says Donald A. Vincent, executive vice president, Robotic
Industries Association, Ann Arbor, Mich. ... The new fundamental is intelligence-robotic
technology converging with a wide variety of complementary technologies,
says senior analyst Dick Slansky, ARC Advisory Group, Dedham, Mass. He
cites machine vision, force sensing (touch), speech recognition and advanced
mechanics. The result: exciting new levels of functionality for areas
never before considered practical for robots, adds Slansky." August 30, 2002: Robots/
Mechanical Life. NPR Talk of the Nation: Science
Friday With Ira Flatow. "This week, an automated convenience
store opened in Washington. This robo-mart dispenses snacks, toiletries,
and even DVDs. From housekeeping to the battlefield to your neighborhood
convenience store, researchers are creating robots to live with us and
work for us. In this hour, we'll look at how robots may change our lives.
Plus, early attempts to create mechanical life." Guests: Rodney Brooks
& Gaby Wood. You can listen to the radio broadcast by clicking here. August 8, 2002: Charmed
by Six Feet of Circuitry. By Curtis Gillespie. The New York Times
(no-fee reg. req'd). "When scientists from around the world gathered
from July 28 to Aug. 1 in Edmonton, Grace was the highlight for most of
them, the pole star to which they naturally gravitated. When she made
her way through the lobby to the registration desk, a large pod of onlookers
trailed in her wake. She had been well hyped by conference organizers,
and she did not disappoint. ... To get Grace to perform all the tasks
took the combined efforts of five educational and research institutions.
Carnegie Mellon handled the overall hardware and software architecture,
the Naval Research Lab designed the speech recognition software, Northwestern
University built the software that enabled Grace to deliver the PowerPoint
presentation, Swarthmore College built the pattern-recognition software
for finding and reading signs, and Metrica, an automation and robotics
company, designed the gesture interpretation system. (Grace was built
to interpret both speech and gesture patterns, in what the scientists
called 'mixed-initiative interactions.')" August 2002 issue: Future
Tech - Faking Intelligence. A sociable robot doesn't have to be smartÑit
just has to fool us into believing it is. By Eric Smalley. Discover (Vol.
23 No. 8). "Not long ago, computer scientists aspired to create silicon
brains that could mimic the workings of the human mind. Doc Beardsley
doesn't nearly meet those criteria, but his clever mix of animatronics,
theater, speech recognition, and storytelling is remarkably effective
at making visitors feel as if they are dealing with a conscious being.
Long before anyone develops true artificial intelligence, pseudo-smart
robots may be taking orders in restaurants, helping handicapped people
perform daily chores, baby-sitting kids, and keeping us from boredom and
loneliness. Todd Camill, a research engineer at Carnegie Mellon's Robotics
Institute, says robots endowed with this sort of synthetic intelligence
could soon make their public debut as animatronic characters in theme
parks and museums. ... Compared with her colleagues at Carnegie Mellon,
[Cynthia] Breazeal is focused less on near-term applications than on fundamentals
of robotic behavior: how to make machines behave realistically in social
situations and evoke normal human responses during activities such as
leading a discussion or reading to a group of children.... A joint Carnegie
Mellon-University of Pittsburgh team is developing Nursebot, a personable
machine to aid the elderly. Someday the line between fake and genuine
intelligence may begin to blur for real." July 31, 2002: Robots
strutted their stuff in World Trade Center search. By Allan Chambers.
Edmonton Journal. "Like dogs before them, robots used at the World
Trade Center last Sept. 11 have proved they belong on search and rescue
teams, specialist Robin Murphy said Tuesday. In fact, robots went where
the dogs couldn't go because the animals' paws were sliced by the rubble
at ground zero, they sprained their ankles, and rain reduced their ability
to smell, Murphy said. The dozen robots used at the trade centre didn't
work perfectly, either. They screwed up in numerous ways, and so did their
operators, Murphy told a packed session of scientists at an artificial
intelligence conference at the Shaw Conference Centre. But in their first
test in an urban disaster zone, they proved they can go where human and
canine rescuers can't, and gather information to find victims. Their future
role, she predicted, will be greater as robot technology improves." July 1, 2002 issue: Tin
Men - Japanese engineers are creating a race of obedient machines for
the masses. By Charles S. Lee. Time Asia Magazine. (Vol. 159, No.
25). "Since 1986, Honda researchers have been trying to build a robot
that could balance and walk naturally like a human. With ASIMO (short
for Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility), mission accomplished. Now they
are moving on to the next epochal challenge: creating a generation of
humanoid machines that boast the kind of butlering skills of classic science
fiction robots. 'Imagine a machine that's as versatile as a human but
that works 24 hours a day and does all the household chores,' gushes Hirose.
