With the complexity of modern AI systems, they sometimes come up with solutions we don’t expect … when we least expect it. Here’s a great video example of this; an AIBO robot is presented with a problem that seems to have only one possible solution. Can you figure out more than one? The AIBO can.
As brilliant as many successful AI & robotics developers are, robots often lack aesthetic value. A recent robot debut revealed such a hideous design that I felt compelled to write up a summary of the world’s ugliest robots. So in short, this post has nothing to do with the brilliant technologies behind some of these robots — just their pretty (or not) little faces.
Ladies and gentlemen, I’m officially announcing a new titleholder of ‘Happiest Robot in the World‘ (formerly held by Plen)! Now here’s a dancing can of Coke done right, to say the least! Keepon is a little, yellow-but-snowman-like robot that dances to music and reacts to sights and sounds. The idea might sound stale, but I gurantee Keepon will make you smile. Seriously, if he doesn’t make you smile I’m tempted to think you’re dead inside!
As most of us know, and shouldn’t come as a surprise to those who don’t, the military has a fervent eye on applications of AI in wars. While most modern military robots are remote controlled by humans, there are around 4,000 robots currently in Iraq, and governments don’t intend to stop at that. The goal is full autonomy, and we’re getting there. A recent article on increased autonomy of war machines mentions a few real life examples of current semi-autonomy, such as the use of the Predator unmanned aerial vehicle, and DARPA’s intentions to explore systems that make life-and-death decisions on their own.
This video is making it’s rounds on the web; UFOs flying over Haiti, made to appear like an amateur camera recording. The UFOs look really fantastic in both their design and the superb realism, achieved through sound/lighting effects and out-of-focus sequences. There are some speculations in the YouTube comments that it was made with Vue6. Continue Reading to see the video.
I finally gave the Doctor Who series a go. It was mainly the fantastic title song to thank that I did. I’ve had it on a CD for ages and have found myself humming it regularly. I don’t usually enjoy sci-fi with that much a fantasy element and assumed the same would go for the good Doctor — but I was delightfully surprised with the series! You’ve gotta love the Daleks. Not to mention the Doctor’s wacky personality. The video below particularly cracks me up, a scene from the second season.
Crysis is a new war-type game which must certainly be one of the flagships of modern state-of-the-art tech in the gaming industry. I came across this three part video recorded at E3 and just couldn’t tare myself from the screen until I’d watched all three parts. Crabs & swarms of fish habit the photo-realistic oceans and react to your presence, as well as dry land animals like chickens who behave incredibly realistically (the blurred shapes in the corners of the thumbnail are the player’s hands, reaching to pick up the chicken).
This viral video is making the rounds on the blogosphere. For anyone familiar with Second Life — the online 3D virtual world — it’s bound to leave you giggling like a schoolgirl. The video shows real life people behaving like your average SL avatar, bouncing around and into things, accompanied by the appropriate sound effects.
What’s cheaper than a miniaturized, flying insect-like robot controlled by artificial intelligence? A miniaturized computer chip embedded as a control device in a natural organism. One of DARPAs projects involves injecting a chip into a Moth during the larva stage, the larva effectively adapting to the chip as part of its body. Once the moth hatches, machine learning is used to control it — to translate the signals and responses from the moth’s organic body — and effectively making it a mechorganic hybrid spy device; a cyborg moth.
Get Think Artificial posts delivered via RSS, or get e-mail updates by navigating the links below
Think Artificial is a proud member of the 9rules blog community.
