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Robots Test Their Own World Wide Web

An anonymous reader writes "A new system called RoboEarth is currently being tested at Eindhoven University which will enable robots to complete tasks by sharing knowledge through a cloud based world-wide-web. The current study is based in a hospital setting where robots are sharing information to complete tasks like moving around by sharing a map of the room and serving drinks to 'patients'. The aim of the system is that robots and humans will be able to upload information to a cloud based database which can be accessed and used by robots. This will enable robots to share information and also to learn from each other. It will also allow robots to react to changes within their environment without having to be reprogrammed."

64 comments

  1. Borg or Skynet? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That is the question.

    1. Re:Borg or Skynet? by icebike · · Score: 2

      Seems we just can't help our selves, we are building skynet piece by piece, each project ignoring the others, nobody building in firewalls or airgaps or kill switches, because their piece of the puzzle couldn't possibly do any of those science fiction things. Don't worry they are all simple machines. Just serving drinks to patients in hospitals. No, that mechanical hand couldn't possibly hold a weapon. Nobody is building autonomous robot soldiers, tha'ts just plain silly. You watch too much TV.

      Nothing to to see here, move along now.

       

      --
      Sig Battery depleted. Reverting to safe mode.
    2. Re:Borg or Skynet? by FatdogHaiku · · Score: 2

      Oh come on! How do you miss
      SkyBorg!

      --
      You have the right to remain sentient. If you give up the right to remain sentient, you will be elected to public office
  2. Name by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Let me guess since it is wireless most likely they will name it Skynet...

    1. Re:Name by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Wrong, they'll name it Twitter, limit interaction to 140 characters a pop, which will help keep the 'I' in A.I. to a minimum.

  3. Skynet is coming by sriduttvnayak · · Score: 2

    t+1 year: There will be a startup lets call it "NetBots" by Eindhoven Univ. t+2 year: There will be slashdot post - "NetBots bought by Google for x.y bln $" t+3 year: There will be one more slashdot post "Google looking to intgerate Boston Dynamics ideas with NetBots" . . . t+t' year: Terminator - The reality - Psst... It ain't a movie at your nearest screen...

    1. Re:Skynet is coming by kamikazekenjistagg16 · · Score: 1

      It's only a matter of time until this becomes developed for the military. The future is clear to us. Skynet is coming. Judgement Day is inevitable.

    2. Re:Skynet is coming by Biosci777 · · Score: 2

      Well I for one welcome our robot overlords.

    3. Re:Skynet is coming by mcgrew · · Score: 0

      You fellows need to do one of two things: either learn how computers work and learn what sentience is, and/or see a mental health professional because you guys are showing signs of a disease someone I knew a few decades ago Had, schizophrenia (there are different forms of that disease). Chuck had me convinced that he was a fighter pilot in VietNam until I found out he was a lot younger than he looked, and was only 13 when the war ended. His form of schizophrenia was thinking what he saw on TV and the movies was his real life.

    4. Re:Skynet is coming by roc97007 · · Score: 1

      > His form of schizophrenia was thinking what he saw on TV and the movies was his real life.

      ...which appears to be a really common affliction in this day and age.

      --
      Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
  4. This just in, robots use data by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm not exactly sure why this is special. Cloud data has been used by robots for a while. A lot of apis are on the cloud and have been regularly integrated into robots.

    Here's a quick example,
    http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-build-a-raspberry-pi-twitter-bot/

    1. Re:This just in, robots use data by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They won't just "use" this data, they will be able to place it in cloud for others to use. Also, it seems that system will allow more advanced robots to propagate updates to others.

  5. In later generations this will be known as... by Deaths+Proxy · · Score: 0

    Skynet.

  6. How do I spam their Internet with ads? by nixkuroi · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Maybe if they can find a way to eradicate spam, they'll share the source.

    1. Re:How do I spam their Internet with ads? by Antonovich · · Score: 1

      There are only two ways to eradicate "spam" and both entail giving the robots guns and a licence to kill all members of all digital marketing departments. Spam is almost as nebulous a concept as "intelligence", or even "artificial" in AI (if we create a clone +1 manual gene change of a human, then will that be "artificial intelligence"?). What is spam for some is highly desired news/offers for others.

    2. Re:How do I spam their Internet with ads? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Robotic impressions have been the new black in the ad business for some time.

  7. cloud based world-wide-web? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Am I getting old or does that make no sense?

    1. Re:cloud based world-wide-web? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It makes perfect sense. Just like ATM machine.

    2. Re:cloud based world-wide-web? by hene · · Score: 1

      Am I getting old or does that make no sense?

      It makes perfect sense, shared common data. Why keep one independent lausy dataset, when you can make one large good one together. Is this not whats open source is all about?

    3. Re:cloud based world-wide-web? by Digital+Vomit · · Score: 2

      Yawn. Wake me when they put that cloud-based world-wide-web on the internet.

