Page 153 - Concise Encyclopedia of Robotics

Heuristic Knowledge
rate of speed than processes that require access to mechanical storage
media. However, as nonvolatile storage media without moving parts be-
come more widely available, this advantage of hard wiring will gradually
erode. Compare FIRMWARE.
HERTZ
Hertz, abbreviated Hz, is the fundamental measure of alternating-current
(AC) frequency.A frequency of 1 Hz is equivalent to one cycle per second.
In fact, the word “hertz” is interchangeable with the expression “cycles
per second.”
Frequency is often expressed in units of kilohertz (kHz), megahertz
(MHz), and gigahertz (GHz). A frequency of 1 kHz is equal to 1000 Hz; a
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frequency of 1 MHz is equal to 1000 kHz or 10 Hz; a frequency of 1 GHz
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is equal to 1000 MHz or 10 Hz.
The speed at which digital computers operate is often specified in
terms of frequency. The higher the frequency, the faster a microprocessor
can work,and the more powerful can be the computer that uses the chip—
if all other factors remain constant.The reason that higher frequency trans-
lates into a more powerful chip is simply that, as the frequency increases,
more and more instructions can be executed, and thus more operations
done, per unit time. The clock frequency of the microprocessor is,
however, only one of several factors that determine the processing speed
of a computer.
HEURISTIC KNOWLEDGE
Can computers and robots learn from their mistakes, and improve their
knowledge by trial and error? Is it possible for a machine, or a network
of machines, to evolve on its own? Some artificial intelligence (AI) re-
searchers believe so. The existence of heuristic knowledge, or the ability
of a machine to become smarter based on its real-world experience—
literally learning from its own mistakes—is a classical characteristic of
true AI.
Suppose a powerful computer is developed that can evolve to higher and
higher levels of knowledge. Imagine that, one day after the machine has
been put into operation, it has intelligence equivalent to that of a 10-year-
old human; and after two days, it is as smart (in a rudimentary sense) as
a 20-year-old. Suppose that after three days, the machine has knowledge
equivalent to that of a 30-year-old research engineer. Suppose that more
and more memory is added, so that the limit of knowledge is determined
only by the speed of the microprocessor. What will such a computer be
like after a month? Will it have the knowledge of a 300-year-old person (if
people lived that long)? Moreover, does an ever-increasing level of intel-
ligence imply that a machine can also become “wise”?

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