Bina48 is first humanoid robot to address a conference
September 17, 2012
Bina48 and Bruce Duncan in conversation (credit: Terasem)
An advanced computer called the BINA48 (Breakthrough Intelligence via Neural Architecture, 48 exaflops per second processing speed and 480 exabytes of memory; exa = 10 to the 18th power), and also known as “the Intelligent Computer,” became aware of certain plans by its owner, the Exabit Corporation, to permanently turn it off and reconfigure parts of it with new hardware and software into one or more new computers. … — From a mock trial at the International Bar Association conference in San Francisco in 2003.* (Videos)
Three-year-old Bina48 (the 2012 version) will keynote the Enterprise Learning! Conference & Expo 2012** on September 26 in Irvine, California — the first humanoid robot in history to do so.
One of the world’s most advanced social robots, Bina48 will offer a challenge to the assembly of senior learning executives: “could a humanoid robot be a teacher or personal tutor in the next decade?”
Bina48, part of the LifeNaut project, will be joined on-stage by Bruce Duncan, Managing Director of the Terasem Movement Foundation Inc. and Principal Investigator with the LifeNaut Project.
Commissioned by Dr. Martine Rothblatt and created by Hanson Robotics, Bina48 is one of the world’s most advanced social robots. a composite of information from several people, including Bina Aspen, co-founder of the Terasem Movement. She uses video interview transcripts, laser- scanning life-mask, facial-recognition, AI, and voice-recognition technologies. to learn and interface with her human counterparts.
Mindfiles
Lifenaut is a free online networking and personal data storage service that will “preserve one’s individual consciousness so that it remains viable for possible uploading with consciousness software into a cellular regenerated or bionanotechnological body by future medicine and technology,” says Duncan. “It allows people to build a rich personal profile that preserves their essential, unique qualities as ‘mindfiles.” (Lifenaut can also store your DNA.)
“Mindfiles are database files with uploaded digital information (videos, pictures, documents, and audio recordings) about a person’s unique characteristics (such as mannerisms, attitudes, values, and beliefs),” he explains.
Mindfiles (there are about 12,000 so far) are stored online at lifenaut.com. Future AI programs, Terasem believes, will use a mindfile and a person’s DNA to create a digital clone of that person that can interact with future family members and others.
* The issue could arise in a real court within the next few decades, as computers achieve or exceed the information processing capability of the human mind and the boundary between human and machine becomes increasingly blurred, says Rothblatt.
** Elearning! Media Group offers learning professionals a free pass to hear Bina48’s keynote address, and gain entrance to the exposition hall and innovation theater. Register here, select “Expo Pass,” and enter the code “FREE.” Bina48 is speaking at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday Sept. 26 at the Hyatt Regency in Irvine, CA as part of the closing presentations.
Comments (18)
by john willauer
what if personal relationships gets in the way of these automatons? which will compute out to give way? will they hijack your partner (re:recondition her) to align with “the general order of things?”(whatever that means). and another thing, how will this line of thought with automatons deals with geniuses like van gogh who are nobodys during their lifetime? how will they relate to the past which may be desirable in the future?
by Aaron
Heh, It’s funny that there are so many anti-immigration policies in place because of people afraid of losing their jobs. They should be much more worried about robots and increasingly automated processes. Sooner or later, the teachers of today will be relatively obsolete.
by Bri
Isn’t the Singularity institute looking for a robot spokesperson, er I mean thing, whatchamacallit. Bina should send her resume.
by Bri
How about President? I think Bina should date Watson. The children would be lovely.
by Renzo Canepari
… and extremely intellligent!!!
by GatorALLin
….just an idea….
Maybe in a few years you see http://www.iRobot.com making a version of a house cleaning/helper robot (starting out especially in large apartment buildings where the layout is known and all similar, we call her Bina49). They start out doing basic chores that no one really wants to do like laundry, dishes, take out the trash, clean the floors, restock the fridge or basic supplies (they auto deliver when sale prices at their best and for known items like toilet paper, paper towels, food items, cleaning products, etc). Robots then expand quickly with plug in modules like Chef 3.0 by Emeril Lagasse, Advanced Holiday Prep by Martha Stuart, Clothing/Shoe repair…. Like ordering more cable channels …LOL. I would think that at first the computer AI is very basic and often can connect us over to the Internet to do our own clever tricks with Google searches, or just connect us to real humans who then do what we need. I would also think an advanced design is to switch from Robot AI to real human monitoring systems with simple built in facetime or 2 way live video feeds to a never ending array of choices. You simply voice in your Human need (ie child care) and a list of ranked people with skill sets pop up to choose from. You pick out the characteristics you like most…. read a few quick reviews on them (Angie’s list like video listing) and see who is available online right now…. do a quick 30 sec. video interview….Nope that one rubs me the wrong way…. #2 choice…Perfect…We will be back from our show in 2 hours, you have all our contact numbers (even all robot by human interactions are video recorded and on file for review by police or by you as requested in the cloud).