'You can't really attach a price tag to what it offers.'" June 29, 2002: The
robots are coming - Within five years, the boundary between humans
and artificial creatures will begin to blur. By David Stonehouse. Vancouver
Sun. "Now, however, advances in artificial intelligence and the galloping
speed at which computer power is becoming simultaneously faster and cheaper
are helping to make it happen. The United Nations Economic Commission
for Europe is predicting something close to an invasion of domestic robots.
In statistics released last year, it forecasted that there will be as
many as 290,000 household 'bots purchased around the world by 2003 --
nearly 10 times the number found in homes in 1999." June 21, 2002: Is
there a robot in your future? By Siva Kasinathan ["a student
this past year in the Manhattan Middle School system"]. The Manhattan
Mercury [Kansas]. "The media depicts robots as capable of humanoid
characteristics, but today's race of robots possess only one humanoid
characteristic, the flexibility of the human arm. In fact, 90 percent
of today's robots are employed in industry and over half of these robots
are employed in the automotive industry. They are very effective in industry
because they produce products with speed and quality. ÊÊRobots also play
a major role in modern warfare. ... Robot technology is helping humanity
branch off into the future. It is the steppingstone for artificial intelligence,
nanorobotics and cybernetics. Artificial intelligence, or AI, is a very
new frontier that will allow robots to think. AI will permit robots to
perform tasks such as exploring planets without human directions and keep
themselves out of trouble. ... Most schools in Manhattan have joined the
KSU Robot League." June 20, 2002: 'Thinking'
robot in escape bid. By Dave Higgens. The Age / also
available from Independent News. "Scientists running a pioneering
experiment with 'living robots' which think for themselves today said
they were amazed to find one escaping from the centre where it 'lives'.
... [Noel] Sharkey said: 'Since the experiment went live in March they
have all learned a significant amount and are becoming more intelligent
by the day but the fact that it had ability to navigate itself out of
the building and along the concrete floor to the gates has surprised us
all.'" June 19, 2002: Robots
Face Off on Soccer Pitch. By Yuri Kageyama. The Associated Press /
available from The Moscow Times (page 8). "As the World Cup has arrived
in Japan with all its feverish frenzy, RoboCup 2002 is expected to draw
193 robot teams from 30 countries to a stadium in Fukuoka city. A rare
pop-cultural outlet for science, RoboCup brings together the dreams of
researchers from around the world to spread the word about robotics --
a technology that-s crucial for less sporty uses such as disaster rescue,
space exploration and nuclear plant cleanup. ... Among the other ideas
being bounced around are robots that can adjust their own programming
to learn and grow. Kazuo Yoshida, professor of system design engineering
at Keio University, believes the future lies in building robots that understand
good and evil, even possess a sense of purpose. ... Peter Nordin, associate
professor in complex systems at Chalmers University of Technology in Gotenborg,
Sweden, says humanoids like those he is bringing to RoboCup will become
household companions in a decade, probably at prices cheaper than a car.
Research shows people tend to be threatened by robots and prefer short
ones, Nordin said." June 1, 2002: Designed
for life. Duncan Graham-Rowe interviews Rodney Brooks. New Scientist.
Among the questions posed are: Some critics might accuse you of getting
religious when you talk about this mystical 'stuff' out there; Will these
robots still be driven by conventional computing; Can we have these machines
without creating a new slave trade; and, AI and robotics have a long history
of military funding. Are you worried about what happens to your research? May 30, 2002: Robots
Find a Muse Other Than Mayhem. By David F. Gallagher. The New York
Times (no-fee reg. req'd). "Television
shows in which homemade robots battle each other to the death have been
major hits. But Douglas Irving Repetto, an artist who teaches at the Columbia
University Computer Music Center, wants people to know that robots can
do more than just wreak mechanical mayhem. 'There seemed to be so much
attention to that kind of thing,' Mr. Repetto said. Robots have a creative
side, and to help them flaunt it he organized a robot talent show. 'ArtBots,'
held at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn on Saturday, featured 10 robot-centric
projects by artists, engineers and tinkerers and attracted hundreds of
spectators. ... 'We're no longer the artists -- we're the attendants,'
said Eva Sutton, a New York-based artist and programmer... The show also
left the definition of 'robot' wide open." May 21, 2002:
Games Machines Play. Broadcast premier of Scientific American Frontiers
special on PBS. "Two years ago, Alan Alda and the FRONTIERS team
attended RoboCup 1999, a competition among computer scientists the world
over and their teams of soccer-playing robots. ... Fast forward to RoboCup
2001 and the level of play is decidedly more advanced. ... Competing in
another category, teams of soccer-playing robotic dogs have also made
incredible progress since their debut in 1999. The dogs (who, unlike the
wheeled robots, function independently of each other as well as their
human programmers) are now faster and better able to pass and shoot with
precision." - from the synopsis
of Segment 1: World Cup for Robots.
