Posts Tagged ‘artificial intelligence’
Smart CCTV System Would Use Algorithm to Zero in on Crime-Like Behavior
Naturally, the system is raising privacy concerns of its own. But the aptly named Dr. James Orwell, who works on the team that is developing the system, says it will actually reduce the amount of Big Brother-ism associated with municipal CCTV systems by helping law enforcement focus on what’s criminal--and delete the rest of the footage of law abiding citizens going about their lives.
The system works by recognizing actions rather than individuals. Some behaviors--crowds running or converging in certain places, for instance--are known as “trigger events” and they set off a chain of events within the system. So say someone pulls a gun; people tend to scatter haphazardly in that situation, and the system can recognize that as a trigger event indicative of some kind of civil problem.
So aside from alerting authorities, the system would also reach back and begin collating footage from that camera and nearby cameras from the minutes before the crime began unfolding. It can also follow a person suspected of criminal activity from camera to camera, so police could track a criminal after the fact. The end result is a more complete video composite of a crime from the minutes leading up to the act and through the minutes following it.
And should no crime be committed at a certain place at a certain time--as is usually the case--the system knows that it can hold the footage for only the minimum required time and then delete it. This, Dr. Orwell says, directly addresses the privacy concern that people are being monitored by the state all the time.
Naturally, privacy groups and gun-brandishing criminals aren’t so much digging the idea.
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‘Lovotics’ Engineers Attempt to Give Robots the Ability to Love
That means artificial hormones--dopamine, seratonin, oxytocin, endorphin--that ebb and flow based on how the robot is “feeling.” It also means psychology, in this case using MRI brain scans to recreate artificial intelligence that creates affection--or a lack therof--towards a human counterpart.
Just as in human relationships, this human-robot love is based on interactions. The robot can become bored, jealous, angry, affectionate, or flat-out happy, all based on how the human object of its desire interacts with it. Most of this interaction takes place through touching--another analog to affectionate human interaction. The robot isn’t so cuddly, but give it some puppy love and it will love you back.
But spurn its advances at your own peril. If the chilling conclusion of episode one below is any indication, perhaps this isn’t such a great idea. It might just turn out that hell hath no fury like a lovebot scorned.
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Japan Is Building Artificially Intelligent Rockets, Hoping to Streamline Operations and Cut Costs
Most spacecraft have intelligent capabilities, like adjusting their trajectories, evaluating their status and deciding whether to conduct tasks, and putting themselves in safe mode when something unexpected happens, among others. Last year, NASA uploaded software onto the Opportunity Mars rover that allows it to which rocks it should investigate.
But so far, rockets are nothing better than automated. They can notify engineers when something is wrong, but they can’t do anything about it. Most designs still use decades-old technology, and as such are “a showcase of deficiencies,” as Yasuhiro Morita, project manager for the new Epsilon rocket, said in a .
Epsilon would be able to check itself out, find out what caused a malfunction, and in some cases, fix itself, . One example could be electrical currents that control the rocket thruster’s orientation, which controls its direction. Intelligent rocket systems could guard against electrical surges, or correct for them to make sure the rocket doesn’t go off course.
Epsilon is a three-stage solid fuel rocket intended for light to medium-sized payloads, which would mostly consist of science spacecraft. Its first mission will be 25 percent cheaper than a comparable launch on Japan's M-V rocket.
Perhaps it will decide for itself which asteroid to .
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Tracking Software Uses Reasoning to Figure Out Who and Where You Are
The idea behind the software was to eliminate the need for other, more physical forms of tracking, like RFID (or, in the future, RFID's more powerful brother, ), but using artificial intelligence to supplement mid- or even low-end cameras. Simply recognizing a face from a security camera is no joke--people can look vastly different day to day, and there are all kinds of variables (angle, lighting, clothing, posture) that can throw off the effectiveness of that kind of software. But what if said software could make certain rational assumptions?
