TrialAndError
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Tenacious robot ashamed of creator's performance, shows mankind how it's done (video)
Looks like researchers have made another step towards taking Skynet live: giving robots the groundwork for gloating. A Swiss team of misguided geniuses have developed learning algorithms that allow robot-kind to learn from human mistakes. Earthlings guide the robot through a flawed attempt at completing a task, such as catapulting a ball into a paper basket; the machine then extrapolates its goal, what went wrong in the human-guided example, and how to succeed, via trial and error. Rather than presuming human demonstrations represent a job well done, this new algorithm assumes all human examples are failures, ultimately using their bad examples to help the 'bot one-up its creators. Thankfully, the new algorithm is only being used with a single hyper-learning appendage; heaven forbid it should ever learn how to use the robot-internet.
TUAW's Daily App: Theseus
Theseus isn't for everyone -- it's a little slower-paced and more thoughtful than a lot of apps in the store, and the puzzles included get hard fast. But if you're looking for a challenge and a little bit of brain-teasing on your iPhone, Theseus will provide just that. It's a puzzle game based on the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur. You control Theseus, represented by blue dot on a series of mazes. Your job is to try and get away from the Minotaur, the red dot, and make it to the exit on each screen. The catch? You only get to move one square each turn, while the Minotaur gets to move two. But he will always try to move toward you, so with a little clever planning, there's always a way to evade him and escape the Labyrinth. That can be fiendishly tough, but the game is solidly built, with a whole slew of ways to undo and reset the game if you run into problems. Trial and error can get you far, and if you get too frustrated, there's a hint button that will help you get through the game's over 80 levels. There's a free version to try out, and if you enjoy figuring out ways to get around the Minotaur, Theseus is on the App Store for US$1.99.