May 12, 2002: Robots
poised for pivotal role in landmine clearance. By Hisatoshi Kabata.
The Asahi Shimbun. "Computerized helpmates shaped like bugs or snakes
may accelerate the demining process by decades. Mention robotics to most
people and what likely springs to mind is a toy dog or other electronic
'pet.' But robotics technologies are also being put to far more serious
use, and through some of their applications, such as clearing landmines,
they stand to save numerous lives. ... Many nations estimate it would
take from several decades to several centuries to unearth all their mines
manually. To increase both the efficiency and the safety of such life-threatening
work, Japanese robotics engineers are developing a variety of machines.
One such machine is the COMET3 ... developed by a team including Chiba
University professor Kenzo Nonami. The COMET3, which is the size of a
subcompact, is powered by a gasoline engine and can maneuver itself. It
has two antennas, one of which has a metal detector installed on its tip
and the other of which features a marking device. The robot moves along
on its six legs with its antennas moving from side to side and marks with
paint locations where metal is detected." May 2, 2002: The
Future of Warfare - Unmanned Robots? By Alex Belida. VOA. "Captain
David Olivier of the Navy's Submarine Warfare Division said unlike UAV
[unmanned aerial vehicle] designers, the UUV [undersea unmanned vehicle]
team faced special challenges. 'Because of the medium that we're working
in, undersea, you don't have continuous communications because we really
don't have a way of having long-range, underwater communications with
the vehicle and so what we have to do is invest in what we call intelligent
autonomy so the vehicle itself can make decisions and process information
and then take it back to the host submarine. So we will not be, it's not
like anybody on the submarine will have a joystick and be controlling
this UUV,' he said. ... Both men say the field of unmanned devices is
an exciting one, especially since it holds the promise of saving human
lives by letting machines do dull, dirty or dangerous missions into high-threat
environments." May 2002: The
New Mobile Infantry - Battle-ready robots are rolling out of the research
lab and into harm's way. By Michael Behar. Wired (10.05). "According
to [Lieutenant Colonel John] Blitch, no single tactical robot meets all
five imperatives yet. But he has seen a steady evolution. 'First you had
radio control,' he says, 'where there was a full view of the vehicle at
all times, and you dictated its every move.' Next came tele-assisted bots,
which are still guided by a human but can venture out of sight because
they employ video, audio, and other sensory feedback. Tele-operated units
can maneuver independently, asking questions only when they are confused.
The final step, says Blitch, is complete autonomy, meaning that the robot
will carry out a mission according to a set of predefined parameters,
without step-by-step human guidance. ... The biggest challenge between,
say, the PackBot and complete autonomy is software. It's easy enough to
add another sensor; it's much harder for the robot to know how to interpret
the data that sensor collects and how to integrate it with other incoming
data. ... 'A robot is not a weapon,' he says, after a moment or two. 'It
can save someone from a sniper's bullet or be used to clear land mines
all over the world.' That's not to say that he doesn't wake up at night
with visions of Terminator 2 replaying in his mind. 'Creating machines
to fight wars might indeed create more war ... even robot wars,' he says.
'And I don't want to go down in history as the father of weaponized robots.'
In fact, he may go down in history as the first soldier to put tactical
mobile robots to the test. In mid-January, four months after his unauthorized,
post-retirement mission at the World Trade Center, Blitch was called back
into active duty - with orders to assemble a team of robots for the mission."
May 2, 2002: Faux
friends. By Sean Nicholls. The Sydney Morning Herald. "The [MIT
Artificial Intelligence] Lab's director, Rodney Brooks, says they're working
on a new version of Kismet, code named K4, which is 'mechanically more
advanced'. Programming is under way now. Both 'bots are at the forefront
of an area of artificial intelligence (AI) research that's focused on
developing a method for natural human-robot interaction. It's the kind
of research that could push us towards Sony's dream of a companion robot
in most homes, expressed almost two years ago by Toshitada Doi, president
of Sony Digital Creatures Laboratory. 'Ten years from now, I believe most
households will keep two or three personal robots and their performance
will increase 100 times,' Toshitada said. 'My expectation is that these
robots will be able to talk naturally with humans, say about the latest
gossip.' ... In trying to create these kinds of robots, scientists are
getting a lot of ideas from the way humans, and our near relatives, monkeys
and chimps, operate." April 14, 2002: 'Flesh
and Machines.: The Future of Robotics. A book review by Dick Teresi.