      --
      Modern copyright is theft of culture from everyone and it retards the progress of the useful arts and sciences.
    4. Re:cloud based world-wide-web? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Next thing you know... this cloud-based world-wide-web internet will be on computers!

  8. Robots Test Their Own World Wide Web by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I wonder what type of robot porn they`ll put on their robot internet

    1. Re:Robots Test Their Own World Wide Web by c0lo · · Score: 3, Funny

      I wonder what type of robot porn they`ll put on their robot internet

      Until they get there, they'll need their own "A.I. Gore" to "invent their own internet properly".

      --
      Questions raise, answers kill. Raise questions to stay alive.
    2. Re:Robots Test Their Own World Wide Web by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I wonder what type of robot porn they`ll put on their robot internet

      Well if the robot internet is anything like the human internet, robots will need to put on robot condoms before watching their robot porn or else they might get a computer virus.

  9. needs one minor tweak by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Maybe make it localised to increase performance.
    Make it able to get the data from the very environment itself.
    Call this new system a "sensor" (after we copyright this as "on a computer").

    This has got to be the biggest creating a problem to fit the "cloud" solution example I have ever seen.
    Can't even be bothered to log in for this.

  10. cloud based world wide web by Nyder · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Wow, you know the article is full of shit when you come across "cloud based world wide web".

    So let me guess. The robots have their own server where they can share info. So the cloud because a database on a server and the world wide web is actually just a database where they share info.

    Guess the buzzwords do sound better.

    I like how they say it can save computing power & battery life for the robots. Though I'm wondering, if a robot is just working 1 house, taking care of some old person, does it need to query the database (oops, i mean cloud) for the room dimensions, or is it smart enough to keep the info about the house it's currently in it's memory?

    Of course, lets say the robot records the layout of the house, uploads it to the cloud. What is to keep another robot or even human from using this information to rob anyone? Seems to me like you have a great collection of information on people, places, schedules, etc that can be put to really bad use from the government, crooks and corporations.

    --
    Be seeing you...
    1. Re:cloud based world wide web by c0lo · · Score: 2

      The robots have their own server where they can share info. So the cloud because a database on a server and the world wide web is actually just a database where they share info.

      yes, they do and it is so because everybody buys server time from everybody else. You just be careful with that cable.

      --
      Questions raise, answers kill. Raise questions to stay alive.
    2. Re:cloud based world wide web by bassman2k · · Score: 3, Informative

      Hey! Our regular, for-human-use world wide web is cloud based, too!

    3. Re:cloud based world wide web by Decker-Mage · · Score: 2

      I thought tying smart meters into the internet was an idiotic idea from the beginning as it would be my first hack should I ever work with gangs/drug-users/ordinary-criminals (pick one or several). Given how competent the existing security on the grid already is, well....

      On the bright side, now I can think up lovely hacks of the robot internet (stuff the cloud nonsense) which would be even more fun(??)! Picture a worm giving the robotic version of enemas....

      --
      "[I]t is a wise man who admits the limits of his knowledge or skill, and that pretending either causes harm." --Terry Go
    4. Re:cloud based world wide web by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This article is full of shit in terms of buzzwords agreed.
      The database though, however implemented, approximates to Carl Jung's Collective Unconciouse ? An area shared by entities that benefits them as a group and as individuals that they can pull and push information to ?

      That bit is interesting regardless.

  11. Sticks and Stones by Tablizer · · Score: 1

    Robot A: "You are nothing but a bot!"

    Robot B: "And?"

  12. Re:Bad idea by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    I won't even explain why. You already know how this will end.

    Not to worry, the robot NSA is already recording all meta data on the robot world wide web.

  13. I Want In On That by Greyfox · · Score: 1

    There's gotta be a ton of hot robo-porn up there already! Let's go, I want to see some bare circuits!

    --

    I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?

  14. WWWW by MrKaos · · Score: 2

    also known as the "World Wide Wobot Web"

    --
    My ism, it's full of beliefs.
  15. SkyNet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Why don't they call it SkyNet?

  16. Skynet 0.1 by ExXter · · Score: 1

    Before all else establish a neuronal network, spawning all over the planet and space to give each unit of the collective the ability to communicate with all of its kind and share knowledge gained about technology and all lower species... - Progress : In the process. I thought, being funny in the morning could be nice from time to time.

  17. Lousy reporting by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It's just a database for crying out loud, stop with the completely infactual articles already, own world wide web, cloud...
    "Robots get a special database that they can access over the existing internet" - There you go thats the true story.

    1. Re:Lousy reporting by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That is not Business oriented...doesnt sell

      "Robots get Intelectual Super Mainframe Cloud Hyperfast Internet for Time To Market super decision making and Profit Enhancer!"

      There fixed.

