A university in Devon is preparing to find out if a baby robot can be taught to talk.
Staff at the University of Plymouth will work with a 1m-high (3ft) humanoid baby robot called iCub.

Over the next four years robotics experts will work with language development specialists who research how parents teach children to speak.

Their findings could lead to the development of humanoid robots which learn, think and talk.

The project is believed to be the first of its kind in the world and typical experiments with the iCub robot will include activities such as inserting objects of various shapes into the corresponding holes in a box, serialising nested cups and stacking wooden blocks.

Artificial intelligence

The iCub, which will arrive at the university next year, will also be asked to name objects and actions so that it acquires basic phrases such as “robot puts stick on cube”.

A consortium led by the University of Plymouth, a world leader in cognitive robotics research, beat competition from 31 others to win a £4.7m grant for the Italk - Integration and Transfer of Action and Language Knowledge in Robots - project.

The university’s partners in the project include the University of Hertfordshire and others from across Europe.

Angelo Cangelosi, Professor in Artificial Intelligence said: “The outcome of the research will define the scientific and technological requirements for the design of humanoid robots able to develop complex behavioural, thinking and communication skills through individual and social learning.“

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/7268965.stm

He’s cute - if they want a babysitter, I volunteer!

He’s probably better behaved than human kids…
I’d be willing to babysit.

The project is believed to be the first of its kind in the world and typical experiments with the iCub robot will include activities such as inserting objects of various shapes into the corresponding holes in a box, serialising nested cups and stacking wooden blocks.

Step One: Create unstoppable force of cup stacking minions to displace night stockmen at super markets.

Step Two:  Program robots to stack all cans upside down thereby causing worldwide confusion and chaos!

Step Three:  WORLD DOMINATION!!!  BWAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

(Now we just have to figure out how to get from step two to step three…....)

Oh. Sorry.  I just came back from reading some old stuff from around christmas on the conspiracy forum….I think I need a cold beer and some pretzels to de-program me…....

I want one!

Thank God they didn’t try to make it look human.

There’s an old Red Dwarf episode (I can’t remember which) where they’re tricked into thinking Lister is a humanoid robot and Rimmer asks why, if he’s a much older model than Kryten, he looks more realistic.

“Humans have always found mechanoids that look like a living human being to be somewhat disturbing, hence that model’s unpopularity. All mechanoids made later were made to be distinctly not-human.“

I’d be terrified if it looked like an actual baby.

I’d be terrified if it looked like an actual baby.

(...madly scribbling notes on a clipboard….)

It’s the one where they hit the unreality pockets. Rimmerworld, I think.

And yes, the uncanny valley is a pretty strong effect.

Boo - 01 March 2008 11:54 AM

It’s the one where they hit the unreality pockets. Rimmerworld, I think.

And yes, the uncanny valley is a pretty strong effect.

Looked it up, it’s Out of Time.

Oh, poo. So it is.
I watched those two episodes back to back the other weekend.
Oh, and your link wasn’t working, for some reason (odd characters, I’m guessing), so I changed it.

(...offers Boo a cookie on a silver platter for her hard work…...)