Researchers working on the COSPAL project have developed a new robotic AI that they claim is the most advanced of its kind.

They have created a robot that, using both learning neural AI techniques and traditional rules-based AI, can be trained like a small child or puppy.

The robot has already been able to figure out simple sorting tasks on its own. COSPAL aims to transform this AI into something that can be integrated with a car to adjust to unforeseen driving conditions.

Don’t worry though, robots are not quite ready to take over just yet. Michael Felsberg, a researcher at COSPAL, says that we probably won’t see adult-level AI based on this system in our lifetimes. It will be interesting to see if Felsberg is right, or if the recent prediction by Ray Kurzweil holds up. [via Engadget]

Researchers at Plymouth University will soon begin experiments to find out if a humanoid baby robot, called iCub, can be taught to talk.

Over the next four years, robotics experts and language development specialists will work together to help iCub “grow up.” Some typical experiments include inserting objects of various shapes into corresponding holes in a box, serializing nested cups, and stacking wooden blocks. iCub will also be asked to name objects and actions such as “robot puts stick on cube.”

The project is believed to be the first of its kind in the world. It aims to develop humanoid robots which can learn, think, and talk. Read more »

Surgeons and robotics experts at the University of Calgary have developed neuroArm, a robot which is capable of performing brain surgery within the powerful magnet of an MRI.

Being able to work within such a powerful magnetic field is a first for robots. Most brain surgeries are performed with their assistance, but so far no robot has been able to go within an MRI. Not only can it go inside, but this robot is also guided by the detailed images the MRI creates.

The neuroArm is a huge advance for medical technology and robotics. Innovations like this will translate into more lives saved and much better surgery results seeing as robots are much less prone to mistakes than their human counterparts. More photos after the jump. Read more »

The Absolut Quartet has to be one of the coolest toys we’ve played with on the ‘net in a long time. First, let’s dive into what the thing actually is.

The Absolut Quartet is “a multi-instrumental music-making machine combining art and technology to create the equivalent of a classic human quartet. With a twist. It consists of three robotic “musicians” - as an online user you become the fourth musician.”

The first robotic musician is a marimba. 50 robotic cannons shoot rubber balls 6 feet into the air. When the balls land, they hit the marimba keys. The second musician is based on the idea of the “finger on the wine glass.” There are a series of glasses, tuned to different pitches, that are all spinning at the same time. These glasses are “played” by small robotic fingers. Finally, an array of percussive instruments rounds out the robotic trio. Read more »

Tsuyoshi Horo, an engineer at Tokyo University, has developed a system that allows a person to control a robot using simple hand and body gestures.

Currently embedded in a stool-like robot (complete with wheels on the bottom to move it around), the system uses a circular array of cameras to detect motion in the robot’s environment. It then converts those movements into directional commands for the robot to follow.

At the moment the robot can’t do much. It can roll around the room and spin around in one place. You can also sit on it and wave your hand in different directions to make it go there.

However, the possibilities for a system like this are virtually endless. Imagine a robotic maid in your home, following your gestures into various areas of the house where something needs to be done. Maybe even a chef-robot that will help you cook based on the motions you are using. Check out some videos of the robot in action after the jump. Read more »

That’s right, we could have a real Terminator on our hands by 2029, at least according to Ray Kurzweil, a leading US inventor. We’re not necessarily talking killing machines here, but Kurzweil believes that by that time machines will achieve human-level artificial intelligence.

The engineer predicts that machines and humans will eventually merge through devices implanted in the body. Kurzweil thinks that these robots would boost our intelligence and health.

“I’ve made the case that we will have both the hardware and the software to achieve human level artificial intelligence with the broad suppleness of human intelligence including our emotional intelligence by 2029,” he said. Read more »

Humans testing hazardous chemicals on live animals could soon turn into robots testing hazardous chemicals on laboratory-grown cells. The advantages of using robots for the tests involve greatly increasing the number of tests that can be performed daily, in addition to greatly lowering the costs because of the exclusion of animal subjects.

Identifying toxic chemicals has classically been a tedious process. Animals are injected or exposed to the chemical, scientists wait, and if the animals get sick or some harm can be identified via microscope then the chemical is deemed unsafe for humans. The method has worked decently well in the past, although it is not always great at identifying if a chemical will be harmful to humans and not lab animals.

The new robot method would allow over 10,000 chemical tests to be performed daily, as opposed to the 10-100 yearly we get now. And, we get to save all of those innocent bunnies!

NASA has begun testing the Environmentally Non-Disturbing Under-ice Robotic ANtarctiC Explorer, or ENDURANCE, in Wisconsin’s Lake Mendota in preparation for a trip to Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons.

ENDURANCE is a NASA-funded project designed to make 3D maps of underwater environments, take microbial samples, and gather other data in deep waters.

Following the tests in Wisconsin, ENDURANCE will be heading off to the Antarctic for more testing in the permanently ice-covered West Lake Bonney.

Finally, sometime well into the future, ENDURANCE, or a similar robot based on the design, will head off to Jupiter to explore its moon Europa. It will have to navigate Europa’s oceans which are trapped beneath the moon’s icy surface.

When will this happen? What will they find on Europa? No one can be sure, but we could be in for some interesting discoveries.