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A.I. and Robotics Take Another Wobbly Step Forward

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the where-is-my-robotic-bartender dept.

CWmike writes to tell us that artificial intelligence and robotics have made another wobbly step forward with the most recent robot from Stanford. "Stair" is one of a new breed of robot that is trying to integrate learning, vision, navigation, manipulation, planning, reasoning, speech, and natural language processing. "It also marks a transition of AI from narrow, carefully defined domains to real-world situations in which systems learn to deal with complex data and adapt to uncertainty. AI has more or less followed the 'hype cycle' popularized by Gartner Inc.: Technologies perk along in the shadows for a few years, then burst on the scene in a blaze of hype. Then they fall into disrepute when they fail to deliver on extravagant promises, until they eventually rise to a level of solid accomplishment and acceptance."

11 of 102 comments (clear)

  1. New Algorithm ? by daveime · · Score: 2, Funny

    Bearing in mind that this new robot is called STAIR, does that mean it is using gradient descent algorithms ?

    1. Re:New Algorithm ? by Chris+Burke · · Score: 5, Funny

      Bearing in mind that this new robot is called STAIR, does that mean it is using gradient descent algorithms ?

      Naw, it means that in a fit of irony, they named it after the one thing it couldn't handle.

      --

      The enemies of Democracy are
  2. Obligatory film reference.... by GPLDAN · · Score: 3, Funny

    From the article: "Because these small [software] agents don't have a complete representation of the world, they are uncertain about their actions. So they learn to understand the probabilities of various things happening, they learn the preferences [of users] and costs of outcomes and, perhaps most important, they becoming self-aware."


    I sure as hell hope they left out the lip-reading module.

  3. Surprised it hasn't been said yet by philspear · · Score: 2, Funny

    I for one welcome our new learning, seeing, navigating, manipulating, planning, reasoning, speaking, and natural language processing Stair overlords.

    1. Re:Surprised it hasn't been said yet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      We will fight the Stair overlords on the beaches, we will fight them in the streets, we will never, never surrender... Wait, what's that you say? A completely human-like pleasure model that comes in a 20 year old Raquel Welch version will be available.

      Never mind.

  4. Re:People perception by sleeponthemic · · Score: 3, Funny

    The generals population of AI is the Data, or Terminator. Some how superior to us humans who will not make mistakes.

    Clever use of first sentence to invalidate second :-)

    --
    I record my sleeptalking
  5. Re:GNAA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    Barack? Is that you?

    -- Michelle

  6. Yeah, but.. by karlwilson · · Score: 4, Funny

    If you squeeze its chest, does it slap you? If not, they'll just have to take this one back to the drawing board. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3l6buDfU9AY

  7. Re:Yay! by MRe_nl · · Score: 4, Funny

    And we could call the offspring of STAIR and MASTER...
    the enslavement machine!

    --
    "Kill 'em all and let Root sort 'em out"
  8. OK. I'll say it by PPH · · Score: 4, Funny

    Real Daleks don't climb stairs; they level the building.

    --
    Have gnu, will travel.
  9. Re:solid accomplishment and acceptance? by FiloEleven · · Score: 2, Funny

    Seriously. We've been doing this HTML thing for what, 20 years now</a>? And still we can't accomplish the proper use of the closing tag. ;)

    --
    Your brain is not a computer.