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Gadgets MIT Develops Advanced Humanlike Robot
Jason Mick (Blog) - April 3, 2008 2:00 PM
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Nexi can make a variety of faces to convey his "feelings." Who ever said robots can't have feelings?  (Source: MIT Media Lab)

Nexi can get a bit sad every now and then.  (Source: MIT Media Lab)

Nexi's advanced chasis is self-balancing and get lift 10 lbs. despite its slight size.  (Source: MIT Media Lab)

An opposable thumb is supposedly a mark of human intelligence, and is among Nexi's features. Nexi and its fellow MDS robots feature human-like forearm and wrist motions as well.  (Source: MIT Media Lab)
Like something straight out of the movies, MIT's NEXI body has human-like expressions and speech, which is either really cool or really creepy

Scientist continue to push the boundaries of artificial intelligence, deploying robots and computer AIs into increasingly complex and varied situations. 

Many observers on robotics and artificial intelligence, including Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, remain skeptical that robots will ever be able to perform human like tasks and interact with humans on a social basis.

However, seeing is believing, and if MIT's startling new video is any indication, it appears that researchers at the MIT Media Lab are much closer to overcoming the latter obstacle than previously thought.  The product of the Lab's team, directed by Dr. Cynthia Breazeal, is a human-like robot named Nexi that speaks and features complex hand movements and facial gestures.

Nexi is an Mobile Dexterous Social robot, or MDS.  The robot is mobile as it can navigate via wheels.  It features a mobile base that is self balance, akin to a mini-Segway.  It can travel at human walking speed.

The robot is dexterous in that it has two highly agile arms.  The arms have four degrees of freedom (DOF), are elastic, and are based on the DOMO/WAM style arm design.  They support position and force control via force sensors.  The arms together can pick up a 10 pound object, fully extended.  Several of the robots can "team up" to lift heavier objects.  The shoulder chassis of the robot is mounted on a torso pivot, giving it full freedom of motion.

A DSP and FPGA control the motors while the balancing and force control are achieved via an embedded PC running Linux OS mounted near the base.  The Linux PC features wireless communication.  A laser sight is used to avoid obstacles.

The hands are one of the robot's unique features.  They feature five degrees of freedom.  The forearm can roll and provide wrist flex akin to a human forearm.  Each hand features three fingers and an opposable thumb, with the index finger and thumb independently controlled and the other two fingers coupled together.  The robot can grip objects and make hand gestures to convey emotions.  The arms are developed by Meka, Inc. with help from MIT, and also feature protection against collision and slips.

The most interesting and perhaps most disturbing part of Nexi is its expressive face.  The face, design by Xitome Design with MIT, features complex expressions.  The four degrees of freedom neck can bend low at the base and the head supports a pan-tilt-yaw, allowing for human-like motions.  It can nod, shake its head, or move its head as if orienting itself with its surroundings.

The face has 15 DOF and features expressive eyebrows, gaze, eyelids, and mandible.  Each eye has a color CCD camera and the head also features an active indoor IR camera.  Four separate microphones allow it to localize sounds and another microphone is used to detect speech.  It has a speaker to allow it to synthesize speech.

For the robot's human-like behavior and interaction, MIT is focusing on a human-robot interaction approach, which seeks to identify what average citizens want in a robot.  MIT will be deploying a team of four robots during a two week pilot program at the Boston Museum of Science in the summer of 2009.

The robot will interact with visitors within a "robot playroom."  It will engage listeners in conversation and express emotions.  During these interactions the robot will try to learn conversation and new behaviors.  At points the MIT operates can elect to tele-operate the robot, Wizard of Oz style to give it more complex behavior, or help conversations from getting to boring.  The robot supports many emotions including sadness, anger, confusion, excitement, and boredom.

If the video Nexi independently demonstrates its basic conversational skills, greeting the viewer and informing them, "But I hope you can see that I am very happy that I met you.  Thank you for visiting me and I hope to see you again soon!"

While the MIT researchers admit that human level learning and more complex conversational skills remain currently unsolved challenges, Nexi certainly represents an amalgamation of exciting and exotic advances in robotics.  With robots like Nexi that can learn and interact, the world may soon become a very different place.

The MIT team's research is sponsored by an ONR DURIP Award "Mobile, Dexterous, Social Robots to Support Complex Human-Robot Teamwork in Uncertain Environments" and by a Microsoft grant.

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Too Late
By tubalcain on 4/3/08, Rating: 0
RE: Too Late
By FITCamaro on 4/3/2008 3:09:01 PM , Rating: 3
Companies like Honda have much larger robots that can walk and talk. But they are still very basic. MIT is trying to get a real AI in a mobile, dexterous, robot. Many of the Japanese robots seem to focus more on the mobile, dexterous part.

