The vague concept from DARPA
Most of today’s robots need some type of programming in order to carry out their intended tasks or functions. This applies to autonomous as well, even those with learning capabilities such as Robot Consortium’s iCub (able to learn languages like that of a child) need to have some specialized base-programming to function. Researchers from DARPA have recently announced that they have been developing a robotic brain that ‘looks and functions’ like that of its human counterpart. The brain is part of DARPA’s Physical Intelligence program which has received millions of government funded dollars over the past few years to develop a robotic brain that is able to ‘spontaneously evolve nontrivial intelligent behavior under thermodynamic pressure from its environment’ (or rather learn on its own). While the details of DARPA’s new robotic brain are for the most part non-existent, some details have emerged from Professor James Gimzewski (University of California) who is one of the researchers connected to the project. According to James the brain works similar to that of a humans in that it generates synthetic synaptic responses using nano-scale interconnected wires (instead of organic tissue) that perform billions of connections which is powered by thermodynamic pressure. Human synaptic responses (electrical and chemical) allow neurons to pass information to another cell, which enables us to learn and react to our environment, however until now it has never been successfully artificially replicated. According to DARPA the prospects of its new robotic brain will help in developing analytical tools which will lead to creating human-engineered physically intelligent systems (smart drones and robots for the military?) as well as giving researchers a better understanding of physical intelligence in the natural world. As with most of DARPA’s projects, don’t expect to see this new brain tech anytime soon in the civilian sector as it’s still early in development and hasn’t yet been adapted for use in future weapon system or robotic platforms.
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