DIY: building an emotional robot

Using the word combination emotional robot is, according to our perceptions of robot behavior, an oxymoron.  Usually they are portrayed and viewed as unemotional data-crunchers. Most of the robots currently being shown by AI (artificial intelligence) development labs feature calculated responsiveness.  Personally I doubt that robots, as we know them today, can be truly emotional, since emotions spring from a subjective, conscious response to stimuli.  There has to be a beating heart in there somewhere (vertebrates vs invertebrates).  Check out the Wikipedia article "emotion in animals" for an illuminating discussion.

However, this all could change.  Scientists are working to produce robots capable of self-generated artificial intelligence.  Some thoughts on 'artificial' emotions can be found at the Nautilus site.  Tested.com features an article title "Emotions Reconsidered: How Robots May Experience Feelings." J.Kevin O'Regan has posted online his talk given at CogSys 2010 and titled "How to build a robot that feels" in which he presents a feet-on-the-ground discussion of consciousness and perception.

Current technology is certainly intriguing -- meet Nao.

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The news has featured Actroids developed by Osaka University and manufactured by Kokoro Company Ltd.  Actroid-F is shown below.

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Watching the video above, you get an idea of how much technological know-how it take to produce such a robot.

And, of course, there's Data from Star Trek Next Generation (Star Trek TNG, CBS Studios).

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-- Marge

DIY robots

In recent history engineering colleges around the world have sponsored robot competitions, often where robots battle each other and the last robot standing wins.  Now ordinary citizens, and their robots, can take part in one (not necessarily a fight to the death).  Here's a list of competitions from NASA's, Robotics Alliance Project, last updated today.  IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, read I-Triple-E) Spectrum has a page reporting DIY robots news.

Kits and parts are available for purchase in building your own robot.  A sampling of retailers is dfRobot, "drive the future;"  Machine Science Inc., which offers parts and tutotials for all types of electronics projects; and, of course LEGO.  Just take a look at LEGO's latest product, Mindstorms EV3.

Genomicon, "the crowd-sourcing of intelligent-design," has a do-it-yourself robotics page.  Here are some gems from it.

3d printed flying flappy thing:

Your hair is scribble:

The rising tide of smart s**t (a must see):

Taking the cue from the video about Paul the robot drawing Patrick at tenderpixel gallery ("Your hair is scribble"), robotics appear to be moving into the arts.  From TechCrunch there's news of "A French Artist Is Posting DIY Robot Parts So We Can Print Our Own Androids," an article by John Biggs.

Forward, Ho!

-- Marge