News Indexed by Topic

November 15, 2005: Unto us the Machine is born. By Kevin Kelly. The Sydney Morning Herald [originally published in Wired: We Are the Web; Issue 13.08 - August 2005]. "The web continues to evolve from an entity ruled by mass media and mass audiences to one ruled by messy media and messy participation. How far can this frenzy of creativity go? ... What matters is the network of social creation, the community of collaborative interaction that futurist Alvin Toffler called prosumption. ... The real transformation under way is more akin to what Sun Microsystem's John Gage had in mind in 1988 when he famously said: 'The network is the computer.' His phrase sums up the destiny of the web: as the operating system for a megacomputer that encompasses the internet, all its services, all peripheral chips and affiliated devices from scanners to satellites, and the billions of human minds entangled in this global network. This gargantuan Machine already exists in a primitive form. In the coming decade, it will evolve into an integral extension not only of our senses and bodies, but our minds. ... This planet-sized computer is comparable in complexity to a human brain. Both the brain and the web have hundreds of billions of neurons, or webpages. ... Danny Hillis, a computer scientist who once claimed he wanted to make an AI 'that would be proud of me', has invented massively parallel supercomputers, in part to advance us in that direction. He now believes the first real AI will emerge not in a stand-alone supercomputer such as IBM's proposed 23-teraflop Blue Brain, but in the vast tangle of the global Machine. ... Computing pioneer Vannevar Bush outlined the web's core idea - hyperlinked pages - in 1945, but the first person to try to build on the concept was a freethinker named Ted Nelson, who in 1965 envisioned his own scheme, which he called 'Xanadu'."
>>> The Future, Systems, History, Philosophy

November 8, 2005: Research money crunch in the U.S.By Marguerite Reardon. CNET News.com. "An outspoken group of information and communications technology innovators is worried that the United States is falling behind the rest of the world in technological innovation because fewer dollars are being allocated to long-term research. ... For much of the 20th century, major breakthroughs in technology came from large research laboratories like AT&T;'s Bell Laboratories, Xerox's Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) , and IBM's Watson Research Center. These research facilities operated much like national laboratories, making their discoveries and innovations available to anyone for modest license fees. ... In the early 1960s, the U.S. government started pouring money into information technology and communications research. It formed the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to fund high-risk, high-reward research. ... Today, DARPA and the National Science Foundation fund a large portion of the academic IT research in this country, say research experts. ... 'Traditionally funding in computer sciences has come from the U.S. government,' [Leonard] Kleinrock said. 'And it's contributed to some remarkable advances, such as the Internet and artificial intelligence. They (the government) used to step back and with some direction let you go develop something new. But that's not the case today. And DARPA is no longer thinking long-range.'"
>>> AI Overview, History, Applications

November 5, 2005: The robot that thinks like you... Scientists built a robot that thinks like we do and set it loose to explore the world. New Scientist discovers what happened next By Douglas Fox. New Scientist (subscription req'd.; Issue 2524). "The infant I am watching wander around its rather spartan playpen in the Neurosciences Institute (NSI) in La Jolla, California, is a more limited creature. It is a trashcan-shaped robot called Darwin VII, and it has just 20,000 brain cells. Despite this, it has managed to master the abilities of a 18-month-old baby – a pretty impressive feat for a machine. ... Darwin VII is the fourth in a series of robots that Jeff Krichmar and his colleagues at NSI have created in a quest to better understand how our own brains work. ... The idea of an artificial neural network that could perform computations was proposed as long ago as 1943, by Warren McCullough and Walter Pitts at the University of Illinois. ... [I]n the past few years, neuroscientists and AI researchers have started collaborating more closely, and their labours are beginning to bear fruit. Their conclusions challenge two decades of research into artificial neural networks."
>>> Cognitive Science, Robots, Neural Networks, Machine Learning, History, Systems

