For the First Time in History, a Robot Discovered Its ‘Own Existence’

People, from the moment they are born their environment and themselves begins to recognize. In this process, we learn that the stove is hot, the ice is cold, that hitting our little toe can hurt a lot, that some dishes are delicious and we act accordingly.

Until now, this feature was unique to living things. Robots were learning their own existence and features from outside information, that is, from developers. A new study seems to have changed that. Columbia Engineering’has developed a robot that can sense not only its environment but also itself, and even “imagine” itself.

Will robots have dreams too?

A study by Columbia Engineering shows that for the first time in history, a robot without human assistance revealed that a robot has been developed that can fully learn and model its own body. Science Robotics In the article published in the journal Nature, the researchers also explained how the robot achieved this.

Accordingly, the researchers developed the robotic arm. 360 degrees They started by connecting the robot with five cameras that shoot from all angles. Seeing the results of its own motor commands in images from these cameras, the robot stopped after spending three hours learning about its movements and itself. According to the study, the robot then used this information to overcome different obstacles, accomplish objectives or avoid obstacles. He even predicted possible damage and made adjustments in his strategies accordingly.

The researchers then created the robot itself. in the neural network He began a difficult process of discovering how he saw. At the end of this process, they found that the robotic arm could model itself in a kind of fog, with a margin of error of 1%. When it had to make a decision, the robot first imagined itself doing it. When he could achieve results in his simulations, he took action.

According to scientists, this work will be an important breakthrough for self-sufficient robots. Thus, the robots themselves able to solve problems, they will be able to understand themselves and repair their malfunctions or damage.