Robot that can perceive its body has self-awareness, claim researchers

A robot can create a model of itself to plan how to move and reach a goal – something its developers say makes it self-aware, though others disagree. Every robot is trained in some way to do a task, often in a simulation. By seeing what to do, robots can then mimic the task. But they do so unthinkingly, perhaps relying on sensors to try to reduce collision risks, rather than having any understanding of why they are performing the task or a true awareness of where they are within physical space. It means they will often make mistakes – bashing their arm into an obstacle, for instance – that humans wouldn't because they would compensate for changes.