Mankind is still a long way from a truly useful robot other than those found in factories. I'm not sure though that I ever want us to have one. Can you imagine the world if there were robots that could do all manual labor and other repetitive tasks? The unemployment would be astronomical.


RE: Too Late
By geddarkstorm on 4/3/2008 3:47:50 PM , Rating: 4
It would certainly revolutionize the economy. We'd have to completely restructure the way we assess value if robots took over most laborious tasks. With the reasoning skills people tend to express when in groups, it would probably end in some terrible war or strife; if we ever got that far with robots technologically and culturally.


RE: Too Late
By othercents on 4/3/2008 4:41:17 PM , Rating: 3
quote:
It would certainly revolutionize the economy.


Yeah now instead of companies outsourcing overseas they will just be replacing people with robots.


RE: Too Late
By lagitup on 4/4/2008 12:26:26 AM , Rating: 2
quote:
Yeah now instead of companies outsourcing overseas they will just be replacing people with robots.


But don't advances in industry create advances in civilization? For example, with today's modern farming technology one person can run a decently sized farm, and we have all these nice things like computers and airplanes. Before that a single human couldn't cultivate very much land and would be fortunate to have a surplus, and they didn't have flying machines. Before that groups of humans would be lucky if they could forage/kill for enough food to get by, and flight was something for birds and people and animals jumping off cliffs.

Robots taking over hard labor tasks would allow for more humans to do something else (hopefully productive), give us the tool to fight World War III so we can be back to sticks and rocks in time for World War IV :P


RE: Too Late
By JoshuaBuss on 4/4/2008 1:24:51 PM , Rating: 3
I think the basic problem is that the cold hard fact is a good chunk of the human race is only good at menial, repetitive labor. not all of us are cut out to be engineers and scientists...


RE: Too Late
By dever on 4/4/2008 1:58:02 PM , Rating: 3
I think your absolutely correct. We seem to be historically unimaginitive as to what new tasks humans would do if augmented by "X" advancement. Over and over through the last 200 years or so, people have predicted "mass unemployment" due to advances in technology. And, over and over, these advances, have proved to enrich humanity, even given a growing population.

I think the problem is the intuitive, yet false, assumption that wealth is a static quantity. It's hard to imagine that we could somehow afford to have all of these robots around and still be able to "make a living."

But in reality, wealth continues to grow exponentially. Our ancestors just a few hundred years ago (a blink of the eye in history) could not imagine the wealth and leisure we enjoy today. Yes, we don't have to work the same long hours doing menial tasks... and yet we much more wealth and do much less work. This is the seemingly magical result of what Adam Smith could hardly imagine his ideas would spawn.


RE: Too Late
By dark matter on 4/4/2008 4:25:26 PM , Rating: 2
Isn't it something like 90% of the worlds wealth is controlled by 5% of the global population.

Whilst in American and Europe what you say may be true, for the rest of the world technology has not enriched them, nor has it freed them from menial tasks.

If anything the technology you speak of has probably been assembled in china by Chinese workers performing menial and repetitive tasks for long hours and not much pay.


RE: Too Late
By dever on 4/7/2008 3:22:50 PM , Rating: 2
Again, your partially right... Technology does explicitly enrich someone. It is the FREEDOM to produce or consume that technology. Technology is a catalyst to production, but Freedom is the fuel. In the other countries you mention, the citizens invariably have a lack of economic freedom.


RE: Too Late
By danrien on 4/4/2008 9:28:37 PM , Rating: 2
As a consequence of modern farming, more and more farming families are leaving what used to be a fairly profitable business and turning to doing tasks that take less (sometimes astronomically less) advantage of the skills they honed farming. (I should know, I live in a a farming state).

So, the opposite is still true. People will still lose jobs. And whether those people as a result manage to have upward motion in their careers after that is really the important, tricky question. Just saying that humans would find something else to do is an oversimplified answer to the question.


RE: Too Late
By winterspan on 4/5/2008 2:09:38 AM , Rating: 2
"dever" is absolutely right. People have always predicted some massive unemployment from new technology. There may be some short-term effect as the workers have to get new jobs, but in the long run, overall, there won't be a net decrease in available jobs as new opportunities will open up.

The technology and automation that increases agricultural production may shut out the small farm family, but they are free to move on to other jobs and careers. And their children who would have run the farm now go on to work in a different area, most likely heading to a more urban environment.