November 4, 2005: Amazon creates artificial artificial intelligence. By Kristen Millares Bolt. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer. "Amazon.com has launched a new program called Amazon Mechanical Turk, through which a computer can ask humans to perform tasks that it can’t do itself. The name Mechanical Turk dates back to 1769, when a Hungarian nobleman created a wooden robot-like mannequin that could play chess -- even defeating chess fanatic Benjamin Franklin in Paris. ... With Amazon Mechanical Turk, Amazon plans to supply 'artificial artificial intelligence' that connect programs needing the human touch with humans, such as the simple task of identifying objects in photographs (which humans can do better than computers). Examples of what humans can do for computers? Evaluate beauty, translate text and find specific objects in photos."
>>> AI Overview, History

October 24, 2005: Making computer work like a brain - Rutgers part of military project. By Kevin Coughlin. The Star-Ledger & NJ.com. "Rutgers University in Newark is among 15 institutions and companies sharing $9.5 million in grants for the first year of DARPA's Biologically-Inspired Cognitive Architectures program. When the field of artificial intelligence took shape in the 1950s -- spurred by pioneers at Bell Labs and Princeton University -- academics expected to build machines that reason and think like people, a branch of study later known as 'strong A.I.' But the task proved daunting and interest waned in the 1980s, starting a bleak 'A.I. winter.' Neuroscience research, meanwhile, has flourished. Techniques such as functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging, which tracks blood flow in the brain, have yielded clues about what each region of the brain actually does. 'We're saying there might be enough new information to build up computer models of how the brain works,' said [David] Gunning, a computer scientist and psychologist managing the DARPA project. ... DARPA is giving [Rutgers neuroscientist Mark] Gluck $172,000 to create a model of how memories begin in the hippocampus, a region of the brain within the temporal lobe on each side of the head. The hippocampus acts like a filter, tossing some tidbits and sending others for storage elsewhere. ... Ultimately, the Pentagon seeks smarter machines to fight wars with fewer soldiers. ... Civilian spinoffs could include smarter robots to clean your house or drive your car, or truly helpful programs to sift your communications. ... But the project troubles some people. Smart-yet-unfeeling war machines could make the battlefield 'an even nastier place,' says bioethicist Arthur Caplan of the University of Pennsylvania."

Also see: Understanding the mind. Rutgers-Newark professor to study artificial intelligence. Opinion column. The Daily Targum (October 25, 2005). "[Mark Gluck] has already used the hippocampus as a model for programming to solve problems on Navy helicopters. This program was able to detect unfamiliar vibrations in gear boxes of the helicopters before they resulted in crashes. Not only is this research a positive step toward increasing safety on military machines, but any research done on the hippocampus will most likely yield advancements in medical research.... There are those who fear certain of the project's long-term goals to design technology that will make machines - such as unmanned tanks - capable of fighting wars with fewer soldiers. However, these wary skeptics need to remain open-minded. People should eagerly take on any opportunity to seek out technological advances that may help the lives of many."

>>> Cognitive Science, Neural Networks & Connectionist Systems, Machine Learning, Military, Applications, Ethical & Social Implications, Emotions, AI Overview, History

October 18, 2005: 1965 - Key to the computer's future reflections. From the AustralianIT archives. " Men: key to the computer's future - Experts argue vehemently on the long-range effects of computers - whether computers will merely upset our weekly rhythm of work and leisure of five days on and two days off, or lead on to mass unemployment and disaster. As the controversy grows one thing is obvious - all arguments rage over and around apparently malevolent machines. But a computer is a lifeless thing, a structure of electronic components in steel boxes which look like broom cupboards."
>>> Ethical & Social Implications, History

October 17, 2005: Gates donates $15 million to museum - Mountain View institution records computing history. By Benjamin Pimentel. San Francisco Chronicle & SFGate.com. "Bill Gates is donating $15 million to the Computer History Museum, the biggest gift in the history of the Silicon Valley institution, which maintains the world's largest collection of computing artifacts. The gift from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will help the Mountain View museum reach its goal of raising $125 million for educational programs and a long-term endowment. ... The museum will also use the Gates donation for its 'Timeline of Computing History,' an ambitious interactive exhibit that seeks to chronicle the history of computing and its impact on the human experience. ... The museum began in Boston in 1979 under the name Digital Computer Museum. It moved to Silicon Valley in 1996."
>>> History, Exhibits (@ Resources for Students)