The New York Times (no-fee reg. req'd). "[Rodney A.] Brooks doesn't
paint a bright line between conscious and unconscious, but implies a continuum
of conscious behavior from nuts and bolts to humans, just as we infer
increasing consciousness from lobsters (O.K. to throw in boiling water)
to dogs (non-boilable companions) to chimps (almost human). When the chess-playing
computer Deep Blue beat Garry Kasparov, he said it played as if it 'had
a plan.' But Deep Blue was qualitatively no different from chess computers
of the 1960's; it was just much faster. Brooks predicts that we will soon
see an explosion of humanoid robots (first, probably, as house servants)
and that we will award them human rights." April 3, 2002: Robots
Make the Rounds To Ease Hospitals' Costs - VA Experience May Herald
New Uses for 'Droids.' By Susan Okie. Washington Post. "Stationary
robots and those that roll along tracks or wires are used in many industries,
but independently mobile robots that interact with human co-workers or
the general public are still relatively uncommon. Yet 'service robots,'
designed to perform mundane jobs such as delivering drugs, food trays
and laboratory specimens, are increasingly being employed in hospitals,
which must operate 24 hours a day and face severe labor shortages and
high costs for personnel. ... 'Oh, the robot. I'm so used to him now,'
said James Tulsky, a doctor on the hospital staff. 'We all treat him like
a co-worker, like somebody with a personality. He talks to you, he walks
around you.'" March 29, 2002: Showing
Off the Future of Artificial Intelligence - New robots on display
include device that shows human emotions, using artificial muscles and
silicon skin -- and that's not all. By Kuriko Miyake. PC World. "'Pay
attention to what robotics engineers at universities are doing,' said
Kazuo Hirai, an executive managing director of Honda Motor and a developer
of its humanoid Asimo robot. 'What they are doing now is sowing the seeds
for the future robot market.' Those seeds are on display this week at
the Robodex 2002 exhibition, which opened on Thursday and continues until
Sunday in Yokohama, Japan. ... In addition to making interaction with
robots more human, other researchers are looking at adding artificial
intelligence to their creations. Engineers at Professor Shigeki Sugano's
laboratory at Waseda University are trying to give their Wamoeba robot
a sense of values and the ability to determine for itself how to react
towards given situations, said Yuki Suga, a student at Waseda University.
... At one of Chiba University's laboratory, researchers led by Professor
Kenzo Nonami are developing a six-legged robot which works as a land-mine
detector. ... Advances in robot technology aren't just being led by large
organizations and research labs. ... [A] Japanese university student spent
just $75 and six months to develop a radio-controlled robot that can walk
on two legs." March 24, 2002: Korea
to Host Robot Soccer Finals. By Kim Deok-hyun. Korea Times. "More
than 110 robot soccer teams from 23 countries will compete in an upcoming
robot soccer tournament, an organizer with the Korea Robot Soccer Association
(KRSA) said yesterday. ... The event is designed to offer an opportunity
to test the results of research on the software aspects of artificial
intelligence and robotics, by demonstrating a high-level of competence
for specific tasks such as shooting and intercepting." March 19, 2002: Honda
says it will sell household robots within 9 years. By Kae Inoue. Bloomberg
News / available from the Detroit News. "The robots will be able
to perform domestic duties, and Honda plans to make them 'affordably priced,'
said Masato Hirose, the senior chief engineer in charge of Honda's humanoid
robot development. ... The robot's possible future uses include looking
after disabled people and the elderly, rescue work and deployment in hazardous
construction sites, the company has said." March 7, 2002: Robots
in history - Imitation of life. The Economist. "Machines that
imitate life, or automata, became popular as expensive playthings during
the 18th century. From glorified clocks they quickly evolved into a procession
of mechanical dancers, birds and musical figurines of increasing complexity.
... The men who made them, as Gaby Wood relates in 'Living Dolls', were
driven by the desire to play God. ... Ms Wood expertly highlights the
many parallels and connections between all of these tales. She ends with
a visit to a modern Japanese robotics laboratory...." February 28, 2002: Designers Take Robots Out of Human Hands. By Anne Eisenberg. The New York Times (no fee reg. req'd). "Researchers are working to create just such independent robots, endowing them with enough intelligence and versatility to be, in the jargon of the field, autonomous -- able to work out complex problems by computer without help from their creators. A robotic helicopter so endowed would be smart enough to spot a suitable place to land and then do so without any remotely controlled help; a terrestrial robot designed to travel on its own could change its shape from tanklike to snakelike when it needed to be narrow enough to enter a cave. Robots of this caliber | |||