A. At first glance, it appeared to be a typical suburban road accident. A Land Rover approached a Chevrolet Tahoe estate car that had stopped at a curb; the Land Rover drove out and attempted to pass the Tahoe just as it started off again. There was a crack of the fender and the sound of paint being scraped, the kind of minor accident that occurs tens of thousands of times a day on the roads. Typically, drivers exit their vehicles, gesticulate, exchange insurance information, and then drive away. In November’s DARPA (U.S. Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency) Urban Challenge, both the Tahoe and the Land Rover were being driven by computers.

B. It’s mind-boggling to think that machines could perform to such high levels. Driving is a complex task that takes a long time for humans to master. Nonetheless, each car had its on-board computer loaded with a digital map and route plans, and was instructed to navigate busy roads, distinguish between pedestrians and stationary objects, determine whether other vehicles were parked or moving off, and handle various parking maneuvers, all of which robots proved to be surprisingly adept at. The fact that the only scrape in the entire tournament was between the robot Land Rover developed by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Tahoe outfitted by Cornell University Artificial Intelligence (AI) experts was even more striking. However, only three years ago, at DARPA’s previous driverless car competition, every robot contender – assigned to traverse over a length of the open desert – crashed or seized up before reaching the finish line?

C. It is a stunning transition with obvious implications for the future of automobiles. Bill Gates, the CEO of Microsoft and an ardent supporter of robots and AI, has emphasized the significance of the advancements made in robotics and AI over the previous several years. He argues that the robotics sector is evolving similarly to the computer industry 30 years ago. As he points out, electronic corporations produce increasingly sophisticated gadgets that imitate pets and youngsters. Gates states, “I can envision a future in which robotic technologies would become practically ubiquitous in our daily lives.” We may be on the cusp of a new era in which the PC will leave the desktop and enable us to see, hear, touch, and operate objects in locations where we are not physically present.

D. What is the near-future potential for robots and computers? We have a long way to go before real robots catch up to their science fiction counterparts which is a fact, said Gates. Then, what are the stumbling blocks? One crucial challenge is teaching robots their proper location. This has nothing to do with etiquette or class but it is only a matter of location. Humans orient themselves with ease in relation to other objects in a room. Robots find the task to be nearly impossible. “Even something as simple as distinguishing between an open door and a window might be difficult for a robot”, according to Gates. This relegated robots to very immobile and cumbersome roles until recently.

E. Researchers tried to get around the problem a long time ago by mimicking the visual processing that occurs in the human cortex. However, this problem has proven to be extremely difficult and complex. “We have gotten substantially more pragmatic in our work,” says Nello Cristianini, professor of artificial intelligence at the University of Bristol in England and associate editor of the Journal of Artificial Intelligence Research. “We’re not trying to duplicate human functions anymore.” Instead, we’re searching for simpler options, such as using basic electronic sensors.’ Vacuuming robots like the Electrolux Trilobite are good examples of this strategy. The Trilobite scuttles around houses, producing ultrasonic signals that produce room maps that are saved for future cleaning. This form of technology, according to philosopher Ron Chrisley, chairman of the Centre for Research in Cognitive Science at the University of Sussex in England, is currently changing the face of robots.

F. Last year, Robot Kitchen, a new Hong Kong eatery, opened with two sensor-laden humanoid machines directing clients to their seats. Each one has a touch-screen where orders may be entered. After that, the robot returns with the proper dishes. Researchers from the University of Tokyo recently demonstrated a kitchen ‘android’ that could do things like wash dishes, make tea, and cook a few simple meals. The ultimate goal is to give robot house aides to the sick and elderly, which is a major problem in Japan, where 22% of the population is 65 or older. Over a billion dollars is spent each year on research into robots that can care for the elderly. ‘Robots must first learn basic skills, such as how to manoeuvre around a house without colliding with objects. Then we can consider teaching them how to communicate with humans,’ Chrisley explained. These machines lead academics into the topic of socialised robotics, which focuses on how to make robots behave in a way that does not terrify or offend people. ‘We need to figure out how robots should interact with people and how they should look.’ Chrisley says, “That is likely to be a significant topic for future research.”