  18. Re: Bad idea by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Bad idea? You mean that if someone passes purposefully incorrect or dangerous data into their RoboCloud that all of them will have access to this poisoned data at once?

    What could possibly go wrong?

  19. All robots use fixed scripts? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It will also allow robots to react to changes within their environment without having to be reprogrammed

    Funny, I thought that with some intelligent programming, robots could be made to react quite well to changes in their environment...

  20. Semantic Web by zarlino · · Score: 2

    A machine readable web was what many people pushed for ten years ago. Then came HTML5 tag soup and "webapps" with messy code. Maybe, as a practical need for a machine readable web arises, old ideas will be reconsidered.

    --
    Check out my cross-platform apps
    1. Re:Semantic Web by enharmonix · · Score: 1

      A machine readable web was what many people pushed for ten years ago. Then came HTML5 tag soup and "webapps" with messy code.

      What's the deal with that? Whatever happened to xhtml? I am a little disappointed the W3C didn't merge the xhtml and HTML5 specifications... The web is messier than ever.</rant>

    2. Re:Semantic Web by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Google's bot doesn't seem to have all that much trouble reading HTML5.

  21. Morning War by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This is how the Geth started.

  22. WWW? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    How is this in any way similar to a web of linked hypertext documents?

    1. Re:WWW? by captjc · · Score: 1

      I was kind of thinking the same thing. Unless this database is accessible via a webpage, it isn't WWW. It is an internet protocol that has nothing to do with the web.

      --
      Slow Down Cowboy! It's been 1 hour, 47 minutes since you last successfully posted a comment
  23. Re: Bad idea by telchine · · Score: 3, Funny

    Bad idea? You mean that if someone passes purposefully incorrect or dangerous data into their RoboCloud that all of them will have access to this poisoned data at once?

    Ah, but they've already figured this out. Only robots are allowed to upload to the RoboWeb. Users have to complete a CAPTCHA. If they get it right then they must be human and are therefore blocked from uploading.

  24. Surely is plaged by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    With memes of Forever a Bot.

  25. Good God! Great shades of SkyNet by messymerry · · Score: 2

    This and 3D printing are all the mechanical devils need to replicate and take over. Our goose is cooked!!!

    --
    Dear Microlimp: I give you 2 valid product keys for win7 and you reject both of them. Piss off you wankers!!!
  26. Human I by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    humans don't seem to need Twitter to keep their 'I' to a minimum, why should robots?

  27. Re:Good God! Great shades of SkyNet by sseymour1978 · · Score: 1

    Should we ask everyone in "Eindhoven University" to X-Ray room to verify that they are humans?

  28. What is the Matrix? by opusbuddy · · Score: 1

    I suspect it will be called the Matrix.

    --
    If this were easy, they wouldn't need us to do it!
  29. Welcome by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I, for one, welcome our new robot overlords.

  30. Isn't this called "Google Maps? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Meanwhile grate advances in Robot engineering are happening in Robocraft...

  31. Butlerian Jihad Time! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "Thou shalt not make a machine in the likeness of a human mind."

  32. Nothing will go wrong by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If we knew, we wouldn't tell you.

    What can possibly go wrong with robots having their own WWW and coordinating between themselves? Absolutely nothing.

  33. i robot! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Ðо Ñо ÑÐÐÐоРÐÐÐоРÑо...

  34. cloud based world wide web for robots? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Reminds me of Homer's famous discovery: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YozC8yFrZKI

  35. Skynet? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Can anyone say SKYNET? :)

  36. So true .. not thinking things through by Paul+Fernhout · · Score: 1

    See also my post on Google/BostonDynamics: http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=4556777&cid=45691707
    "Intelligent mobile robots are near to totally transforming our society. And the transition might be quicker than we might expect, as robots can go from worse than human to better than human at some task almost overnight when there is an R&D breakthrough in some area. ... One thing most people do not yet understand about robotics (especially in the hands of some place like Google) is that if you have millions of networked robots, all learning independently, they can pool that learning over the network. And that network can then learn very quickly. And so "performance" can improve very quickly, with millions of trial-and-error experiments running in parallel with the results integrated with learning algorithms. That is perhaps the biggest upside and downside of a big data company like Google getting into robotics, especially if they keep the results proprietary (which they may or may not do)."

    Couple that rend with "War is a Racket" (Marine Major General Smedly Butler) and those various dystopian robotics movies may even be too optimistic... Would it really require something much more than billions of networked cheap robotic cockroaches wielding some small weapon to wipe out all or most of humanity? Even if that network failed a year later? I still feel the primary issue is the one in my sig -- that we need (as Einstein called for) a new way of thinking to go with out new-found technological powers.

    --
    A 21st century issue: the irony of technologies of abundance in the hands of those still thinking in terms of scarcity.
  37. nice by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    very good concept