Think about it, over the last 100 years or so, I'm sure the farming/agricultural workforce has dwindled to maybe 5 or 10% of what it once was, but the unemployment rate has actually gone down. The legions of small farmers are now the legions of office workers, or even the people who develop/sell/maintain industrial farm equipment or pesticides for large agricultural operations.

If you went back in time to 1850 and described the amount of technology and automation in agriculture, farming, mining, logging, manufacturing, etc they would insist that everyone must be without a job! How on earth could everyone still work when "all" the jobs were taken, they would say.


RE: Too Late
By Carter642 on 4/3/2008 4:09:45 PM , Rating: 3
This is a very cool chassis, though honestly I find the exspressions more than a little creepy. This really is just a very impressive robotic chassis but not anywhere close to an AI.


RE: Too Late
By eyebeeemmpawn on 4/3/2008 4:26:55 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
The unemployment would be astronomical.


not to mention the obesity.


RE: Too Late
By osalcido on 4/3/2008 5:39:18 PM , Rating: 4
umm imagine a world where all your basic farm grown foods cost about a quarter (this is if the corporations arent allowed to exploit this for prpofit)

nobody would really have to work to survive and live a good life...

the only problem I see with it is that we already have an example of a large section of society not really having to work, teenagers. And what do they do with their free-time? Get wasted, kill each other...etc.


RE: Too Late
By Aarnando on 4/4/2008 2:29:38 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
And what do they do with their free-time? Get wasted, kill each other...etc.


Yeah, I remember the good ol' days of my teenage years. Gettin' high every night and killing another teenager. Had to give all that up now that I've got a family, but I sure do miss it.


RE: Too Late
By osalcido on 5/26/2008 3:26:33 PM , Rating: 1
wow you're a fucking idiot.....


RE: Too Late
By marsbound2024 on 4/4/2008 1:55:50 AM , Rating: 2
Or the government gives at least one robot per family and that robot essentially takes the place of the husband/dad and wife/mother. The robot goes to work and stays there for as long as needed and that is the labor. The family earns the money to keep the robot maintained as well as to take care of themselves. Taxes are imposed to pay for the costs of the robots that the government gives each family.

So no longer are humans needed in most factory and simple jobs. Instead, robots do the work and the families that own the robots get the money.


RE: Too Late
By dever on 4/4/2008 2:04:50 PM , Rating: 2
Wow, government as daddy. How warm and cozy. Moved from Uncle to Father. Should papa Sam tuck you in and read you a story?


RE: Too Late
By marsbound2024 on 4/4/2008 3:10:54 PM , Rating: 2
No, you totally missed the point. The government gives families one robot that families pay for via taxes on the robot's earnings. But this allows people to not have to work if they so choose, but they are basically rewarded with the basics for living. Kinda like the end of poverty because it is a requirement that each family is provided with a robot they can call their own. The reason we haven't met basic needs for our people is that we require economy to do that. Instead of families having to work sixty or seventy hours a week to make ends meet, they can have a robot work for them.

Sure it has its problems and a lot of people will be lazy, but I honestly don't think life is all about work. Like another poster said, people should want to do more with their lives than be forced to work a job they don't want to just to get by and live.

So all in all, you missed the point.


RE: Too Late
By dever on 4/4/2008 4:00:18 PM , Rating: 2
I got the point, and I was trying to point out a different and possibly a more significant one.

What if I don't want a robot? What if I prefer to work? What if I don't want my income confiscated and handed over to an individual who would rather sit on their rear than contribute to the marketplace? What if I desire self-mastery? What if I want to pursue the American dream of starting a business? What if I want to create new and better products or services that are valuable to others?

The value of an economy is human labor. This is not to be confused with automation. Automation can make human labor more productive. But, as long as "robots" cannot create new and better services and products without human input, then they cannot replace humans in the equation of labor. Augment, enhance, increase... yes. These are much of the productivity gains that have allowed us to enjoy the wealth we have today...

...which brings me to the most troubling statement you made:

quote:
The reason we haven't met basic needs for our people...
This statement seems without any perspective of history in a free society. Where do you live, North Korea?


RE: Too Late
By dever on 4/4/2008 4:07:22 PM , Rating: 2
Of course, I forgot to mention the most obvious flaw in your statement.

If you could just send a robot to work in your place, it would be much cheaper for a company to just buy their own stinking robot... one that didn't have a leaching owner.

Of course, if you're proposing individuals not have the freedom to buy their own robots to do additional work (which might go along with your government as savior statement) that would require a system of government similar to Marxism, which as we all know, is antithetical to human freedom and isn't especially good for the economy either.


