Team Aims To Build Robot Toddler In Nine Months

Zothecula writes "If robots are going to be part of our everyday lives, they'll need to fit into our homes rather than the factory floor. Few people would be comfortable living with a metal spider on tank treads, so the University of Zurich's Artificial Intelligence Laboratory is building a robot toddler called 'Roboy.' Using 'soft robotics' technology that mimics the human body, the 1.2 meter (3 ft, 11 in) tall humanoid robot is part of an effort to make robots that people are more comfortable with in day-to-day situations."

Comments

9 Months? No way.

[ashshy]

Give me nine female robotic engineers -- I need that baby in a month!

Re:9 Months? No way.

[Anonymous Coward]

Don't forget the robot diapers! That oil discharge has to go somewhere.

toddler?

[C0R1D4N]

Or a Robbit?

Re:toddler?

[Jeremiah Cornelius]

Now the homos won't need to hire bitches to get babies.

Failing

[HaZardman27]

That thing looks far more terrifying than a metal spider on tank treads.

Re:Failing

[Anonymous Coward]

And, according to their diagrams, it's connected to Facebook. Why don't they just pack it full of C4 and have it continuously say "remote detonators are your friends"?

Re:Failing

[rubycodez]

but you can punt it! that's way better than some intimidating 6 foot android

Re:Failing

[flaming error]

If they want it to fit in, they'll need to focus on the drug-addled freak market.

For me, I'll take the treads, topped by a miniature refrigerator w/ice dispenser, small bookshelf, gaming console, and a dispenser of toilet paper

Re:Failing

[GameboyRMH]

What's so wrong with a metal spider on tank treads anyway? If anyone doesn't want a tachikoma I'll gladly take it off their hands.

Robot invaders

[WaffleMonster]

Making robots that look like humans do not make people more comfortable... It freaks them out.

Re:Robot invaders

[Anonymous Coward]

"Sir, the Uncanny Valley isn't deep enough!"
"Then start digging!"

Re:Robot invaders

[AwesomeMcgee]

Seriously, where did these guys get this idea in their head? Do they honestly believe what they're saying or are they just fooling with people saying these things with the eventual goal of really screwing with people when they actually create the thing. I mean, if I could do it, I would too, just to mess with people. But I would have no allusions that it would be beneficial in the least towards the ends they're talking about.

Re:Robot invaders

[icebike]

Agreed, this has to be aimed at the toy market, or the self centered parent market looking for a playmate for their real child, or to substitute for that real child they haven't got time to actually have.

Childless couples are already unable to distinguish their dogs from children. This will go further to enhance that psychosis.

Re:Robot invaders

[marcosdumay]

This robot is standing very firmly in the first positive section.

Have you looked at it?

Re:Robot invaders

[AwesomeMcgee]

As someone with one child who wishes he could have another, that whole "My dog is my child" thing effing creeps me out. Seriously, that is jacked. Perhaps you're right, the type of folks who are emotionally lost enough to attribute their dog as their child would also be happy to attribute it to a robot... Though for the rest of us, the uncanny valley is a trainwreck.

Re:Robot invaders

[Nethead]

But most dogs don't live long enough to need collage tuition. They may be on to something there.

Re:Robot invaders

[Hentes]

Exactly, if they want to make robots that people feel comfortable about, they should make ones that are actually useful. I haven't heard about anybody freaking out because of a roomba or a robot lawnmower.

More what?

[TheCarp]

In what way excactly do we need to become MORE comfortable with machines than we are now?

Has driving a car, warming food in a microwave, and allowing a roomba to vacuume my floors not enough? None of these make me uncomfortable, despite their lack of human interface. Why should other forms of purpose built machines, or even general purpose, suddenly need to be humanoid?

Don't get me wrong, its cool research, and it could yield some interesting results but... as something required to make us more comfortable with machines? Nah, not unless you mean having sex with machines or something.... even that we already have people quite comfortable with some rather non-human form mimicing products.

Re:More what?

[KevReedUK]

...unless you mean having sex with machines or something....

In which case, the suggestion of modelling robots on toddlers is even more discomforting!

Re:More what?

[aicrules]

there are a lot of people who will continue to react towards technology in general with a skeptical and very negative attitude. There are still people today who think a microwave is scary. However, as the devices become more prevalent, and as more of them assume more autonomous capabilities, each new generation will be less and less likely to hold prejudice against robotic humanoids. Prejudice as has been explored in such science fictional characters as Data and iRobot also helps society understand that potential before it actually happens. There are likely still numbers of people in the billions who would be extremely uncomfortable, many to the point of violent action, with the creation of a very human-like artificial lifeform that for many purposes replaces a human.

