November 15, 2010
Artificial intelligence systems are good at tackling problems that can be solved using brute force, like chess… All the computer has to do is calculate out every possible permutation of moves and pick the best one. They’re also pretty good at games like poker, where even with incomplete information, a computer can make a move that is statistically ‘best.’ And lastly, they’re good at making decisions far more quickly than a human. When you combine all of these separate characteristics into one game, things get exponentially more complex, but also much more like real life. And this is why people are trying to teach computers how to play StarCraft, at a level where they can compete with even the best human players. UC Santa Cruz hosted the 2010 StarCraft AI Competition, which put AI programs through a series of different StarCraft testing scenarios to determine the most effective AI system at micromanagement, small scale combat, tech limited games, and of course full gameplay. The video above shows a bunch of highlights; especially notable is the absolutely brutal use of mutalisks by the eventual AI winner, UC Berkeley’s Overmind. The last clip in the highlight video shows an AI taking on a world class human player, who wins handily. It’s only a matter of two or three years before humans have no chance against programs like these, however… And the reason (I think) is quite straightforward: the computer can micromanage every single unit it owns, on every part of the map, at the same time. A human can’t. Once the AI reaches a competent level of strategy and unit use (it’s not there yet), we’re screwed, because the AI can just launch multiple simultaneous micromanaged attacks. There are lots more videos of the different AI programs competing against each other on […]
November 13, 2010
It may not be quite as menacing as some other surveillance drones, but this new flying contraption recently unveiled by Japan’s Ministry of Defense should at least get the job done for what seems like a somewhat limited purpose. That seems to be primarily for short treks of less than 30 minutes into dangerous areas, where the drone can take advantage of its GPS tracking and “high power” cameras to relay information back to the pilots on the ground. Unlike plane-style drones, this one can also move up and down and in every direction, much like a quadrocopter. Head on past the break to check it out in action courtesy of Japan’s NHK network. Continue reading Japan’s Ministry of Defense shows off flying surveillance drone Japan’s Ministry of Defense shows off flying surveillance drone originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 13 Nov 2010 02:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | source Crave | Email this | Comments
November 11, 2010
Marvin Minsky helped found what is now known as the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory back in 1959. Only 9 years later, he constructed this tentacle arm, which shows an impressive level of sophistication. There isn’t too much info about it, but here’s the caption from the video, which was posted by MIT CSAIL: “This film from 1968 shows Marvin Minsky’s tentacle arm, developed at the MIT AI Lab (one of CSAIL’s forerunner labs). The arm had twelve joints and could be controlled by a PDP-6 computer or via a joystick. This video demonstrates that the arm was strong enough to lift a person, yet gentle enough to embrace a child.” [ MIT CSAIL ]
November 7, 2010
A lot of attention has been lavished on ideas “going viral,” but this may not be the only way that ideas spread, according to an article published in PNAS last week. With some extensive theoretical work in game theory, two researchers have shown that trendy changes don’t spread quickly just because they gain exposure to a high number of people. Instead, the spread of innovations may work more like a game where players are gauging whether to adopt something new based on what others immediately surrounding them do. The popularity growth of things like websites or gadgets is often described as being similar to an epidemic: a network with a lot of connections between people increases exposure and then adoption, as do links stretching between dissimilar groups. When the trend in question spreads to a node with a lot of connections (like a celebrity), its popularity explodes. While this is fitting for some cases, in others it’s an oversimplification—a person’s exposure to a trend doesn’t always guarantee they will adopt it and pass it on. Read the rest of this article… Read the comments on this post
November 4, 2010
Cody here comes from Georgia Tech’s Healthcare Robotics Lab; we first met him back in March. Since then, Cody’s been busy, learning how to give sponge baths. All an operator has to do is to select an area of a patient, and Cody will autonomously go to work. In the video above, there are little blue squares of debris that Cody has been assigned to clean up, and clearly, he’s pretty good at it. Very good. He goes nice and sloooowww. Yeah… Just like that. Cody’s more than just a pleasurebot, though. He’s learning how to help out in hospitals and care facilities, to reduce the workload on nurses and direct care workers. This means better healthcare for everyone in the long run, and we can all look forward to getting sponged down by robots. I know I am. [ Georgia Tech Healthcare Robotics ]
November 4, 2010
Note: this video might not display unless you click through to the post page Everyone’s favorite TV show, NewsHour on PBS, had a segment on robots last week, and it’s now online. There’s nothing super new and exciting, at least not for loyal BotJunkie readers, but there’s bits of new footage of PR2’s towel folding and some other stuff. They couldn’t avoid a breathless “How close are we to being replaced by robots?” tagline, but we’ll forgive them, because Jim Lehrer is badass. [ PBS NewsHour ] Thanks Mom!
November 4, 2010
Look, we don’t want to think about those brutally cold winter days ahead either, but there’s no denying that Columbia’s new electrically heated apparel could take the sting out of those below-zero temperatures. Similar to the company’s Bugathermo boots, its new gloves, jackets and boots pack what they call Omni-Heat Electric technology, which basically outfits the clothing with lithium polymer battery packs and a specially tailored heating system. Dubbed “on-demand” heat, you can turn on and off the heat with the touch of a button, and then adjust the level by pressing the color-changing LED-backlit button. The number / size of batteries depends on the article of clothing — for instance, the jackets are equipped with two 15Wh batteries while each glove, as you can see up there, has a smaller capacity cell. So, how long will they keep you warm and toasty on the slopes? About six hours, says a Columbia product manager, and once out of juice you can charge them via any USB cord. Oh, and yes, you can refuel your phone or iPod using the battery pack itself — obviously, we asked! At its press event in New York City this week, Columbia dressed us in a Circuit Breaker Softshell jacket (yes, that’s what it’s called) and a pair of the Bugaglove Max Electric gloves and threw us into its Omni-Heat freezer booth — we have to say, our arms and back stayed mighty toasty and the jacket didn’t feel as heavy as we expected. The gloves, on the other hand, are bulky, though may provide some good cushioning for novice snowboarders like ourselves. Of course, that heat is gonna cost ya. The aforementioned jacket rings up at $850 and the gloves at $400. Sure, picking up a few hand and boot warmers would be cheaper, […]