Giuliano Sandini. Robotics and AI

Robotics, Brain & Cognitve Sciences

Giulio SandiniIstituto Italiano di Tecnologia

andUniversity of Genoa

Humans and Robots

Robotics and AI Renaissance Panel Session.

“Open Innovations”November 1st , 2013Moscow

Robotics, Brain & Cognitive Sciences Giulio Sandini

This is where robotics is today…

o Fastero Stronger o More resiliento More precise


Tools to build and transport

Tools for smart interface

A tool augmenting human skills

A tool helping in everyday tasks

…a co-worker

time

Hu

man

oid

Tech

nolo

gie

s…we want to get the robots

closer to humans


Robots closer to humans in two ways

More similar to us in shape and functions

Living with us in such a way as to change the structure of our society

Hirioshi Ishiguro “Sayonara” play

From “io e Caterina” 1980 directed by Alberto Sordi


Keyboards have changed our society …

William Davidow: IEEE Spectrum August 2012

http://www.google.ru/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=nL-99bXZC22e_M&tbnid=SRqxqbn5lsvWgM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http://www.aisquared.com/zoomtext_keyboard&ei=LFZyUry9NrOK4gSI6IGwCw&bvm=bv.55819444,d.bGE&psig=AFQjCNHR0v4Yq9pk8GiJDlDeaysavCc6Eg&ust=1383311260961244

http://www.google.ru/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=AP-Bz56pETAPqM&tbnid=5NCQW1UvdMlUbM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/studentcommunityteam/avoiding-the-mobile-bulls-eye-keeping-your-smartphone-safe/&ei=n1dyUoa_Aaar4ASJ3oDABQ&bvm=bv.55819444,d.bGE&psig=AFQjCNH0dsnErQf7mvqfgRsPdCFh4NGI1w&ust=1383311636584515


…and this does not always help social interaction…


...while ideally we would like to interact with machines as if

they were humans


Such machines must be able to put themselves in

someone else’s shoes…

to anticipate the effects of their own actions

to anticipate the intentions of others

to imagine their perceptions and feelings

http://www.christiereese.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/iStock_000002121125XSmallbigshoes.jpg


New approach to Human Machine (friendly/safe)

Interaction ....based on jointly studying humans and building artificial systems (and their “mind”)

Claude Monet: Water Lily Pond and Japanese Bridge

A bridge between science and engineering (adding neuroscience and psychology to robotics)


Cognitive Robotics: to exploit the body as an actor and a

communication channel

Study Humans(and the way they interact)

Use Humanoid Robots(as models and stimuli)

Explore the Interaction

Study how humans develop their motor, perceptual and cognitive and social abilities

Implement embodied models of the

development of human motor, perceptual and

cognitive abilities


humanoid robots as development tools to study the principles of human cognitive abilities

The target robot is not necessarily a humanoid!! (the flying machine is not necessarly a bird!!)


…an analogy with the principles of flight and the study of the interaction of a

physical body with air


We can use a wind tunnel to study the interaction

between air flow and a body (it’s aerodynamic properties)


We see humanoids as wind tunnels to study how a

machine interacts with a human

In a wind tunnel one studies interaction with air flow with a humanoid one studies interaction with humans


The iCub is the humanoid baby-robot designed as part of the RobotCub project whose goal is also to build a community

– The iCub is a full humanoid robot sized as a three and half year-old child

– The total height is 104cm– It has 53 degrees of freedom,

including articulated hands to be used for manipulation and gesturing

– The robot can crawl and sit and autonomously transition from crawling to sitting and vice-versa

– The robot is LGPL/GPL/FDL: software, hardware, drawings, documentation, etc.

iCub is our latest «wind tunnel»…


…a development tool to exploit today’s robotic technologies

In collaboration with our industrial partner

IntelligenceVision Sensors

Force Torque Sensors

Tactile Sensors

Electronics

Motors/Gears


…a development tool to study future technologies related to learning, adaptation and, ultimately, human-like interaction (as mutual understanding)


iCub is also a community building tool

iCub is an open system built to foster the creation of a multidisciplinary community

iCub and friends


To study friendly interaction along two main dimensions...

cognition

compliance

BODY

MIND

now

future

Progressing along one single axis is not sufficient…

Improving cognitive skills

makes interaction more «human-

like»

Improving compliance

makes Interaction less

dangerous

More friendly Robots


Thank you


...when interacting with others we implicitly assume that the

others are feeling our own sensations and emotions...


To study friendly interaction along two main dimensions...

cognition

compliance

BODY

MIND

now

future

Progressing along one single axis is not sufficient…

Improving cognitive skills

makes interaction more «human-

like»

Improving compliance

makes Interaction less

dangerous

More friendly Robots


ComplianceNikos Tsagarakis, Stephen Morfey, Zhibin Li, Luca Colasanto, Darwin CaldwellAdvanced Robotics Department IIT

Giorgio Metta, Lorenzo Natale, Francesco Nori, Giulio Sandini et. al.

RBCS department at IIT

Cognition


…in summary: our keywords

o Human Robot Friendly Interaction

o Synergy of Robotics & Neuroscience

o Cognition (prediction abilities)o Interaction as mutual

understanding


Main challenges

• Safety: prediction of action's outcome (own and others)

• Acceptability: Machines must be predictable and useful

• Technology: Is silicon and aluminium the right choice?

Solution has to pass through interdisciplinary teams


Market e Business Plan


Ubiquitous Robot Companion

Ubiquitous Robot Companions (and their infrastructure)


Intelligence is a Technology...


Development Tool (in the case of iPhone)

Application Middleware

iPad

iPhone

iPod

Operating System

Middleware

Apps

Same Apps for Different Platforms


Main Challanges

1. Lack of «cognition/intelligence» Prediction Learning

2. Complexity of systems3. Is “silicon and aluminium” the right

technology?4. Difficult to establish multidisciplinary

teams5. Human acceptance of personal robots


This is how robots are perceived today

Q6: In which area do you think that robots should be used as a priority

Survey made on March 2012 and published in September 2012

Giuliano Sandini. Robotics and AI

Technology

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