Toyota Partner Robot

[JJRAKMAN]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFFgWPthO1Y

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IV13hszlAv8




Robots we've seen so far...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99KHzQ5zbUQ

[Metryq]

The humanoid robots are impressive. Something as "simple" as standing or walking is taken for granted, until some engineer sits down and tries to replicate it.

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_wsPcKrILrMM/TRuOKrMuBaI/AAAAAAAAAM8/6dTJIslrRtk/s800/putting-on-the-ritz.jpg

Perhaps we'll have humanoid robots as sleek and elegant as the NS-5s seen in I, Robot by the date in the movie (2035), but how long before they're as versatile -- sentient or not? Humanoid robots make sense, since our whole world has been engineered to suit us. However, most robots may continue to be "Bauhaus" -- designed for functionality -- like the snakebots that can climb poles and weasel through small openings, or Boston Dynamics' BigDog able to climb and leap over rough terrain.

[JohnG7]

Our most common interface with AI today is the automated voice response units you have to talk to when you call a large corporation. And for some reason I really hate having to talk to them, speak within their limited range of commands, enunciate loudly, format what should be a human behavior to suit a machine's take on it. With touch-tone commands, I feel like I'm giving the orders; with voice responses, I feel like I'm performing for "a hunk of tin."

When they have practical humanoid robots, and make mine a fembot, I hope the vocal interface is much improved.

[Metryq]

When they have practical humanoid robots, and make mine a fembot, I hope the vocal interface is much improved.

The first Helen O'Loy off the assembly line is yours. There are some third-party voices available to supplement the handful that are included with Mac OS X. (I'm not sure if Windows talks right out of the box?) There are still a few "edges" in the sound, but it's getting better. And the Yamaha Vocaloid can sing.

[JohnG7]

There are still a few "edges" in the sound, but it's getting better. And the Yamaha Vocaloid can sing.

That reminds me of the classic ST VOYAGER scene where the Doctor taught Seven of Nine to sing "You are My Sunshine."

Here's an interesting piece on the current state of AI:

http://www.wired.com/magazine/2010/12/ff_ai_essay_airevolution/

[Metryq]

From the Wired article:


Google has been developing and testing cars that drive themselves with only minimal human involvement

And the car will take you to the most popular places, not where you want to go -- a positive feedback loop that will end up with all the world's cars in one place. The Wolfram Alpha autopilot will tell you the phase of the moon and the weather at your destination.


As the process is repeated, the evolved programs become amazingly effective, often comparable to the output of the most experienced coders... AI is so crucial to some systems—like the financial infrastructure—that getting rid of it would be a lot harder than simply disconnecting HAL 9000’s modules.

That sounds like James P. Hogan's The Two Faces of Tomorrow, the first AI story I read where a machine did something "violent" out of ignorance, rather than the conclusion that humanity is evil and needs to be supervised (The Colossus Trilogy, The Day The Earth Stood Still) or wiped out (The Terminator, Battlestar Galactica).

For those interested in the Hogan story, I was surprised to learn a few Christmases ago that there is a graphic novel version illustrated by Yukinobu Hoshino and published by Dark Horse Manga.