Anybody can program the robot to obey commands.
By Raif Karerat
WASHINGTON, DC: Dr. Eduardo Morales Manzanares of the National Institute of Astrophysics Optics and Electronics (INAOE) in Mexico has developed a new generation of robots with artificial intelligence that does not require specialized personnel or training to be controlled. Anyone can effectively program the new tech — no advanced robotics degrees required.
Manzanares’ flagship robot, named Sabina, is able to learn either via remote control, voice commands, or simply by being shown tasks. For example, a user could move their arm in a certain way, which Sabina could then perceive, learn, and replicate in order to complete a task. Science 2.0 blog likened the process to teaching a toddler.
Sabina is designed to autonomously perform functions that are taught to it in order to provide household aid, such as fetching drinks or administering medicine. According to Science 2.0, the learning mechanism is independent to the robot.
“The idea is to create a program that acquires user information that can be used in different robots and improve to where it can teach a drone or helicopter to do reconnaissance,” said Manzanares.
To aid her learning protocols, Sabina is outfitted with laser sensors and a Microsoft Xbox Kinect, which has a camera that provides 3D data and allows the automaton to identify different individuals and their relative positions. It also understands voice commands in English and Spanish.
Manzanares’ breakthrough comes just months after prominent leaders within the scientific and tech-industrial communities expressed their apprehension about artificial intelligence.
“First, the machines will do a lot of jobs for us and not be super intelligent. That should be positive if we manage it well,” said Microsoft founder Bill Gates. “A few decades after that, though, the intelligence is strong enough to be a concern.â€
Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX and CEO of Tesla Motors, described A.I. development as “summoning the demon” and even invested in the sector with the express purpose of keeping an eye on the nascent field.
Even Stephen Hawking, whose scientific brilliance hardly needs any introduction, wrote, “Whereas the short-term impact of A.I. depends on who controls it, the long-term impact depends on whether it can be controlled at all.”
Humanity may eventually need to check itself to ensure it isn’t designing robotic overloads, but in the meantime, Sabina and a host of other automatons look poised to try and make day-to-day life a little bit easier — or so they’d have us believe.