Posted on 12/22/2005 3:09:15 AM PST by Neville72
Robot Demonstrates Self Awareness By Tracy Staedter, Discovery News
Dec. 21, 2005— A new robot can recognize the difference between a mirror image of itself and another robot that looks just like it.
This so-called mirror image cognition is based on artificial nerve cell groups built into the robot's computer brain that give it the ability to recognize itself and acknowledge others.
The ground-breaking technology could eventually lead to robots able to express emotions.
Under development by Junichi Takeno and a team of researchers at Meiji University in Japan, the robot represents a big step toward developing self-aware robots and in understanding and modeling human self-consciousness.
"In humans, consciousness is basically a state in which the behavior of the self and another is understood," said Takeno.
More Tech Stories Sensor Listens to Cells for Cancer -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Space Tractor Could Tow Asteroids -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hi Tech Wraps Senses Into Kitchens Humans learn behavior during cognition and conversely learn to think while behaving, said Takeno.
To mimic this dynamic, a robot needs a common area in its neural network that is able to process information on both cognition and behavior.
Takeno and his colleagues built the robot with blue, red or green LEDs connected to artificial neurons in the region that light up when different information is being processed, based on the robot's behavior.
"The innovative part is the independent nodes in the hierarchical levels that can be linked and activated," said Thomas Bock of the Technical University of Munich in Germany.
For example, two red diodes illuminate when the robot is performing behavior it considers its own, two green bulbs light up when the robot acknowledges behavior being performed by the other.
One blue LED flashes when the robot is both recognizing behavior in another robot and imitating it.
Imitation, said Takeno, is an act that requires both seeing a behavior in another and instantly transferring it to oneself and is the best evidence of consciousness.
In one experiment, a robot representing the "self" was paired with an identical robot representing the "other."
When the self robot moved forward, stopped or backed up, the other robot did the same. The pattern of neurons firing and the subsequent flashes of blue light indicated that the self robot understood that the other robot was imitating its behavior.
In another experiment, the researchers placed the self robot in front of a mirror.
In this case, the self robot and the reflection (something it could interpret as another robot) moved forward and back at the same time. Although the blue lights fired, they did so less frequently than in other experiments.
In fact, 70 percent of the time, the robot understood that the mirror image was itself. Takeno's goal is to reach 100 percent in the coming year.
Funny stuff!
The intellect is non-material, so it will be a long time (as in forever) before a simple, non-material substance can be replaced by a machine.
Machines can mimic human functions, but "artificial intelligence" is a contradiction in terms.
Would ... you ... like ... to ... play ... a ... game?
"I, for one, welcome our new robot overlords."
Exactly. I could install an LED to a board with a camera mounted on it and write code to recognize a mirror image. What they need is a robot that monitors the fridge and when it's out of beer it jumps in the car, driver to the store and buys more. Once they can to that I'd say they were on their way to having something profound.
Image reconition is 'old' technology. These buffons hype up nothing so as to get more funding.
soon the robots will demand the right to vote.....
Ok, in 100,000 years robots will be digging in the ground for human remains and saying that robots evolved from humans. Humans of course will all be gone the way of the DoDo bird! Sounds like a lot of the old science fiction books are becoming reality!
How..about....Thermonuclear War?
"............What are you doing Dave?................."
What a misleading headline, it sounded like they had something that passed the Turing test.
As it did for spaceflight, aircraft, computers, geosynchronous satellites and a host of others.
That Sci-Fi may be first in Robotics fails to be surprising at all.
I just hope they have figured out how to hard-wire Asimov's Three Laws.
1. Robots must never harm human beings or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. 2. Robots must follow instructions from humans without violating rule 1. 3. Robots must protect themselves without violating the other rules.
;)
I hope it liked itself.
lol; it won't be long and our new robot friends will be demanding benefits. "Robot bigotry, racism" A whole new class for the ACLU to protect.
" it sounded like they had something that passed the Turing test"
No, according to Ray Kurzweil, that'll happen between 2025 and 2030.
If you haven't read it yet, pick up Kurzweil's "The Singularity is Near". It's chock full of mindboggling implications.
Ping to self
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.