Page 32 - Introduction to AI Robotics

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1.2 How Can a Machine Be Intelligent?
real-time adaptability before 1990? In general, the lack of machine intelli-
gence was compensated by the development of mechanisms which allow a
human to control all, or parts, of the robot remotely. These mechanisms are
generally referred to under the umbrella term: teleoperation. Teleoperation
can be viewed as the “stuff” in the middle of the two forks. In practice, in-
telligent robots such as the Mars Sojourner are controlled with some form of
teleoperation. This chapter will cover the flavors of teleoperation, given their
importance as a stepping stone towards truly intelligent robots.
The chapter concludes by visiting the issues in AI, and argues that AI is im-
perative for many robotic applications. Teleoperation is simply not sufficient
or desirable as a long term solution. However, it has served as a reasonable
patch.
It is interesting to note that the two forks, manufacturing and AI, currently
appear to be merging. Manufacturing is now shifting to a “mass customiza-
tion” phase, where companies which can economically make short runs of
special order goods are thriving. The pressure is on for industrial robots,
more correctly referred to as industrial manipulators, to be rapidly repro-
grammed and more forgiving if a part isn’t placed exactly as expected in its
workspace. As a result, AI techniques are migrating to industrial manipula-
tors.

1.2 How Can a Machine Be Intelligent?

ARTIFICIAL The science of making machines act intelligently is usually referred to as artifi-
INTELLIGENCE cial intelligence, or AI for short. Artificial Intelligence has no commonly ac-
cepted definitions. One of the first textbooks on AI defined it as “the study
of ideas that enable computers to be intelligent,” 143 which seemed to beg the
question. A later textbook was more specific, “AI is the attempt to get the
computer to do things that, for the moment, people are better at.” 120 This
definition is interesting because it implies that once a task is performed suc-
cessfully by a computer, then the technique that made it possible is no longer
AI, but something mundane. That definition is fairly important to a person
researching AI methods for robots, because it explains why certain topics
suddenly seem to disappear from the AI literature: it was perceived as being
solved! Perhaps the most amusing of all AI definitions was the slogan for
the now defunct computer company, Thinking Machines, Inc., “... making
machines that will be proud of us.”