RE: Too Late
By marsbound2024 on 4/6/2008 1:36:33 PM , Rating: 2
Well you're obviously one of those pessimistic fear-mongers. I am sure there could be government regulations to prevent factories from buying "their own stinking robot" and thus preventing people from having jobs. All I was proposing was an idea about how to keep people employed and making money, but via extensions of "another member of the family."

Individuals can buy their own robots, why not? But at the same time, I don't think one guy can have like five hundred robots that he wants to employ in a factory. That is taking advantage of things.

Look, we both know that anything like this is in its infancy and a long way from being feasible. I am not setting things in stone, but at the same time at least I am open minded and not as much of a pessimistic old timer as yourself.


RE: Too Late
By marsbound2024 on 4/6/2008 1:47:14 PM , Rating: 2
As an addendum: the initial costs of a robot of such magnitude would probably be high... this is why I was saying the government could "subsidize" them for each family so that no one is unfairly left behind. People have to contribute via taxes or something to help offset the cost of national distribution, but it does NOT change our liberties or anything ridiculous that you mentioned. All it does is take humans out of the workplace and replace them with their owned robots. Families can spend more time with one another and do whatever else they want and perhaps pursue better careers that THEY work in.

Government can say: ok, humans have priority over the robots... so if a human wants the job, then the robot loses. Also, factories cannot simply replace their entire operations with their OWN robots. Areas that traditionally used humans must be filled with either humans or robots. A factory can make its operations more efficient however and reduce the number of needed workers.

But my idea is that everyone should have his or her basic needs tended to. If a human is disabled, they should still be taken care of. We have a system like this, but it does strain the economy because the individual doesn't contribute. Therefore, if that individual had a robot to go to work for him, he can still contribute.

Everyone must contribute in some way, but at the same time, everyone should at least have food and water and a minimal shelter. Those who are lazy and don't wish to work...well...I don't have any good solutions that are moral at this point. I would say cap how many kids they can have... or have the "basic needs" line being really basic.

I am no genius, no economist, or anything of the sort. But I am looking toward the future and pondering ways we may or may not be able to solve our problems. I am at least opening up the potential for humans to be replaced in the workplace, yet humans still not be detrimentally affected. This is where basically all families have one or two or so robots that are the workers. This way dad and mom can take care of the kids more and spend more time, do more vacationing, heck, maybe even seek out a better career and education for themselves.

I don't say that my statements are flawless. But at the same time, yours aren't particularly helpful in ANY situation. I can see where you are coming from, but you are completely close-minded and brainwashed by the media and movies. Of course, I am saying it only seems that you are. But I assure you, my ponderings here are with best of intentions and I realize how easily some of it could get out of control if a proper regulatory guide is not established when the time comes for this.


RE: Too Late
By Chudilo on 4/4/2008 12:26:45 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
Mankind is still a long way from a truly useful robot other than those found in factories.


You forgot about the Roomba from iRobot. While it is far fom being a perfect solution it is no longer a novelty toy.

It is great at maintaining cleanliness in my Apt. I have a cat. and I have virtually forgotten about the cat-hair problem on the floors. mind you thins is the first company that has produced a useful robot. They will get better and better when they will get some competition. I think samsung has announced something already.


RE: Too Late
By SiliconJon on 4/6/2008 3:48:25 PM , Rating: 2
It takes higher skilled labor to make the robots, and they still require operations and maintenance staff. But the purpose of a mechanized workforce is to make production more efficient, so ultimately less man-labor will be required. However, this frees up a more man hours to do other tasks. So long as these freed man-hours can be utilized, it's not unemployment but improved labor utilization. The problem arises when corruption and creed take precedent, as the profits get funneled into fewer hands rather than man, or at least one problem can so arise. Another problem can arise when society, or whichever segment you wish to point the finger at, is unprepared for the change required by the workforce in order to occomodate the new working skills and environments.

One important question to ponder is that when we take the path of technology maximizing our output, are we capable of handling the newly created stress levels of managing that signifantly increased output level, or did we merely make one job easier physically while taxing our mental and/or physical at a greater rate at the other end?


RE: Too Late
By scrapsma54 on 4/4/2008 12:20:18 AM , Rating: 2
You have to realize the Japanese don't invent, they innovate.
They are perfect candidates to bring a technology to the mass market.


Input, need input!!
By maverick85wd on 4/3/2008 2:49:45 PM , Rating: 6
NO DISASSEMBLE! NO DISASSEMBLE NEXI NUMBER 5!!!




RE: Input, need input!!
By kzrssk on 4/3/2008 3:17:50 PM , Rating: 2
That's Nexi Johnny 5, to you!


RE: Input, need input!!
By Visual on 4/4/2008 12:34:55 PM , Rating: 3
But in appearance it reminds me of Chucky...