This system requires cameras--though not necessarily top-of-the-line cameras--be placed at building entrances or exits, a place where they can capture with reasonable quality a person's face, height, or gait. That information is fed to a central computer, which notes not only the appearance of that person but also their location. From there, the central computer cross-checks that person's scan with all the others currently in the building, thereby eliminating some of the troublesome variables. If Dr. ScrubStealer is in the supply closet on the fifth floor, she couldn't possibly also be the similar-looking Nurse SleepsALot, who is down in the second-floor lounge, napping in the middle of her shift.
That further reasoning allows the system to identify people with much higher accuracy than other systems using low-quality cameras, which can be a boon for struggling hospitals (hospitals being one of the prime candidates for the system) that are unable to pay for pricey HD security loops. The only possible foil: Twins.
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A Rogue Robot that Smashes Entire Cities (and Box Office Records)
The robot star of the Tamil blockbuster Robot can replicate and form into giant hegemonizing spheres, cobras, drill bits, and the like
While Chitti is the fictional subject and eventual villain of the Terminator-esque Tamil sci-fi flick (it translates simply to "The Robot"), and while it’s not actually real, it is really cool. Since its release in October, Enthiran has been explosively popular on the Indian sub-continent, turning into both the biggest Tamil and the biggest Indian film of all time. Both Stan Winston Studios (of Terminator fame) and Industrial Light and Magic were involved in the production, and yes, the English dub (and the 3-D version) is in the works.
The plot revolves around a scientist who creates an artificially intelligent robot and then (spoiler!) loses control of it (both scientist and superbot are played by Tamil superstar Rajinikanth). Don’t believe the hype? Withhold judgment until you’ve seen Chitti’s over-the-top acrobatics and multi-bot configuration combat in the video below. Enthiran no Salvation, but we think you’ll agree it’s at least better than Rise of the Machines.
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Live Tweeting Now: Ken Jennings vs. Watson, the Jeopardy!-Playing Supercomputer
Remember ? We're currently at IBM's offices watching the world's best Jeopardy-bot take on Ken Jennings, the winningest human to play the game. right now for the live blow-by-blow, and stay tuned for a full report later today.
Smart Computer-Vision Systems To Spot Prison Riots Before They Happen
Computer-vision isn’t new – researchers have been developing the technology as long as they’ve been chasing artificial intelligence. But recent strides could soon introduce machine observers into many corners of society, from institutions like hospitals and schools to the workplace and public streets. Computer vision systems can now to determine his or her heart rate, register a person’s emotional response to a product, or recognize behavioral patterns.
As such, many see computer-vision as the future of robotics. DARPA is certainly wise to its potential, having launched a program called to develop machines that can analyze visual data and communicate it to other computers or humans, even making decisions based on what they see. And perhaps there’s no better example of its proliferation than Microsoft’s Kinect addition for Xbox 360, which introduces a machine vision peripheral into the living room (the company is reportedly flirting with the idea of using the Kinect to to viewers and measure their responses to it).
The implications of that kind of tech are vast; whereas human observers can be distracted, lazy, or overwhelmed, robot observers are always vigilant and able to draw on huge databases of information. Mashed up with a citywide surveillance system like those common in the UK, facial recognition software could locate and track a lost child or a suspected evildoer while at the same time monitoring traffic patterns and issuing weather advisories.
But will complex computer-vision systems go mainstream in 2011? Likely not. For one, though the hardware exists to collect more (and more detailed) visual data than ever before, the software has not developed as rapidly. Instruments like the Air Force’s Gorgon Stare – a nine-camera UAV attachment that can capture footage of an entire city all at once – are ready for deployment, but software that can sort through all that visual data and analyze it for trends, patterns, and other relevant info hasn’t yet caught up.
But while technological developments will close the gap between computer-vision hardware and software in coming years, privacy concerns will be the largest obstacle to its deployment. While systems that monitor prison yards for fistfights or remind hospital workers to wash their hands will likely be adopted without a fuss, systems that recognize faces or track citizens’ movements through cities are going to be a much harder sell.
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