Re:More what?

[icebike]

Prejudice as has been explored in such science fictional characters...

Prejudice is a odd choice of words, and suggests you've already equated (non-existent) robots with humans in your mind.

That is exactly what sane people fear. That tech-enthusiast will decide that robots are people too. Laws will be passed. And when a human no longer serves any purpose to anyone else, they will be "decommissioned" and "parts-ed out".

Once you decide machines are the same as you, you've disavowed your own human-ness, and accepted the fact that you are just another purpose built device which no intrinsic or unique value.

I guess if that's how you feel, the best that humanity could do to preserve the human race is to parts you out before you replicate.

Re:More what?

[marcosdumay]

I'd say you have the wrong fear here. At the moment our robots can even conceive "decomissioning" people, we'd have already lost. If people accept they as equals or not won't change a thing.

But then, yes, those people that think about robots the same way they think about live beings disturb me too... And there are lots of people that are able to program a computer, but won't see why it's different from an animal.

Re:More what?

[icebike]

In general, I agree, but robots don't have to "conceive" of decommissioning people in order to be dangerous.

The default state in robots is that they have no concept of saving human life. You virtually never see humans working near robots in industry, its just too dangerous.

So we have the opposite of "conception" as the default, and nobody seems to worry about mandating safety of life as the starting point, or even recognizing it as a need, except when reading science fiction, where is is merely hand-waved into existence. Industrial systems today rely on humans shutting off the robots when there is a need to approach them, not the other way around.

The military is actually ahead of industry in this regard. The US Defense department is worried that autonomous weapons might be developed with no human decisions in the loop, and has preemptively banned such.

Re:More what?

[bmo]

>The default state in robots is that they have no concept of saving human life. You virtually never see humans working near robots [hyperwrite.com] in industry, its just too dangerous.

Bullshit.

Not everything is an industrial welding cell.

People use robots all the time, but we don't call them robots. We call them CNC machine tools, which is just semantics. They are as robotic as anything colloquially called a "robot." Turret presses are robots too. Nearly every industrial tool is a robot these days, That's not to say that there aren't interlocks and guards, but we don't give machinery the wide berth that you imply. You just have to keep hands out of the work envelope and this is typically done with light curtains.

In the old days of using single stage manually operated punch presses, before my time, there would be literally leashes on one's wrists that took your hands out the of the work envelope once the switch was pressed. Indeed, I will certainly say that today's robotics are a lot safer than the cam-driven stuff of yester-year. In the old days, light curtains were science fiction, and you couldn't just instantly halt a machine tool like you can today.

But not only that, I saw a program last week about a Frito Lay plant (I believe it was in KC), and the warehouse floor was full of robotic pallet transports mingling among humans (that did surprise me)

If everything needed a "This shall not hurt humans" directive, we wouldn't even have automobiles or even bicycles.

--
BMO

Re:More what?

[bmo]

Edit:

done with light curtains

Or doors.

--
BMO

Re:More what?

[icebike]

You just have to keep hands out of the work envelope

there would be literally leashes on one's wrists that took your hands out the of the work envelope

Thanks for proving my point.

I reiterate: Industrial systems today rely on humans shutting off the robots when there is a need to approach them, not the other way around.

Re:More what?

[bmo]

Nice way to totally ignore the context.

Bye.

--
BMO

Re:More what?

[10101001 10101001]

One can grasp one's hand tighter, to more securely hold one's own rights that are so dear. Or one can extend one's hand out and security the rights of others to yet again reaffirm that their rights and yours are real and not merely nice sounding words spoken by those who would readily ignore them in fear or convenience.

The true essence of what has changed humanity today is recognizing how many people are actually human and deserving of many rights and protections that some would otherwise take for granted and hence others would be empowered to abuse. Fearfully pulling back at recognizing what constitutes a human or a "person" over some vague belief that tech-enthusiasts are heartless monsters, I don't think, is the right answer in the long-term.

PS - This of course assumes humans ever manage to produce AI and consciousness of a sort. If it does happen, I think we're so far from it that it won't occur in centuries anyways. So, yea, today it makes sense to see robots for what they are, a bunch of pre-programmed mechanical parts. But in the far future? Who knows.

Re:More what?

[TheCarp]

> Once you decide machines are the same as you, you've disavowed your own human-ness, and
> accepted the fact that you are just another purpose built device which no intrinsic or unique value.

Is this what happened when we accepted dark skinned people as the same as us? Or women?

How does recognizing the value and individuality of one, negate those in another?

