RobotVillage
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UK scientists building robot village -- can we come?
We've had it with all these sucky carbon-based lifeforms we have to smell and talk to every day. Some scientists at University of Abertay in the UK are setting up a four-year study of 60 miniature robots in a "village" setting, and we're hoping they've got room for a blogger or two. The bots will be split into groups and programmed to observe and imitate one another performing different tasks. Since the imitations will be slightly different each time, the scientists hope to be able to develop a sort of robot "culture" to try and understand how culture emerges in natural and artificial societies. Then things will get really crazy, nerd style. The scientists will alter conditions -- don't say we didn't warn you -- to see how the robots will adapt, and will alternate between states several times over a period of months to see just how much they can screw with the hapless bots. Perhaps this doesn't sound like so much fun after all, we're out. If you see a small, disgruntled army of 60 or so miniature bots wandering around your corner of England in the next few months, we suggest you run.
