machine-human - happy droids, bad robots and functional zombies

Wii Chef Robot in action – having a hard time learning how to whip the eggs and cut ham. Recipe of the Day: Ham ‘N Cheese omelet. Very cool.

AirJelly is a helium-filled balloon with an intelligent, adaptive mechanism. It has a two lithium-ion polymer battery to which the central electric motor is connected. Jelly also uses its tentacles to perform peristaltic movements and gently glide through the air.
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First Conference on Artificial General Intelligence – March 1st 2008, at the University of Memphis. Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) research focuses on the original and ultimate goal of AI – to create intelligence as a whole, by exploring all available paths, including theoretical and experimental computer science, cognitive science, neuroscience, and innovative interdisciplinary methodologies.

More at agi-08.org

Meet the alpha male of the Boston Dynamics family of robots. It walks, runs, and climbs on rough terrain and carries heavy loads. An on-board computer controls locomotion, servos the legs and handles a wide variety of sensors.

This paper gives an overview of the unconventional usage of A* and Finite State Machines (FSMs) in the game F.E.A.R.. The FSM for characters has only three states, and they used A* to plan sequences of actions as well as to plan paths. The emphasis is demonstrating how the planning system improved the process of developing character behaviors.
Written by Jeff Orkin – Monolith Productions / M.I.T. Media Lab, Cognitive Machines Group.
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University of Hertfordshire – Applications from postgraduate/postdoctoral candidates are invited for a full-time research assistantship or research fellowship in developmental social robotics. The post offers the opportunity to work within the Adaptive Systems Research Group, a proactive and dynamic research team with an excellent international research profile. You will work in the European project ITALK (Integration and Transfer of Action and Language Knowledge in Robot).
Start Date: 20 March 2008
Closing date: April 2008 or later

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