We cartainly have a long way to go, I don't think we are even near the point where we have to start discussing exactly at what point a machine stops being your property and begins being its own entity with its own individual rights.

thus far the main place this comes up is the abortion debate, which has mostly been decided, for convinence sake, by heart beat. However, at some point, we are going to have to generalize these ideas to beings without hearts or gestation periods.

Uncanny Valley

[Anonymous Coward]

If the point is to make people more comfortable, I think they may have forgotten the uncanny valley effect.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncanny_valley

Honestly.. would you rather have a robot that looks like a robot, or a robot that looks like a CREEPY pseudo-child?

4 foot tall toddler?

[danlip]

that's scary in and of itself

Re:4 foot tall toddler?

[SternisheFan]

I am NOT going to change that thing!

Clank

[Esion Modnar]

Where's Ratchet? And will there be an option for a heli-lifter or jetpack?

Sounds Simple

[paleo2002]

This sounds like a reasonable goal. If my upstairs neighbors' kid is any indication, all this toddler-bot needs to be able to do is stomp around, slam into walls, and scream at random intervals.

Re:Sounds Simple

[jellomizer]

Don't forget about playing with that spring door stopper in 10-15 minute intervals. When I use to live in apartment, I was home sick with a pounding headache, and I was tortured with Rumble Rumble Rumble from my right ear to my left back to my right. Then a Sproing ratatatata...Sproing ratatatata...Sproing ratatatata...

Re:Sounds Simple

[vlm]

stomp around, slam into walls, and scream at random intervals.

Freshmen + alcohol = (see above, plus lots of vomiting)

19 yr olds pay good money for that experience. This may be a viable market niche.

Re:Sounds Simple

[bmo]

It doesn't have to be a toddler..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aTagDSnclk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lxddnv0L1uA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gL3vo6Weva4

Those are just a few....

--
BMO

Re:Sounds Simple

[GameboyRMH]

Adults agree:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHBZERkrAwQ

If you like door springs you'll really like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kgwnxqic74

Headline in 4 years....

[Sparticus789]

The world's first baby robot has chosen it's name: Skynet.

Uncanny Valley

[dcollins]

This thing's going right into the Uncanny Valley for me. What an awful and ridiculous idea... yeah, because everyone was terrified of their Roomba.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncanny_valley

47 inches, really?

[blp]

The average 2-year-old is about 34 inches tall, plus or minus 3 inches or so. This will be the world's tallest toddler.

Re:hmm

[vlm]

maybe a spider is scary so make it a friendly octopus or something...

Bonus... if the company fails in industrial apps, its tentacle movies FTW

I admit I'm not "most people"

[Cro Magnon]

but I think I'd be more comfortable with the metal spider on treads.

Spider on rank tracks?!

[mikewilsonuk]

WTF does a spider on tank tracks look like? I suspect it would be less creepy than a robot toddler.

Re:Spider on rank tracks?!

[GameboyRMH]

Specifically the ones shown in the episode "Poker Face" where the entire last leg section was a tank tread (vs most tachikomas which use wheels on the end of the legs).

Humanoid Robots Make People More Comfortable?

[msheekhah]

someone hasn't read their Asimov.

That's cute

[Anonymous Coward]

It looks like a Terminator Mini-Me.

Easy now...

[Impy the Impiuos Imp]

> Team Aims To Build Robot Toddler...building a robot toddler
> called 'Roboy.' Using 'soft robotics' technology that mimics
> the human body, the 1.2 meter (3 ft, 11 in) tall humanoid robot
> is part of an effort to make robots that people are more
> comfortable with in day-to-day situations.

I'm going to guess one of it's first uses will be a situation that people are less comfortable with.

What could possibly go right?

[russotto]

I see two ways this could go wrong (assuming it works at all) -- the toddler robot could fall into the uncanny valley and cause revulsion. Or, it could mimic a toddler well enough to cause the normal reactions people have to toddlers not their own -- annoyance, irritation, revulsion, anger, etc.

Re:What could possibly go right?

[Jason Levine]

Or, it could mimic a toddler well enough to cause the normal reactions people have to toddlers not their own -- annoyance, irritation, revulsion, anger, etc.

Maybe it's just the dad in me, but after having kids my reaction to other peoples' toddler is "how cute", "awwww", or (if they are misbehaving) an understanding nod and "boy, have I been there!"

Why a Toddler?

[lobiusmoop]

Don't understand this part - there should be no more effort involved to scale the size up really. The world has been moulded around the adult body, this robot would have the same amount of hassle in it as somebody suffering from dwarfism.

They should take a cue from film animators

[poity]

make it like Wall-E. with expressive hands.

