What is Artificial Intelligence?

Our brain is made up of neural circuits continuously evolving to solve complex day to day problems. While there are robots controlled with "organic brains" like the wheeled Robot with a Rat Brain of the University of Reading, for robots to move autonomously with an "evolving brain circuit" is far from reality.

Before, scientists and engineers alike would rely on sophisticated microprocessors and sensors to control the routines and functions of robots.

But just recently, researchers from Japan and Michigan have come up with the world's first brain-like "evolutionary circuit" that works just like the human brain (we hope so).

Being immensely analogous, this computer circuit allows immediate changes of ~300 bits unlike the world's fastest supercomputers which can only process bits one at a time in each of their networks.

The authors, Anirban Bandyopadhyay, from the National Institute for Materials Science, National Institute of Information and Communication Technology, Japan and Ranjit Pati, of the Michigan Technological University Department of Physics, described their work as phenomenal, being able to solve problems instantaneously without knowing which specific algorithms are at work.

Click here to read more about Brain-like Evolutionary Circuit, Organic Molecular Layer

TA2 is a telepresence project that uses ambient intelligence to bring families closer together

An EU-funded project, TA2 is a collaboration of researchers from several European countries aiming to create the interactive communication media that will bring together families wherever they are at any given time.

TA2, short for "together anywhere, together anytime" is an ambitious tele-presence project that integrates sophisticated video and audio communications systems with digital media, interactive devices and ambient intelligence.

In Berlin, in IFA, known as the largest consumer electronics fair in the world, TA2 was exhibited and demonstrated with two rooms, two TV sets and two tables or boards with integrated touch screens on which demonstrators could play games.

During the actual demonstration, many spectators were particularly interested and amazed at the demonstrators playing a board game together as if they were all in the same room.

According to Nikolaus Färber, head researcher at the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS in Germany. "People have become isolated by technology." That's why they created a technology that will bring every member of the family whenever they want to anywhere.

Click here to read more about TA2, Ambient Technology

According to the Nikkei, Japan plans to develop "mind-reading" robots and consumer electronics that can be controlled by thought alone and hopes to market them within a decade.

Reports say that this project is a partnership between the government and the private sector.

Using sensor-mounted headsets, these devices would use brain-machine interface technology, which analyses users' brain waves and brain blood-flow patterns detected. Applications of these devices would include television sets that can be operated without lifting a finger and mobile phones that send text messages composed purely through thought.

They are also planning on making a car navigation system that searches for restaurants when the driver thinks of having a meal, and air-conditioners that adjust the temperature when people in the room feel too warm or cold.

Click here to read more about Mind-Reading Robots and Brain Interface Devices.

Sami Haddadin, the study's lead author, who was clearly confident in the collision-detection system he devised.

Attack of the robots.... and with knives too! Aahhh (run!!!)

It's like robots in the movies are coming to reality. It may sound stupid, but when we think of robots carrying some sharp tools, (for what?), it will drive us crazy, thinking they might run out of control and become like killing machines.

Oh, no but not these robots here who were the subjects of the Collision Detection Study from the Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics, part of DLR, the German aerospace agency, in Wessling, Germany.

The researchers, headed by Sami Haddadin demonstrated how "his" robot was literally safe even if it would accidentally bump into human "flesh" during an activity, like in the kitchen, in a hospital or even in a car industry or whatsoever.

The German researchers set out to do a set of experiments, namely, puncturing, stabbing and cutting (see video) to determine the accuracy of the collision detection of the robots.

The robot was armed with various sharp tools (scalpel, kitchen knife, scissors, steak knife, and screwdriver) and integrated with a collision detection program to perform these different striking activities. They've used a piece of silicone block, a pig's leg, and at a final demo, a human bare arm as test surfaces.

Click here to read more about Collision Detection Robot, Robots with Knives

The Technical University of Munich and the Institute of Technology Autonomous Systems (TAS) are developing the successor of their robot JOHNNIE. It is called LOLA and it is capable of planning its own walking trajectory through a room in real-time using image data.

LOLA is equipped with gyro sensors in its upper body and 6-axis force sensors in its feet to help maintain balance. It stands 180cm (5?10?) tall, weighs 60kg (132 lbs), and has a total of 25 degrees of freedom (2 legs x7, 2 arms x3, waist x2, head x3). To reduce the load and increase its step length and walking speed, they put an extra toe joint on LOLA. However, LOLA is connected via cables to three computers which handle this task due to the processing power required to perform image recognition.

Click here to read more about LOLA.