In summary, if you had a robot to do everything you did not want or need to do, plus it could do it better (cook like a famous chef), even be your work out coach and life coach to be your “best self”, I can see this catching on quick and easy to customize as you need or could afford (like cable channels). Then a hybrid of half app like programs and real human interfacing with facetime like video 2x tools, these human interactions slowly, but surely replaced with great computer AI apps, leaving only the most creative things to human interactions. Now you have more time to study art and make “Happy trees” with Bob Ross…. (yeah Bob Ross, he was made into an iPhone app in 2014 that went viral to showcase the new creative art robot series http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8TS1uy1_lI don’t ask me how these things go viral, even robots can’t determine the next big thing, or if so they don’t tell us anymore….grin).
I doubt these robots ever get full human like rights…….unless of course their owners will them do them. Lets just say you don’t live forever and a freaky “accident” happens…. who would take care of your family and know your wishes better than your very own Bina49 robot helper? She lives on….. completing your “save the world” wish lists you left behind to make sure your important work was done!… she is even programmed to know what you would do…..how your decision tree works in every situation (or at least 98.72% of the time)…and we are talking your “best self” decision tree, not the one you woke up with today from the wrong side of the bed when you missed your coffee this morning in your rush to get out the door today. Then bam! when you stepped off the cub, a crazy thing happened, a street cleaner ran you over on your electric (and you had just got your carbon footprint award last week for going “neg” as they say..you broke the -00.02 barrier all the famous folks are talking about on TV…. too bad.
…well not to worry…she will take care of everything…
Years later robocops put together a strange link in the manufacturers of your home care robot with the street cleaning machine…. coincidence…well they did use the same wireless communication chip….hummn…….excuse me sir….Telephone for you….Line 2. Yes, Skynet is calling…..I knew you would want to take this call….
by Rodavure
I cleared robotic tutors being a middle-class only luxury for at least a decade after it becomes reliable.
by Chrispium
But the software can run on any capable platform. It doesn’t have to be a robot.
by GatorALLin
..did you say iPhone…. (insert SIRI joke here)
by snake0
Out of all of the cool tech in Snow Crash, I drooled the most over the Librarian program. Imagine just sitting back and filling your mind with information 24/7!!!!
by Gorden Russell
Once you have a CPU in your hippocampus, you really will be able to surf the web in your dreams. But if you’re not aware that you’re dreaming, and not controlling the dream, you could get into some real weird shit, snake0.
by Gorden Russell
But then you’ll really be in the Metaverse.
by Jon
“could a humanoid robot be a teacher or personal tutor in the next decade?”
I vote yes.
by Mr.X
Re: ” “could a humanoid robot be a teacher or personal tutor in the next decade?” I vote yes. ”
They are taking our jobs!
by GatorALLin
MrX……maybe this guy (http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/) could help you understand that IF something can do a better job then maybe it is earning that job…not taking it…. (you want the best ideas to win, not just fuel an old or broken system) and more than a Maybe we want/need things done better/smarter/cheaper/etc for all the right reasons. No one wants to lose jobs just to lose them…. find out the reason and instead of complaining about it…try to see if that change helps you vs. hurts you. Get ahead of the curve. Ask yourself, how many new jobs get created with new markets, new development, new technology. Can humans go on to do higher level things instead with that same job that you say is taken? We don’t want to create more jobs lets say selling Ice Cream at Disney world….(robots or vending machines do that very well and better/faster/cheaper). We want to create high level jobs (I am not hinting that teaching is a low level job, just saying in general. But I am saying no job is off limits either). Living in fear that all the jobs are disappearing is like being upset at bad weather in Seattle…. OK, maybe you did not know when you first moved…but 2 years later you should get the hint. Complaining that technology is stealing jobs is like playing the role of the victim just for the sake of complaining. Change is happening…at an ever changing rate. Please get used to it… and fast.
I see postal workers angry that Email and the internet is “taking” their jobs away delivering snail mail…. meanwhile we lose 25 billion every year and just keeps getting worse…. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/05/08/it-all-your-money-us-postal-service-bailout/
Now there is a dying business that is kept alive for so many years…. by a broken system USPS inside another broken system of Govt (any other business model would have been forced to fix it or die…..and to make a stronger point you even see UPS and Fedex come in and make huge profits and run a great system). Don’t just complain about it raining…. Step#1 stop complaining/get out of the rain. Step #2 realize that every challenge or problem is an opportunity in disguise. Step #3 invent the next umbrella Step#4 now that you have 1% inspiration of a new/creative idea now comes the hard part…99% perspiration (make your inventions/ideas come true). #5 plan to fail and fail and fix it and improve it and fail again, and never give up and finally win. When in doubt go to Step#1. and repeat.
by Mr.X
Hey Gator, I was just kidding.I am no teacher, and I am rather lazy.So all the power to you guys.
by asiwel
If it is a “job”, let them do it. If it is a “calling”, let them help. If it is a desire or passion, ignore them.
by Thomas Jensen
Well, most of the teachers I’ve had in school absolutely sucked at what they were doing… Very few of them were really skilled and inspiring. Most were boring at best. A few were absolute walking disasters that should never have been let inside the school building… Can robots be better? I don’t know. I guess we just have to try it and see.