Re:Twiggy! Bede bede bede bede bede...

[SternisheFan]

Twiggy! Bede bede bede bede bede...

I do believe you're thinking of TWKE-4, AKA Twiki.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twiki

The real Twiggy looks much nicer... http://www.google.com/search?q=twiggy&hl=en&safe=off&tbo=d&site=webhp&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=49DhUP60MpLD0AGrqYGIDw&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAA&biw=1067&bih=529

I think this summery misses the point

[wisnoskij]

Robots only get creepy when they look like us. No one finds an auto vacuum freaky or uncomfortable to live with. But if it looked like a toddler and went around saying "Hello, Dave", it would be very freaky and uncomfortable.

It's a strange choice.

[westlake]

I think a familiar - abstracted - animal form - aka a pet -- would be a better idea. The human toddler is physically awkward and vulnerable. It needs constant attention. That is not the image you want to project with a household robot.

The clockwork pet has been a staple of science fiction and fantasy for generations.

"Bleeker, The Rechargeable Dog," for example, is a web comic that went into global print circulation through KIng Features, along with Beetle Bailey and a hundred or so other strips that have been around since the dawn of time.

The technical problems are much easier to solve, and there are no cultural or psychological barriers to acceptance.

Re:It's a strange choice.

[marcosdumay]

I guess they are trying to get a confortable shape for a robot with arms. That would exclude most animal forms, except for human, spider, crab or octopus-like ones. Base on our reaction to the actual animals that hold those forms, human-like is the most likely to succeed.

I think the best bet is a completely artificial shape.

Bad SF Movie?

[Fnord666]

He looks more like a cross between something from "Leprechaun" and "Hardware".

It's already panhandling.

[Animats]

"We're building a robot. Send money.".

Contributing doesn't mean you get a robot. They're only building one, not gearing up for production. There are currently at least 13 humanoid robots available for sale. The NAO NextGen is roughly comparable to what the Zurich group is proposing. They've sold about 2000 robots.

This seems to be all about building a powered skeleton. There's no indication that they have any new ideas on how to control the thing. Tendon-driven systems are less popular than they used to be; except for robot hands, the trend is towards using small motors and getting rid of the strings and pulleys.

It's a Swiss project. I expect beautiful engineering of small parts. But if they're not going to manufacture many copies, it's wasted effort.

I'd prefer non human robots.

[__aasdno7518]

I'd rather them look like aliens or animals than humans myself.

Isn't it bad enough that ...

[rnturn]

... there are predictions that robots will take most peoples' job in the not-to-distant future? Now they want to take little Johnny's job as well?

Robot 'toddlers'?

[fustakrakich]

Better not let it see your porn collection, or you'll be brought up on charges.

Chucky

[Kergan]

Yeah, it would be more fun if they shrunk it further and called it Chucky

Re:Twiggy! Bede bede bede bede bede...

[fritsd]

The real Bede looks much meaner.. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Nuremberg_Chronicle_Venerable_Bede.jpg, though I'm sure he could comment on the Bible like no one's business..

Lord of Entropy

[fritsd]

A few days ago, the Daily Slashdot Quote said "Toddlers are the stormtroopers of the Lord of Entropy".

(I totally agree with that quote BTW)
Can anyone say where that quote was from and whether robotic toddlers are the stormtroopers of the Robot Lord of Entropy, too?? Inquiring minds want to know...

Need a new plan

[slew]

As a parent of a 2 year old human todder, I question how common toddler features like periodic temper tantrums when things don't work out as expected will somehow be the golden sauce that "make robots that people are more comfortable with in day-to-day situations."

Perhaps they should be trying to just build "small" people rather than toddlers ;^)

Nine months? How about now?

[greg_barton]

See Hanson Robokind.

Oh no!

[MBGMorden]

I swear some of their prototypes look like the Geth:

http://images.gizmag.com/gallery_lrg/roboy-34.jpg

Why?

[Greyfox]

Why do I look at that and feel compelled to mount a chain gun on it? *sigh* I'm a bad person...

Easier way

[Shoten]

Just have two people with Asperger's have unprotected sex...make sure one of them is a woman...

Re:Easier way

[cellocgw]

Just have two people with Asperger's have unprotected sex...make sure one of them is a woman...

You may have missed Biology 101, but you better make sure one of them is *not* a woman as well.

Terminator Baby

[ArcadeMan]

Terminator Baby

And in 14 years ...

[PPH]

... you'll have a robot teenager.

Whats with this obession with humanoid robots?

[Jarwulf]

We should never forget that robots should be designed to help people...not replace them.