RE: Input, need input!!
By TheOneStorm on 4/7/2008 9:37:02 AM , Rating: 2
I think we all know that MIT copied Daft Punk :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPZJYQXQsm8 (Technologic music video)


Interesting, but....
By maverick85wd on 4/3/2008 2:54:39 PM , Rating: 1
quote:
At points the MIT operates can elect to tele-operate the robot, Wizard of Oz style to give it more complex behavior, or help conversations from getting to boring.


So basically you're having a conversation with a robot operator via a robot? Very cool that they are furthering research in robotics (or any area for that matter), but this part seems a little lame. Now they need to give these things death rays and make it crush stuff!!




RE: Interesting, but....
By Tsuwamono on 4/3/2008 2:59:50 PM , Rating: 2
Ya that would be pretty cool...

The Matrix anyone?


RE: Interesting, but....
By maverick85wd on 4/3/2008 3:21:43 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
The Matrix anyone?


That would require a much more sophisticated AI... which is kind of the point. I was also light-heartedly saying that a robot that kills people and breaks stuff is much cooler than a robot that can accurately express the emotions of it's operator to whom you are having a conversation by robot proxy.

But you are right, putting AI in control of munitions would probably be a bad idea.


By MrBlastman on 4/3/2008 3:18:02 PM , Rating: 2
Beware. Robot with feelings. Make it mad and beams shoot out of head vaporizing you.




By bfellow on 4/4/2008 2:02:04 PM , Rating: 2
Not only that but basic pyschology is one of my sub-routines.


By ok630 on 4/13/2008 4:37:25 AM , Rating: 1

Die painfully okay? Prefearbly by getting crushed to death in a garbage compactor, by getting your face cut to ribbons with a pocketknife, your head cracked open with a baseball bat, your stomach sliced open and your entrails spilled out, and your eyeballs ripped out of their sockets. Fucking bitch


10 minutes to Wapner
By RateMeDown on 4/3/2008 10:56:02 PM , Rating: 5
Nexi has already been banned from the Las Vegas strip.




I can't wait...
By amanojaku on 4/3/2008 2:49:52 PM , Rating: 2
For pics of this thing giving us the finger! You know that's the first thing someone thought to do with it. Next, Robot Wars: MIT-style!




RE: I can't wait...
By jimpaka on 4/3/2008 3:52:39 PM , Rating: 2
bwahahaha my thoughts exactly, just too bad it doesn't technically have a middle finger


I'm sorry, I think you said, "Billing"
By therealnickdanger on 4/3/2008 2:51:00 PM , Rating: 2
I wonder how perceptive its voice recognition is...




By InternetGeek on 4/3/2008 2:56:54 PM , Rating: 2
I think the reasonable question, provided you are nascent AI just starting to absorb data from the real world, is do you really want to speak to homo-sapiens? ;)


Yikes!!!
By mezman on 4/3/2008 3:16:48 PM , Rating: 4
That thing is freaky! I can totally see it going awry and making the sad face as it hacks someone up. <shudder>




Tim Burton?
By Suomynona on 4/3/2008 4:26:31 PM , Rating: 4
That robot looks like Helena Bonham Carter in a Tim Burton movie.




oh no
By judasmachine on 4/3/2008 3:35:49 PM , Rating: 2
The emo kids have taken over MIT...

Seriously though, the depth of 'character' is quite impressive.




Cartoon
By paydirt on 4/4/2008 9:10:25 AM , Rating: 2
Seems somewhat cartoonish looking with exaggerated expressions.

So, what if I'm a robotlike human?




Have we forgotten?
By Indec on 4/4/2008 2:39:44 PM , Rating: 2
Can I say 13th colony cylon action beginging here.Autonomous thinking robots, although useful in the begining will eventually surpass our own inteligence, and seek thier own individuality, and freedom.And that my friends is what we must be very wary of.




Ironic
By tehbrosta on 4/5/2008 7:05:17 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
A DSP and FPGA control the motors while the balancing and force control are achieved via an embedded PC running Linux OS mounted near the base.

quote:
The MIT team's research is sponsored by an ONR DURIP Award "Mobile, Dexterous, Social Robots to Support Complex Human-Robot Teamwork in Uncertain Environments" and by a Microsoft grant.




WOW AWESOME..zzz...
By GlassHouse69 on 4/8/2008 11:30:02 AM , Rating: 1
Just what we need. to waste several billions of dollars on making robots look like they have emotions. I mean, fuck the rest of the world that is depressed and dying from malnutrition and starvation. I do not think anyone notices their faces being expressed.

nixie should be recycled.

Grover had more expression, costed less, and was/is obviously beneficial.




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