Blog Assignment #4

A video of the Nao Robot, by Aldebaran Robotics, was uploaded on YouTube on 30 October 2008. It is an advertisement for the Nao robot, giving the audience information on the robot’s specification while showing the robot in action at the same time. Unlike some advertisements for other products, this video has a professional tone to it. The video doesn’t proclaim the Nao Robot as the newest innovative technology or what impact it will have for the people who purchase it. Instead, it simply gives a rundown of the robot’s basic functions and components. For example at around 1:47 in the video, a second Nao robot comes on screen and says “Hello Nao 75;” the first Nao robot then responds “Hello Nao 41.” Shortly after their introductions, we are given the information that the Nao robot contains Infrared Wi-Fi Voice communication. (“Nao Robot”, 2008, 1:40-1:50) This section of the video is a basic demonstration of the Nao robot’s communication system with other Nao robots. Only the Nao robots communicating and the info regarding how they communicate (the brief “Infrared Wi-Fi Voice” at 1:50) are shown. This pattern holds throughout the entire video, allowing Aldebaran Robotics to give a quick summary of their product without creating hype.

Artificial Intelligence is defined as “the science and technology that seeks to create intelligent computational systems…..that can mimic or duplicate the intelligent behavior found in humans and other thinking things.” (Sullins, 2005) The term “intelligence” is somewhat broad. It can be agreed upon that humans are intelligent beings and other animals have some level of intelligence as well. The question is what would make a machine artificially intelligent? If the goal of artificial intelligence is to create artifacts that hold the same intelligence as a human being, then there are many processes the artifact must be capable of doing. Just looking at ourselves reveals that our intelligence is a very complex thing. We are always learning new things for example, and even if we don’t know what is going on, we can create explanations using the knowledge we already have, and that’s just one part of the human mind! I wouldn’t consider the Nao robot to be truly artificially intelligent. The reason is because the Nao robot doesn’t appear to have the ability to question and experiment. For example, if it didn’t know what a rubber ducky was, it could’ve first made observations and asked itself questions like what happens if I squeeze it? But that is being a bit too critical for the Nao at this point in time.

Both the YouTube video of the Nao robot and the technical description presented in class give a brief run through the different components of how the Nao robot works, without creating any hype or bias. The technical description however has the advantage of going in depth with the components, describing how the Nao is able to do certain things along with pictures to show those components in action. The video however, being an advertisement, only gives a brief summary of the Nao’s specifications. But being a video has the advantage of showing us a Nao robot in live action. So while a short advertisement isn’t the place to describe the programs behind what we see, what we can see are what those components allow the Nao to do.

References

Nao Robot [Online Video]. (2008, October 30).YouTube. Retrieved April 27, 2013, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2STTNYNF4lk

P. Sullins, J. (2005). Artificial Intelligence. In Encyclopedia of Science, Technology and Ethics (Vol. 1, pp. 110-113). Detroit: Gale. Retrieved April 27, 2013, from the Gale Virtual Reference Science Collection database.