Artificial Life

Artificial Life and Intelligence

Websites:

http://www.humanoidrobots.org/humanoids2005/

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A25394-2005Mar10.html

http://www.humanoid.waseda.ac.jp/Humanoids200

One of the most interesting topics of our time is that of artificial life and artificial intelligence. In other words, non-human man-made intelligence. I will examine in particular humanoid intelligence. Most scientists today agree that walking; talking humanoid robots with social intelligence will be commonplace in the future, raising new challenges for humankind.

One of the the most well known scientist who are working on humanoids and robots is Dr. Frank Pollick. Dr. Pollick is a psychology lecturer at the University of Glasgow, UK, who is conducting a study of the social interactions between humans and their robotic counterparts. “The technology exists to create truly remarkable machines that provide the illusion of life, the big question is what situations people will accept them in... and how intelligent people will want them to be, to accept them “says Dr Frank Pollick.

Most agree that by the year 2050 robots will probably be well integrated into our everyday lives. They will probably be working in hospitals, working as housekeepers and care givers as well as news casters and anchors. They may even be companions for the elderly. We already have examples of these robots today at automated assembly lines that we see at automobile plants. Another example would be these mini vacuum cleaners that swirl around your carpets totally automated. Could we someday be competing with these robots for jobs?

One of the problems with these robots is the human emotions that they lack. In order for them to really be accepted they will need to be able to express human emotions and responses. They will to be able to transmit social change. But one must remember these so called emotions are artificial, as these machines are just that, machines.

While he was speaking at the British Association Science Festival in Glasgow, Dr Pollick said he was investigating the interplay between humans and machines in the first step towards giving robots human-like qualities.