Humanoid robot helps scientists to understand intelligence

Humanoid robot helps scientists to understand intelligence. Imperial gets iCub robot to further research into Artificial Intelligence %0A " - Tuesday 31 March 2009 - By Colin Smith A humanoid robot newly acquired by Imperial College London will lead to a deeper understanding of human intelligence, says scientists today. The College's Departments of Computing and Electrical and Electronic Engineering believe that iCub, about the size of a three year old child, will further their research into cognition, the process of knowing that includes awareness, perception, reasoning and judgement. Researchers want to learn more about how humans use cognition to interact with their world. They believe iCub's human-like body will help them to understand how this is done. iCub has mechanical joints that enable it to move its head, arms, fingers, eyes and legs similarly to the way that humans do. Professor Murray Shanahan , of the Department of Computing, says this is important because cognition is very much tied up with the way we interact with the world.