October 10, 2005: Autonomous car comes in first place. By Mandy Kovach. The Stanford Daily. "The Stanford Racing Team's driverless Volkswagen Touareg, fondly dubbed Stanley, braved the harsh terrain of the Mojave Desert, winning the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Grand Challenge, a race to develop fully autonomous vehicles, this past Saturday. Stanley completed the 132-mile course with a time of 6:53:08 -- averaging over 19 miles per hour on the course -- and bringing home the $2 million prize. According to Computer Science Prof. Sebastian Thrun, the racing team's project leader, this success not only means a lot in terms of defense technology, but it also changes the face of modern transportation."

Volkswagen wins robotic race across the desert. By David L Chandler. NewScientist.com news. (October 10, 2005). "And in a stunning improvement on 2004's Grand Challenge, when no car completed more than 5% of the course, four other vehicles also finished. The 212-kilometre race across the Nevada desert is set by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). 'These vehicles haven't just achieved world records, they have made history,' says DARPA director Tony Tether. ... During the race, all vehicles had to function autonomously, with no input of any kind from outside. The only exception was a 'kill switch' controlled by a race official, available in case of an emergency."
Stanford Wins Desert Race by a Microchip. By John Johnson Jr.. Los Angeles Times (October 10, 2005). "Stanford University's robot racing team Sunday was declared the winner of $2 million in the Defense Department's Grand Challenge race to develop an autonomous vehicle that could become a model for battlefield robots. The team's technology-laden robotic vehicle, a converted Volkswagen sport utility vehicle named Stanley, navigated a 131-mile course in the southern Nevada desert in 6 hours, 53 minutes and 58 seconds, beating the second-place finisher, Carnegie Mellon University's Sandstorm Humvee, by about 11 minutes. The race was Saturday, but a winner was not declared until Sunday, after race judges computed the results. ... DARPA's goal when it opened the competition in 2004 was to encourage development of vehicles that could operate autonomously in war zones, meeting a congressional mandate that 30% of the military's vehicle fleet be robots by 2015. The technology of robotic vehicles 'is no longer a toy,' Tether said. Stanley's average speed of 19.1 mph is in the range that military convoys travel, he said. Several of the teams have appointments scheduled with the Army in coming weeks, Tether said. ... What separated Stanford from the pack, team members said, was a combination of testing experience and software that allowed the vehicle to make good decisions on the fly. 'We spent the last two months in the desert in Arizona,' said Mike Montemerlo, a post-doctoral candidate in Stanford's Artificial Intelligence Laboratory who was in charge of the vehicle's software package."
In pictures: Robot racers conquer the desert. BBC News (October 10, 2005). "
- Also from BBC News: Robotic racers achieve milestone. By Chris Vallance. (October 9, 2005) "But the real prize could be fewer US casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan. ... The military's need for vehicles which can drive themselves is most pressing in Iraq, where US logistical and military convoys come under frequent attack by insurgents. ... Scott Wilson, of the Cajunbot team from the University of Louisiana, at Lafayette, spent days in a boat helping to rescue people from flooded areas of New Orleans. He saw at first hand how fears over safety slowed and in some cases halted rescue work. With driver-less vehicles, rescue might have come sooner."
Stanford's robotic VW makes like 'Herbie' - University's car uses computer brain, sensors to win $2 million race. By Alicia Chang. The Associated Press / available from Inside Bay Area.

>>> Autonomous Vehicles, Robots, Military, Applications, Grand Challenges, Competitions (@ Resources for Students), History, Ethical & Social Implications

October 8, 2005: Stanford robotic vehicle finishes $2 million Mojave Desert race. By Alicia Chang. The Associated Press / available from SFGate.com. "A customized Volkswagen SUV entered by Stanford University became the first autonomous vehicle to cross the finish line of a $2 million Pentagon-sponsored race across the rugged Mojave Desert on Saturday without help from a human driver or remote control. The race announcer did not immediately declare a winner because 22 out of the 23 robots left the starting line at staggered times at dawn, racing against the clock rather than each other. ... Stanley finished the course in less than 7 1/2 hours. The unmanned vehicles must use their computer brains and sensing devices to follow a programmed route and avoid hitting obstacles that may doom their chances."

