Offering a glimpse of their latest innovations in robotics and artificial intelligence, the College of Engineering's Advanced Technology Laboratory opened its doors last Wednesday.
One of the featured products was the artificial intelligence engine "Soar," which was developed by professors and students of the computer science program.
"Soar" could be a video game fan's best friend since the program is able to interface with computer games. Soar controls the enemy, and is able to match a human player move for move.
Rackham student Mike VanLent said Soar represents the result of research in how computers learn, combined with psychological experiments.
VanLent said because the program learns from humans, "the Soar agent is more realistic. It acts like a person."
But VanLent also demonstrated Soar's more practical applications. The U.S. Department of Defense has used Soar to create war simulations for pilot training.
The University's department of mechanical engineering presented the creations of its Mobile Robotics Laboratory.
Johann Borenstein, head of the robotics lab, demonstrated the GuideCane, a device intended to aid people who are visually impaired.
The GuideCane uses sonar devices to detect obstacles, determines how to avoid them and steers its user along a safe path.
Borenstein hopes his invention, for which he won a Discover Magazine award for technical innovation in 1998, will become commercially available. But Borenstein said the GuideCane needs further developments before it can reach consumers.
Borenstein said the GuideCane "falls short of being a useful product," and hopes to continue refining his invention, but needs to find additional funding before he can continue his work.
The object avoidance technology used in the GuideCane is one of the Mobile Robotics Lab's areas of focus.
The technology is also used in a device called the Tactical Mobile Robot, which resembles a toy truck with oversized tires carrying a small lap-top computer.
Lars Ferner, a visiting researcher from the University of Kaiserslautern in Germany, explained that the device's sophisticated sonar "eyes" allow it to independently detect and avoid obstacles.
Demonstrators said the Tactical Mobile Robot is intended for military uses. The device, which can climb stairs and negotiate rough terrain, could scout the interior of an occupied building and relay information, keeping soldiers out of harm's way.
05-17-99
| Previous Article |
should be sent to: daily.letters@umich.edu | should be sent to: online.daily@umich.edu |