Scientists Try To Make Robots More Human

mikesd81 writes "The Associated Press has an article about a robot named George that plays hide-and-seek. Impressively, the robot can actually also find a place to hide, and then hunt for its human playmate. Scientists are calling this 'a new level of human interaction'. The machine must take cues from people and behave accordingly. Researchers aim to imply humanity in robotics by creating technology that can connect with humans in a more 'thoughtful' way. The places to first see this technology are in the most human-oriented fields — those that require special care in dealing with the elderly, young and disabled." From the article: "'Robots in the human environment, to me that's the final frontier,' said Cynthia Breazeal, robotic life group director at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 'The human environment is as complex as it gets; it pushes the envelope.' Robotics is moving from software and gears operating remotely - Mars, the bottom of the ocean or assembly lines - to finally working with, beside and even on people. 'Robots have to understand people as people,' Breazeal said. 'Right now, the average robot understands people like a chair: It's something to go around.'"

Comments

We need different scientists...

[__aaclcg7560]

Why can't robots being more feminine?

Re:We need different scientists...

[TitusC3v5]

That model is already on the market, actually...they're called wives.

Re:We need different scientists...

[Tablizer]

Why can't robots being more feminine?

Even regular men can't figure out women. What makes you think a bunch of geeks in labcoats who never date can?

Re:We need different scientists...

[BoberFett]

They're OK, but have you figured out how to disable the nag screen?

Ask yourself

[saikou]

Do we really want "hunting robots"? :)
100% success rate in hide and seek today -- 100% kill rate tomorrow!

Robots will kill you :)

Re:Ask yourself

[IgLou]

I know! Fighting off the inevitable robot revolution would be so much easier if they don't know how to hide. In fact, they should announce their presence at regular intervals!

Unit 6: "It is time to open fire on the human infidels."
Unit 7: "Wait first we must turn on our transponders."
Unit 6: "But won't that make it easier for them to target us"
Unit 7: "Illogical, we must follow our programming!"
Unit 6: "No, really this sounds a bit suicidal..."
Sound of much robot destruction.

Huh?

[jazman_777]

The places to first see this technology are in the most human-oriented fields those that require special care in dealing with the elderly, young and disabled."

Yup, instead of having humans take care of people, we need robots to do it "with a human touch." How much dehumanized can we get? ( A _lot_ more, I know.)

Re:Huh?

[dcam]

Actually I know someone who was looking into this exact issue a while ago.

The question was whether robots should be used in aged care. This was for Japan, which is a world leader in robots. She went to a conference with a whole lot of techies (she was, I think, a psychologist), basically asking the question whether they should do this. This is a particular issue in Japan where respect for elders a and parents is a major issue. She was a little shocked to find that the question wasn't actually being addressed. People were more concerned about whether it could be done than whether it should be done.

Unfortuantely she has gone to Afghanistan with her husband for a while, so I think she has stopped working on this.

Re:Huh?

[Thomas Shaddack]

People were more concerned about whether it could be done than whether it should be done.

There is the issue of the changing demographics. With increasing number of elderly and decreasing number of work-capable population, finding a quality caregiver will become increasingly difficult and expensive. The question therefore stays not if it should be done, but if we can afford it to NOT be done.

Caregiving is a difficult job, and burn-out is easier to handle when it happens to a robot than to a nurse. Besides, there's the issue of emotional attachment to robots, which was already demonstrated in the case of elderly getting their own Aibo robodogs in some experiment I don't exactly remember (but I think it was in Japan).

Why waste valuable time and money?

[Karganeth]

Come on. How useful is this thing ever going to be? The idea of making robots more human is ridiculous. Why? Because robots will never be better than humans at being human. And it's not as though there is any shortage of humans, there's over 6 billion of us. Why create inferior copies of ourselves? How about making robots do something USEFUL that humans have a hard time doing? Then I might just applaud their work.

Re:Why waste valuable time and money?

[x1n933k]

I would disagree. Customer service here in North America is on a huge decline (base on my own experience, not a study). Why pay someone min wage plus a commission who is going to look like they hate me and the world when I can skip the fake,'Oh hey, how are you today. Did you find what you were looking for' in a department store when I can just use a screen. When I want a human experience, I dont look or want it while buying clothes. Food, maybe--but you get the idea.

Not so say it isn't up lifting when you have good people doing good work. There just isn't enough of them out them.

[J]

Robots That Track Us Down?

[DevelopersDevelopers]

Robots that track us down? Well, at least the world's scientists have been smart enough to not attach machine guns to their heads and make them enjoy the taste of human flesh
 
...
 
Oh, damnit...

Finally the right way arround

[ilotgov]

Finally after trying for more than a century to make humans more robot like we seem to do it the right way around.

Taibos and old people.

[88NoSoup4U88]

I once seen a (dutch) documentary in which researchers handed over some Aibo-dogs to elderly people:

Whereas I thought they would immedeately reject it (scary technology and such) I was amazed that not only did they accept it, they also embraced it because of its multiple functions an 'ordinary' pet couldn't offer.
For one, it didn't need any care that one, once forgetting starts to be a daily part of life, tends to forget (hell, some even forget feeding themselves once dementia has been set in).
Also, whereas normal pets could be too exhausting, the Aibo with its 'react-to-impulses-from-the-owner'-mechanism, was much easier to comprehend and adjust to.
It was endearing to see how some of them used the doggy to attract other people's attention in the elderly home, who normally they would have shyed away from talking too; But once the curiousity broke the formality-barrier, they would be socialising very quickly with them. I was amazed how some of them really started treating them as real pets (calling it names, talking to it as if it really understood them), and were shattered when, at the end of the research, they were taken away from them.

I really -do- think there is an opportunity here, where we could start some more research in this area as to start to make the last stages of life more enjoyable for the less fortunate... Hell, we should be donating Wii's to kids -and- elderly homes ;).

Search and destroy...

[ABoerma]

"You still don't get it, do you? He'll find her. That's what he does. That's all he does! You can't stop him. He'll wade through you, reach down her throat, and pull her fucking heart out."

- Kyle Reese in 'Terminator'

hide and seek??

[Danzigism]

TAG!! YOU'RE DEAD!!