What is a robot

Yes, I am old enough to remember Eliza. In fact I programmed a version in snobol. I don't think that it passed the turing test. AFAIK no programm passed. Some claim that their programm did but this is allways disputed. There is the Loebner Price for the best chatbot of the year, the contestants manage to convince around 1/3 of the judges that they are human. So I guess that's the state of the art.

I think part of the original definition included Humanoid like

That's an android / gynoid then.

That would rule out most of the machines we usually call robots like industrial robots. So I don't think that should be required. But an interaction with a changing environment and reaction to thoes changes would be IMHO.

The citation of Eliza was almost provocative. The point - IMHO - that Eliza & sons CAN'T pass the Turing process is that all the AI orientation is mimic. The reason, I think, most depends on the implicit awareness to be not able to do better. So if we can't solve the problem, we change the terms of the problem in a more solvable form. Remain the fact that the first AI studies started from mimic, reached the highest theorisation levels around the mid of '80s then a general empasse and the fast growing of the world of fast computing technologies and real world data acquisition through always cheaper and sophisticate sensors opened the door to a great lie, almost globally accepted as the truth: mimic machines are sufficient to do what the industry need, so we call robots, include strong programming behaviours and decide that this is AI.

I simply disagree and have my personal theories. The point, just to close with a question is: how much is risky and dangerous in the today technology scenario if someone really setup a silica-mind able to take really autonomous decisions based on what can learn making abstractions ?

most industrial robots are humanoid but only part of the human, namely the arm including the shoulder that is typically mounted to a firm base, consisting of shoulder, elbow, upper and lower arm, wrist and a manipulator (Hand)

Enrico Miglino wrote:

 

BTW: Do you remember Eliza? Do this passed the turing test ?

For a wonderful Eliza reference, check out George Lucas' THX-1138 (1971).  In Lucas' dystopia, the hero THX-1138 is feeling troubled and goes into a booth to talk to the diety OMM, who replies to his concerns in exactly the same way as an Eliza program.

John

not only, but TH1138 really is a great sf novel by Ben Bova I have read at the end of '70 published in Italian translation by the editor Mondadori in Italy in the historical series of SF novels Urania. In the novel this part is better represented as it is possible only in written stories.

Enrico

When I was at college I played with a piece of software that ran around a MUSH I tweeked it to run an Eliza like programme and had great fun watching people chatting with it. So I sent my mods back to the creator who turned out to be Marvin Minsky!!

I was so amazed that I got a reply that I kept it, it will be on a floppy disk somewhere