'The Sims' Is Teaching the Household Robots of Tomorrow

This year's Google I/O revealed that the tech company is nearing the completion of an artficially intelligent secretary that can book appointments without you having to lift a finger. But the science fiction dream of a robotic housekeeper, like Rosie from The Jetsons, remains elusive. That has a lot to do with the fact that in many respects A.I. remains incredibly dumb when asked to operate in the real world. Sure, it can ridiculously complex calculations at blazing fast speeds -- a narrow application -- but when confronted with mundane tasks like making your bed, A.I. perpetually comes up short. This is exactly why a group of computer scientists led by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is teaching machines to complete household tasks using a The Sims-inspired "VirtualHome" simulator.