Researchers working to teach creepy baby robot to talk
By Donald Melanson 
posted February 28th 2008 1:13PM
posted February 28th 2008 1:13PM
The iCub robot was already doing pretty well for itself in the creepiness department, but a group of researchers from the University of Plymouth are now working to take things one big step further, by teaching the so-called "baby robot" to talk (as opposed to teaching it baby talk). That will supposedly be done over the next four years, during which time the researchers will work with language development specialists who normally study how parents teach children to speak. Eventually, they hope that the robot will be able to perform basic tasks like stacking wooden blocks, and be able name objects and actions so that it can speak basic phrases like "robot puts stick on cube" or "I want more life, father." What's more, while the research hasn't even begun yet, one of the professors involved sees it as nothing short of a milestone, saying that "the outcome of the research will define the scientific and technological requirements for the design of humanoid robots able to develop complex behavioural, thinking and communication skills through individual and social learning." Unless the robot gets some ideas of its own, that is.[Image courtesy of BBC News]
Whoa!!! That is seriously disturbing. I for one do not welcome this one...
I really want to ask him this question:
What is the Square Root of -1?
Actually, the line from Blade Runner is, "I want more life, fucker." AIs are notoriously potty-mouthed.
It's Casper the metal-skeletoned Robot!
I think I know who I'm gonna call...
...Ghostbusters! (with all their brilliant, brilliant sarcasm)
hay, I saw this robot in POP SCI mag, it learns how to do things by observing real people just like a baby.
Other phrases the robot will learn:
"robot kill human, take over"
"resistance is futile"
"johnny five is alive"
"danger will robinson"
"come with me if you want to live"
Don't forget the first thing they should teach it...
"Yes... I will blend"
(just to eliminate any further stupid questions)
You forgot:
"Hi, I'm Chucky, and I'm your friend to the end. Hi-dee-ho. Ha ha ha."
"Hi, I'm Chucky, wanna play?"
"Playtime's over"
"I promise I won't kill anyone else"
What about "all your base are belong to us" ??
@ Neoprimal
Chucky was a possessed talking doll. Not a technically advanced robot doll. Although I did forget:
"My CPU is a neural net processor, a learning computer"
What about, "It can't form complex machinery, only knives, stabbing weapons."
You forgot "Bite my shiny metal ass!"
Input!
My top choices:
"Intruder alert! Intruder alert!"
"Welcome to Good Burger, home of the Good Burger, can I take your order?"
best freakin post eva
"Like kill men. For you for you."
[/obscure]
"Unless the robot gets some ideas of it's own"
Hi journalists, please learn the difference between the possessive "its" and the contraction of "it is"
thank you
I like how that one eye is kinda lazy in the photo.
Ga! Kill it! KILL IT!
That's it. Engadget doesn't care about its readers. I mean why are they so hell bent on giving us nightmares and making us pee in our pants?
it needs to come with a pet cricket and say "I want to be a real boy"
"...they're machines, Sarah. and they absolutely...will...not...stop. EVER!"
Quick, someone call Daft Punk, their robo-baby is loose!
my god it really does look like that huh? Daft Punk rocks and so does their robo-baby-technologic-singing-thingy!
creepy lil shit.
Thats what she said.
Am I the only one that doesn't see much sense in teaching a robot to think for himself? Okay, better AI in games would be nice, but not getting shot in real life by a robot that thinks humans are obsolete is even nicer!
This is exactly what I think the research field of robotics is lacking. Too much time has been spent on "programming" robots how to walk, talk, recognize, and not enough is being spent on emulating the human behavior of learning. We couldn't do anything but shit our pants when we were born and we should be taking robitics from the same standpoint.
Just out of curiosity, how exactly would a robot shit its pants?
You did forget crying though, which I'm not exactly sure we would want the robots learning from the get go.
Ben, We were so much more complex than that... where do you think the shit came from? I'd be truely amazed if they could make a robot that shit all the time and didn't need anything put in... that would be spontaneous creation!!... , but wouldn't that make the robot god? ...maybe I am getting ahead of myself...
No, I completely agree with you. I'm just saying that I think we're taking robotics from the wrong angle, trying to program them to do things that we learn. Instead of programming a robot to walk and keep from falling over, program it to learn how to get back up and gather data on why it fell over and use that to prevent it from falling over again. That's how we learned to walk. Sometimes you just gotta let a robot fall on its ass!
As a BR nerd I must back up Mj -- it's "I want more life, fucker," but perhaps you were just sanitizing it for us.
That thing is just one voodoo seance away from being a Chucky doll.
"I want more life, father."
Woah. That phrase is seriously horror movie-esque. If my son ever said that, I'd check his belly to make sure it didn't read "REDRUM."
I wonder if this doll will be 3 Laws compliant...
I think there's a quote from every robot movie I've ever seen in here.
I had no idea that robots could have babies, although i guess this does explain why there are male and female "ports".
"I'm afraid I can't do that Dave."
I for one will be welcoming our robot overlords with "Who's a pretty little robot then, would you like your teddy". Then I'll rest easy, confident in the knowledge that instead of conquering the planet it will be watching X factor until I'm recycling under ground.
Unless of course '[it starts] learning at an exponential rate and becomes self aware at...'
Yuck, Boohbah face.
this is one really scary thought.
its only a matter of time now. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skynet_%28satellites%29