ERO Technology Group

Ethics of AIAbout Potential, Limitations and Concerns in Robotics

Presented byAndreas Heil Date11. December 2006

Intelligent Robotics

There are many misconceptions in the public mind about the capabilities of artificial intelligence in general and intelligent robots in particular. As intelligent behaviours become embedded in everyday equipment, there is an increasing need to understand the huge potential of these new technologies, as well as their limitations. This workshop will review not only the latest developments in intelligent robotics and promote discussion of the challenges they present, but also question the desirability of research into different application areas and review public concerns regarding the quest to create 'conscious' robots.

Definition: Robot

A robot is an electro-mechanical device that can perform autonomous or pre-programmed tasks. A robot may act under the direct control of a human (e.g. the Canadarm on the space shuttle) or autonomously under the control of a programmed computer.

Wikipedia1. Mechanical device programmed to perform tasks

Any machine that can be programmed to carry out instructions and perform particular duties, especially one that can take over tasks normally done by people

2. Imaginary machine like humanA machine that resembles a human in appearance and can function like a human, especially in science fiction

3. Person like a machineSomebody who works or behaves mechanically, showing little or no emotion and often responding to orders without question

4. Traffic lightSouth Africa - a set of automatic traffic lights

Encarta Dictionary

Definition: Robot

A robot is a device, hard- or software with the capability of sensing and (re)acting.

Robotics Market Potential

Service and consumer markets just emerging

• Remote assistance/presence• Assistive• Facilities maintenance• Security• Education• Entertainment

Why Robotics Research at All?

•High market expectation•Demographic push in health & elderly care•Longer working times – people spend less time at home•Service in the public

Military

•300 units x 800k * Source Japan Robotics Association

Development Trend

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1 Filtering unnecessary Information2 Household devices (Microwave, Fridge)3 Learning about new environments by taking a tour of it, after that it can re-give that tour.

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Increasing Software Challenges

* Source EURON Workshop 2005

Microsoft & Robotics

Systems

• PC Ecosystem (desktop, web, mobile, home)

• XP, XP Embedded, CE (real-time)

Development Environment and Tools

• Programming IDE• Debugging and Optimization

Existing Applicable Technologies

• Speech• Real-time Communications• Infrastructure

Experience Groups

Microsoft Research

• Enabling Technologies• Human Robot Interaction• Personal Robotics• Educational Robotics• Programming Environments

Microsoft Robotics Groups

• Microsoft Robotics GroupRedmond

• Center for Innovative RoboticsCarnegie Mellon University

• External Research OfficeCambridge

New Requirements

• Ultra Heterogeneity• Distributed Environments• Dynamic Configuration• Context-Awareness• Personalization• Extensibility• Reliability• Security• Privacy Protection• Usability• Autonomy• …

Ubiquitous computing environments should be deployed incrementally

• Living space is not a demonstration room• We like to replace existing objects

How can software infrastructures help to decrease the complexities?

New Requirements

Challenges to Address

Future Applications• Support & care, education, entertainment• Timesaving, repetitive work• Have a servant, companion

Personal Robotics• Human-robotics Interaction• Mediator between Digital/Real world• Natural and Affective Interaction (speech,

gestures, emotions)• Adaptive to individual needs

What is needed so that robots could be successfully integrated in our everyday life? What are the key technical issues?

From nature to software models

• CostsWhen a human is in danger, robots can do this work on behalf, then maybe, the costs are a minor issue

• Robot’s image is cultural depended> We will never accept a Japanese robot because of its cultural differences > Its important to build a robot corresponding to your culture

• Japan vs. Hollywood>Japan, friendly TV-series>Hollywood, dangerous, instable

• Acceptance>Emotional component>Robot as a luxury

• Learning vs. Imitation>“Do I really want it to play as bad chess as I do?”

Come more Challenges

Bring me a cup of tea…

VRDK – A Research Prototype

• Building a compelling & engaging Programmable Environment

• Innovative, very easy, flexible Programming Environment for Robot control applications

• Accessible to non technical audiences (children, nurses, elderly, machine operators)

• Enables a ‘Path’ from very simple (beginner, child) to professional (using

Visual Studio)

Abstracting complexity on different levels

Source Code Visual

Domain Specific Language

Visual N#

• Domain-specific graphical language• Extension of VRDK• Easy to design

C# / VB.NET

• General purpose programming language• Don’t write code anymore

N#

• Domain-specific textual language• Easy to read and write

Users can switch betweenboth notations

Code Translator

N# - A Textual Notation for Visual N#

ambient MyAmbient @ Personwhere filter ($1.Company == „Microsoft Research“),

filter($1.Location == „Cambridge"), filter($1.SecurityLevel > 2) {

discover Lights @ Light where distance(a), filter($1.Color == „green");

process OnLampAdd @ l = Lights.Added {l.On();

}process OnLampRemove @ l = Lights.Removed {

l.Off();}

a = 100;}

AI

• A lot of the AI will stay in its virtual world

• Only limited connections to the real world

• Responsibility

The Microsoft Robotics Studio – Tools No Rules*

A lightweight concurrency and services oriented runtime• Handling of sensory input and controlling actuators• Based on synchronous message passing• Decentralised System Services (DSS) facilitating tasks and

basic services such as debugging, logging, monitoring, security, discovery and data persistence

Authoring/development tools• Visual programming editor• Simulation• Message debugging

Technology libraries and basic algorithms• Code samples and documentation

* AI2005

Runtime Environment

An application is a composition of loosely-coupled services concurrently executing across scopes • Interactions described using service contacts• Components are networked• Provides isolation between components

> Reliability – ability to restart independently, replaceable/updatable> Parallelism

Application Boundary

Service

Main Port

Main Port

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Private Port

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H/WH/W

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* Example: Model car + sensors

Simulation Capabilities

Supported KUKA robot

Community: Robot Swarm Heading Target Area

* R.D. Rango, http://channel9.msdn.com/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=244706

Community: Robot Swarm Simulation

* R.D. Rango, http://channel9.msdn.com/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=244706

Community: Maze Simulator

* B. Axelrod, T. Taylor, http://channel9.msdn.com/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=226071

Outlook

• VRDK> Research Prototype> Proof of Concept

• Microsoft Robotics Studio> Available as CTP (November CTP)> Improved Visualization> Package based Deployment> Wrap up for final version end of Dec 2006> CCR / DSS maybe available as separate DL> http://msdn.microsoft.com/robotics/

• N# > Ongoing research> Publications etc. > Visual Studio integration> http://research.microsoft.com/ero/

Thank you or your attention.