CS 102 with Robots

Embodied Thought —

Recent Robotics (some highlights)

2009-08-20

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1948 — Grey Walter’s “Tortoises”

Simple neural net-inspired “brain”Showed simple “brains” can lead to complex, life-like, intelligent behaviorCould find their way to recharging stationSimple (Pavlovian) learningSimilarities to “Braitenberg vehicles” (LCR, ch. 6) and Scribblers

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Ancestors of the Scribbler

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Grey Walter’s tortoises

Seymour Papert’s turtles

turtle graphics

the Scribbler

2009-08-204

Importance ofEmbodied Intelligence

Traditional (dualist) view: mind is essentially independent of the body

in principle, could have an intelligent “brain in a vat”Now we understand that much of our knowledge is implicit in the fact that we have a bodyAlso, our body teaches us about the worldStructure of body is foundation for structure of knowledgeKnowledge is in the environment, rather than a representation of the environment

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Structure of Embodied Intelligence

Representational primitives are skills, not concepts

Higher-level skills are built on lower-level

Lowest-level skills are grounded in the body

2009-08-206

Embodied & Situated Artificial Intelligence

Therefore a genuine AI must be:embedded in a body (embodied)capable of interacting significantly with its world (situated)

Intelligence develops as consequence of interaction of body with environment, including other agentsHow can we investigate embodied, situated intelligence?

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1990s — “Ant” Microrobots (Rodney Brooks, MIT)

About 1 cubic inch17 sensorsCan communicate with each otherGoal: push limits of microroboticsGoal: explore social interactions inspired by ant colonyApplications: explosives disposal, Mars exploration

1990s — Clustering Around “Food”

“Food” amongst other objects in environmentFirst “ant” to encounter food, signals othersOthers cluster at food source

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1990s — Tag Game

“It” robot wanders until bumps somethingTransmits “Tag”A “Not It” robot replies “I got tagged”First becomes “Not It”Second becomes “It”

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1990s — Genghis (Brooks, MIT)

Subsumption architecture

Inspired by evolution: more complex behaviors build on simpler onesIndividual legs “do their jobs”Legs are coordinated to achieve stabilityLeg motion coordinated to achieve locomotion to goal

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1990s — Genghis (Brooks, MIT)

Front view & infrared sensing of person

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1998 — Cog (Brooks, MIT)

“Humanoid intelligence requires humanoid interactions with the world”Form of body is fundamental to cognitive representation

no “brains in vats”Human-like intelligence requires human-like body

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2001 — Leonardo

Cynthia Breazeal’s Lab, MIT“Sociable Robots” ProjectVehicle for exploring socially guided learning & cooperative activity

(video < Breazeal’s Lab)

2001 — Touch-Sensitive “Skin”

Touch-sensitive silicone skin over entire bodyMapped to neural net-like “homunculus”Here Leo is programmed to notice & withdraw from contact

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(video < Breazeal’s Lab)

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2004–7 — Socially Guided Learning

Leo is taught to “turn on all the lights”Leo generalizes to new situationLeo displays commitment to joint activity in spite of incorrect action

(video < Breazeal’s Lab)

2004–7 — Collaborative tasks

Leo and human collaborate on a task (making sailboat and smiley face from colored blocks)Have a common goal toward which the are workingUse gestures and social cues to cooperate

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2009-08-2017

???? — Consciousness and self-awareness?

Algorithms