Robots are one step closer to being more like living beings with a new development within the field. Scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have created an AI system that allows robots to recognize pain and self-repair. The newly developed system relies on AI-enabled sensor nodes, which process'pain' and then respond to it. This pain is identified when there is pressure brought on by an outside physical force. The other major part of the system is self-repair.

Robots are one step closer to being more like living beings with a new development within the field. Scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have created an AI system that allows robots to recognize pain and self-repair.  The newly developed system relies on AI-enabled sensor nodes, which process ‘pain’ and then respond to […]

Inside an ordinary-looking home, a robot suspended from the ceiling slowly expands arms holding a sponge, before carefully wiping a kitchen surface clean. Nearby, another robot gently cleans a flat-screen television, causing it to wobble slightly. The cleaning robots live inside a mock home located at the Toyota Research Institute in Los Altos, California. The institute's researchers are testing a range of robot technologies designed to help finally realize the dream of a home robot. After looking at homes in Japan, which were often small and cluttered, the researchers realized they needed a creative solution.

Researchers have developed a new personalized learning robot for autistic children that uses machine learning to adapt its lessons to each kid's changing needs. The University of Southern California team put a "socially assistive robot" called Kiwi in the homes of 17 autistic children and set the two-foot-tall, green-feathered robot to give each child personalized classes. Over the course of a month, the children played space-themed math games on a tablet device while Kiwi provided feedback and instruction, such as congratulating them on a correct answer or giving tips after a wrong one. As the lessons progressed, algorithms adjusted Kiwi's feedback and the difficulty of the games to the child's individual needs. By the end of the month, all of the children had improved their math skills, while 92% had also improved their social skills.

One thing robots traditionally have been unable to do is learn from their mistakes. They'll follow their programming over and over and not adapt to new situations or correct errors. That could all change soon thanks to a team of Leeds University scientists, who are using artificial intelligence (AI) techniques to teach robots to conduct trial-and-error problem-solving. If a robotic arm can't grab its intended object in a confined or cluttered space, it has to plan a sequence of moves to reach its target. The processing power required to make that plan is often so great that the robot arm will freeze for a few minutes.

One day in the not-so-distant future, robots could help humans out in the workplace by taking notes or sketching helpful diagrams. That's one of the objectives of a new robot created by researchers from Brown University that can learn to write languages and sketch drawings practically on its own. After learning to write Japanese characters, the robot was able to teach itself how to copy words in 10 different languages, including Hindi, Greek and English, just by studying various examples. It uses an algorithm that helps the robot decide where and how to place each pen stroke that distinguishes each letter in the alphabet, as well as what order to place them in to make the correct word. 'Just by looking at a target image of a word or sketch, the robot can reproduce each stroke as one continuous action,' Atsunobi Kotani, who led the study, said in a statement.

Flippy the robot is starting its culinary career with one simple task, but just like any rookie, it is learning on the job. With some practice and training, Flippy will be able to do everything from chopping vegetables to plating meals like a pro. Miso Robotics created the robot, which debuted in a kitchen at the restaurant chain CaliBurger in Pasadena this week. "Flippy will initially only focus on flipping burgers and placing them on buns," David Zito, CEO of Miso Robotics tells ZDNet. He adds, "But since Flippy is powered by our own cooking AI software, it will continuously learn from its experiences to improve and adapt over time. This means Flippy will learn to take on additional tasks including grilling chicken, bacon, onions, and buns in addition to frying, prepping, and finishing plates. Eventually, Flippy will support CaliBurger's entire menu."