My short summary is paraphrased as follows:

To sum up what I have learned about robots in these past few weeks, here is a look at the current goals of the robotic/AI industry. Basically, we want to make robots better at decision making, experential learning, and most other things that, well, umans are good at. Thus far there remain major technological barriers to said development, however some of the best and the brightest are working on it.

Last week, I looked at the relationship between the Uncanny Vally, Sci Fi representation of AI as an institution, and the field  and deermined that all of these things would guide human production of AI. Whether negative or positive in representation/association, the market for robotics will be based on what people are willing to put forth dollars for. Currently, that’s the military, mostly. Therefore some of the world’s most sophisticated AI is crawling around in the Middle East.

Basically my conclusion is that these factors are inseperable, and will always evolve together. We don’t know how yet, but I feel all of these influences will tone the field and the future.

Check the Carnegie Mellon Site

and the Walle YouTube

and the Lego Fight YouTube

*quick update, to watch it big enough to actually see what the heck I am pointing to/shifting/highlighting click to the blip.tv link on the bottom and expand that sh**!  *

Click here to view the embedded video.

For now, watch it here!

Outline is as follows:

This post is to look at the growing difference between AI as a source of social mythology versus a growing industry.

The sensationalized social concept of robots has permeated pop culture in almost every way. We tend to romanticize robots as well as have a fixation on their relationship to human authority. Generally, fiction robots are almost on equal intelligence levels with real humans, thus the basis of their potential threat and interest.

The actual field of robotics is actually less glamorous, mostly used by the military, and representing a gross industrial impact of $ 5 billion internationally. Advances in the field have been made more and more possible by ever higher accessibility to technology, collaboration between fields, availability of goods, and more. Basically there is a lot more to come.

The tension I see between these two is the relative failure of the “anthropomorphic market” thus far. Meaning that right now there is almost no money throw into the industry to make robots look more like people from either side. My theory on this is that it freaks people out due, in part, to the uncanny valley theory.

Here is an e bibliography of the sites I used in the video:

The two definitions page

The YouTube uncanny valley video, also posted previously by myself

Surveying pop culture

The robots on the rise page

I will leave any relevant shifts on them too if you guys want to check them out.