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Monkey's Thoughts Make Robot Walk

Posted by samzenpus on from the surrender-now dept.

geekbits writes "For all those who have at one time or another been too lazy to get up off the couch and go to the fridge and get a beer, heat up some pizza, or change the channel when the remote is missing, we may be one step closer to being able to keep our tushes parked just a little while longer. There may also be some slightly more noble implications here. According to an article in The New York Times, in an experiment at Duke University, a 12-pound, 32-inch monkey made a 200-pound, 5-foot humanoid robot walk on a treadmill using only her brain activity. She was in North Carolina, and the robot was in Japan."

12 of 146 comments (clear)

  1. The control was great... by FalconZero · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...but the feedback was lousy.

    Monkey : Move Foot Forward
    600ms later...
    Robot : OK....Oh no, I'm falling over, quick move the other foot
    600ms later...
    Monkey : Move Other Foot Forward
    600ms later...
    Robot : I can't do that dave, I've fallen over

    Although I assume in actuallity they left most of the balance control to the robot end of things; either that or the Monkey was psychic.
    (Or more likely they've got a nice low-latency academic link)

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  2. Reminds me of the usual... by JazzyMusicMan · · Score: 1, Funny

    In Soviet Russia, monkey control you!

  3. yet another... by youthoftoday · · Score: 2, Funny

    http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/01/14/science/0115-sci-ROBOTa_large.jpg

    Tell me that graphic didn't come from The Onion.

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    -1 not first post
  4. Re:monkey business by Macrosoft0 · · Score: 3, Funny

    So, what is the monkey really doing? I doubt if he is even thinking "left, right, left, right" because even that would be hard to coordinate with so much lag. actually, he was most likely thinking "up up down down left right left right B A select start"
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    stuff
  5. In the year 5555 by xirtap · · Score: 3, Funny

    Your arms are hanging limp at your sides, your legs got nothing to do. Some machine, doing that for you.

  6. Re:monkey business by TimeTraveler1884 · · Score: 4, Funny

    why is the robot in north Carolina and the monkey in Japan?
    First of all, the robot was in Japan and the monkey in North Carolina. Because as everyone knows, Japan is the only country with an abundant supply of giant robots.
  7. Don't put your robot under control of a monkey! by Oktober+Sunset · · Score: 4, Funny

    I want my robot to do my house work and fetch me beer and food, not hang from the light fitting and throw faeces at me.

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    What if Tetris was invented by Nazis?
  8. Re:It would be interesting to know how they mapped by kcbanner · · Score: 1, Funny

    Ah, a mind-diff. Thanks for the info :)

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  9. Re:It would be interesting to know how they mapped by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    So you mean they need to get a woman to do this then? Can you just see a man doing it?

    Step 1: Take reading "thinking of nothing" (in reality thinking of banging female researcher)
    Step 2: Take reading "thinking of walking" (thinking of banging female researcher on treadmill)
    Step 3: Lose funding when you can't explain why the robot keeps doing, ahem - what it is doing

  10. Yes, but... by HtR · · Score: 3, Funny

    Sounds like a good concept, but I don't understand how to get a monkey on the other side of the world to think about getting me my beer and pizza?

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    Have you tried turning it off and on again?
  11. Robot Monkey... by Landshark17 · · Score: 2, Funny

    *Yawn* Robot Monkey overlords... something about welcoming... you know the drill. I don't feel like writing it all out.

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    This sig is false.
  12. Re:monkey business by unbug · · Score: 3, Funny

    One, why is the robot in north Carolina and the monkey in Japan? Ah, a new joke. I'll have a go. They prefer intelligent design in Carolina and evolution in Japan?