Stanford's win boosts robotics technology field. By Alicia Chang. The Associated Press / available from The Mercury News (October 8, 2005). "Stanley, the Volkswagen Touareg that won a $2 million desert road race all on its own - in a sense - bears a logo that plays off its manufacturer's slogan. 'Drivers not required.' The robotic SUV finished first in a 132-mile trek across the rugged and twisting Nevada desert, in what may be an early step toward getting vehicles to do their own driving for everything from war-zone supply missions to morning commutes. 'This is no longer a hobby,' said Anthony Tether, director of the Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, which organized the race. 'We're talking about technology that has a real mission.' ... In second place was a red Humvee from Carnegie Mellon University called Sandstorm, followed by a customized Hummer called H1ghlander. Coming in fourth was a Ford Escape Hybrid named Kat-5, designed by students in Metairie, La., who lost about a week of practice and some lost their homes when Hurricane Katrina blew into the Gulf Coast."
In a Grueling Desert Race, a Winner, but Not a Driver. By John Markoff. The New York Times (October 9, 2005; registration req'd.). "The Stanford scientists who led the 18-month effort to build Stanley said they saw their victory as a significant leap forward in the field of artificial intelligence, a discipline that has long suffered from big promises that did not pan out. 'This is for people who say, "Cars can't drive themselves,"' said Sebastian Thrun, the director of the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory and co-leader of the Stanford team. 'These are the same people who said the Wright brothers wouldn't fly.' ... 'The Grand Challenge has been conquered,' Dr. [Anthony J.] Tether said. ... Mr. Thrun, of the Stanford team, said advances in the field of self-driving vehicles would start to come more quickly. 'Extrapolate two, three or four years out, and then let your imagination play,' he said."
Computers, start your engines - Stanford team apparent winners in robot car race. By Tom Abate. San Francisco Chronicle & SFGate.com (October 9, 2005). "DARPA Director Anthony Tether refused to declare Stanford the official winner Saturday, in part because two robotic vehicles -- one entered by a team from Louisiana and the other backed by engineers from Oshkosh, Wis. -- were still in the field late Saturday afternoon after starting late in the staggered release of the 23 teams. By early evening, one of those two robots, Gray Team, crossed the finish line, and because this was a race against the clock, it is technically possible that it could be in contention for the fastest finish time. Tether said the other robot, Team TerraMax, would be paused overnight and allowed to resume the competition Sunday morning. Despite the fuzzy finish, Tether said Saturday's event would be to robotic cars what the first Wright brothers flight was to aviation. ... In the flush of Saturday's finish, Stanford's Thrun predicted that driverless technology would evolve slowly into practical use, appearing first as tools to help drivers avoid accidents and slowly gaining more control over the wheel as social customs and laws gain respect for artificial intelligence systems. DARPA's Tether brushed aside a reporter's question about whether the robotic vehicles tested Saturday might be the first step toward the creation of military killer robots such as those popularized in the Terminator movies. 'We took that first step back in the 1880s, when the first (mechanical) computers were put together,' Tether said."
Driverless robots reach milestone in DARPA race. By Stefanie Olsen. CNET News.com (October 8, 2005). "Stanford University's Racing Team has accomplished a historic feat of robotics, finishing first in the DARPA Grand Challenge, a 131.6-mile driverless car race that no artificially intelligent machine has ever conquered before. 'We had a great day,' said Sebastian Thrun, director of Stanford's artificial intelligence lab and head of the racing team. Stanford's 'Stanley,' a modified Volkswagen Toureg with sensors and radar mountings, crossed the finish line within eight hours and 14 minutes, under the 10 hour requirement, according to times posted on the DARPA race Web site. Although an official winner will not be announced until all robots either finish or burn out, the DARPA Grand Challenge 'has been conquered,' according to a spokesman for the department. 'These are world records,' he added."

>>> Autonomous Vehicles, Robots, Military, Applications, Grand Challenges, Competitions (@ Resources for Students), History, Ethical & Social Implications