Page 187 - Concise Encyclopedia of Robotics

Most experienced engineers have occasionally built or written kludge
devices or programs. Every year, Purdue University holds a “Rube Gold-
berg” contest for students to build or design ridiculously inefficient
machines and computer software. The contest is sponsored by Theta Tau,
an engineering fraternity.
Eventually, almost every engineer becomes an expert at the art of
kludge. But trying to sell a kludge as a finished product is an industrial
error—unless, of course, the intent is to make a joke.
KNOWLEDGE Knowledge
The term knowledge refers to the data stored in a computer system, robot
controller, or human mind. Also, the term refers to how well a brain,
either electronic or biological, makes use of the data it has.
Humans, individually and collectively, have knowledge that changes
from generation to generation. Some researchers have suggested that
computers, along with electronic, optical, and magnetic storage media,
will eliminate the loss or degradation of human knowledge in future
generations. This will give humanity an ever-expanding storehouse of
immortal knowledge.
In expert systems, computer engineers define knowledge acquisition as
the process by which machines obtain data. Generally, it is agreed that all
computer knowledge must come from human beings, although a few
scientists believe that machines can generate original, true knowledge.
Although there is controversy about the ability of machines to create
original knowledge, it has been conclusively demonstrated that high-level
computers can learn from their mistakes. This is not original thought,
but is derived from existing knowledge by programming. The ability of a
machine to improve the use of its data is called heuristic knowledge.
Computers can store and manipulate information in ways that people
find difficult or impossible. A good example is the addition of a series of
5 million numbers. However, there are problems humans can solve that a
machine cannot, and perhaps will never, be able to figure out. One example
of this is the regulation of the amount of medication needed to keep a
hospital patient anesthetized during surgery, without causing harm to
the patient.
See also EXPERT SYSTEM, HEURISTIC KNOWLEDGE, IMMORTAL KNOWLEDGE, and INFINITE
REGRESS.

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