Robot Rescue

August 28th, 2009

David Hanson has an idea he believes will change the world: Build inherently benevolent robots with artificial intelligence that rivals human brainpower and let them solve the problems we can't wrap our heads around.

His robots -- Jules, Albert Hubo and Joey Chaos, to name a few -- are human look-alikes he hopes will one day integrate into human society. Their faces, created with a patented artificial skin called Frubber, look and move almost exactly like ours.

As he describes his version of the future -- filled with robotic companions, tutors and personal assistants -- it conjures up cartoon-style views of George Jetson and his clunky, robotic maid, Rosie, who the family so desperately loved.

"They come to life, tell jokes, listen to you, talk about your bad day if you have one, and console you," he explains. "The robot learns about you and can become a friend."

Do not be fooled by the gee-whiz allure of the patter. He may at times sound like a boy discussing cool toys, but Mr. Hanson is a 39-year-old robotics engineer with controversial dreams.

"I'm motivated by that end objective. Have I created something that inspires love?" he says. "At the end of my development path I hope I can find a robot that is capable of love, capable of earning people's respect and integrating into not just society, but family, relationships."

Mr. Hanson, who was in Toronto recently to address a conference of big thinkers, is a soft-spoken Texan who dreamt of working in robotics even as a child. Pulled by the whims of attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorder, he enrolled in a Bachelor of Fine Arts program instead, an artistic sojourn that ended up giving him an unexpected edge. He became an expert sculptor, working for the Walt Disney company before moving on to animatronics.

He founded Hanson Robotics in 2005 before receiving a PhD in interactive arts and engineering from the University of Texas and now uses art to make his robots more engaging -- in both their startling realistic faces and their personalities.

His androids are impressive, decked out with state-of-the-art voice, facial and gesture recognition. They can engage in conversation (even if in primitive, computer-generated monotones), interrupt or be interrupted mid-sentence, and answer and ask questions.

Zeno, Hanson Robotics' first AI-equipped droid available to the public, is one of these friendly companion bots. Named after Mr. Hanson's three-year-old son (who is named after the Greek philosopher), Zeno is a small robotic toy with thick, spiked hair and a childish face, resembling an anime character.

Children with their own versions of the walking, talking Zeno -- expected to be available in stores within the next year -- will register their toy online and then customize its personality.

"There is actual intelligence there. It's not human-like, it's not human-level, but it's still aware and responsive to the user," says Mr. Hanson.

"He winds up being the channel for unpredictable cutting-edge technology. We don't know what sort of research is going to happen, what breakthroughs in AI. But one thing's for sure, a lot of this stuff will go right into Zeno and the Zeno will evolve."

But the robot-maker's vision goes beyond this cartoon-esque speculation. He sees robots not only as tools and companions, but saviours of humankind -- and this is where things get contentious.

Mr. Hanson strongly believes-- as do so many others in his field -- that eventually, real-life robots like Zeno, Jules, and Albert will "awaken" and gain real intelligence just as their ficitional counterparts have done in movies from 2001: A Space Odyssey to The Terminator. Once this happens, they will be able to tweak and upgrade their own software, rapidly increasing their intelligence.

Family robots might also take jobs to ease breadwinners' burdens and give their owners more leisure time. And because robots would need to be designed, created and repaired, they would open a new job sector for engineers and new-age mechanics.

Most importantly, these robots, he says, might be better able to clean up the mess we've made of our world.

"The best and brightest minds are required to solve things like global warming, to come up with renewable energy," he explains. "We need to be more inventive, we need to be more creative. But if you had software that was super creative, super fast... then that software might be able to solve those problems that we're struggling with."

Mr. Hanson realizes he's being optimistic in hoping human-level AI exists in 10 years, but that's where he'd like things to be. And his company is taking small steps toward that goal.

And those who are worried about a sci-fifuture that would be less like the whimsical Jetsons shows and more like the apocalyptic Terminator films -- in which self-aware robots sought to take over the world -- can take comfort in the fact that Mr. Hanson has thought of a way to avoid such a plight.

"The key is raising them right," he explains, "and they will inherently love us."

Chelsea Murray, National Post - July 04, 2009

Source: http://www.nationalpost.com/related/topics/story.html?id=1758391&p=1...