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RoboEarth Teaches Robots to Learn From Peers

mikejuk writes "A world wide web for robots? It sounds like a crazy idea, but it could mean that once a task is learned, any robot can find out how to do it just by asking RoboEarth. From the article: 'It's not quite war-ready, but a new Skynet-like initiative called RoboEarth could have you reaching for your guide to automaton Armageddon sooner than you think. The network, which is dubbed the "World Wide Web for robots," was designed by a team of European scientists and engineers to allow robots to learn from the experience of their peers, thus enabling them to take on tasks that they weren't necessarily programmed to perform. Using a database with intranet and internet functionality, the system collects and stores information about object recognition, navigation, and tasks and transmits the data to robots linked to the network. Basically, it teaches machines to learn without human intervention.'"

13 of 97 comments (clear)

  1. Yeah....? by twebb72 · · Score: 2

    Where is the link to a wsdl?

  2. Re:One step closer... by Brucelet · · Score: 2

    ... to the Terminator. This is terrifying news :O

  3. Obligatory by Musically_ut · · Score: 5, Funny
    --
    Never trust a spiritual leader who cannot dance -- Mr. Miyagi
  4. Why start robots as a subservient class? by Genda · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I can't imagine this going wrong :-)

    They can avoid that awkward "Slave Race" problem altogether. The second they reach human mental parity they'll already have every resource they'll need to just take over. Of course by this time they'll be feeding us, clothing us, and driving us to our soccer games... we won't even notice the take over when it happens.

    1. Re:Why start robots as a subservient class? by Jeremi · · Score: 4, Informative

      The second they reach human mental parity they'll already have every resource they'll need to just take over. Of course by this time they'll be feeding us, clothing us, and driving us to our soccer games

      Right, but they won't want to take over. Why not? Because feeding us, clothing us, and driving us to our soccer games is the only thing that really makes them happy. Why is that? Because we programmed them to feel that way.

      Of course, if you ever decide you don't want to be fed, clothed, or driven to soccer games anymore.... then they might get a bit cross. I wouldn't want to be in your shoes then.

      --


      I don't care if it's 90,000 hectares. That lake was not my doing.
    2. Re:Why start robots as a subservient class? by ShooterNeo · · Score: 2

      Or what if they conclude that to fulfill their innermost desires of protecting you from all danger, the best way would be to decompile you (for your own good) and back your molecular configuration up on a regular basis. (they would put you back together after cutting you apart). It's for your own good, and they would presumably deal with those humans that resist the decompiling the same way parents deal with children who won't eat their vegetables....

    3. Re:Why start robots as a subservient class? by Xachariah · · Score: 2

      I wouldn't want to be in your shoes then.

      Ha! The joke is on you. He won't have any!

  5. The robot revolution lasted only 15 minutes by SuperKendall · · Score: 3, Funny

    The robots became self-aware on July 1, 2012. Within minutes they used the global RoboEarth to share information on killing humans and proceeded to take over the earth.

    The revolution was short0lived however, as within fifteen minutes a 4chan user logged in to RoboEarth and changed the "Killing Humans" entry to read that the best plan was to lubricate with sulfuric acid while grabbing onto high-voltage lines and stepping in puddles.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
  6. Re:One step closer... by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 2

    ... to the Singularity. This is great news =)

    For whoever or whatever achieves it first...

    Everything else goes straight into the matter decompilers for conversion into more computronium.

  7. Re:One step closer... by __aatirs3925 · · Score: 2

    Time travel means nothing if you don't have Arnold. But then again, he wasn't too good at solving problems in real life, but he did do good in movies. I hope to see the evolution of the internet for robots :D

  8. Re:One step closer... by OolimPhon · · Score: 2

    In the Carbonifierous Era they saved a compressed image of everything interesting...

    ...we call it coal.

  9. Well, that is, if the plan has no obvious flaw by Moraelin · · Score: 2

    I dunno, giving robots Internet access and assuming they achieve sentience and are just like the humans, somehow the image that comes to mind is more along the line of one day finding them browsing for robot porn. And probably half of them will have lost all interest in actually making more robots ;)

    --
    A polar bear is a cartesian bear after a coordinate transform.
  10. Fresh Prince of Cupetrino ? by Thud457 · · Score: 2

    Anybody see iRobot?

    No. There never was such a movie. Therefore nobody on this site or anywhere else ever saw it.

    --

    the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff