Gizmodo: georgia tech

How Many Hamsters Does It Take To Power a Device?

Wilson Rothman — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 21:30:00 EST

The answer is four, say scientists at Georgia Tech. If you are high now or plan to be soon, watch this video a few times. You can thank me later. [Full Story: Technology Review]

Androids Dream Up Electric Jams

Wilson Rothman — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 21:20:00 EST

Georgia Tech actually has a Robotic Musicianship Group in its Center for Music Technology, which means that some lucky so-and-so's are getting government funding to form hippie drum circles with an array of artificial companions. In the video above, two robots demonstrate their ability to listen to grooves laid down by living breathing meatbags, and jump in on their own instruments when the mood strikes.

Professor Gil Weinberg explained this "musical Turing Test" to Wired:

The processing allows [the robots] to analyze and improvise. In one of the applications, we use a genetic algorithm...You have a population of something, and then you do mutations to all of these little things—in my case it's musical motifs—mutations and cross-breeding between the musical genes, in our case, and then you have a new population that better fits to the environment.

Oh software, I love it when you manage to make robots seem less likely to overthrow and enslave us all, and way more likely to be Awesom-o-like robot friends! [Wired]

Autonomous Robots: Ethical Combatants or Suicide Bombers?

Wilson Rothman — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 12:25:53 EST

UK robotics professor Noel Sharkey is raising a fuss over the US Defense Department's intention to put $4 billion into "unmanned systems" in the next year or two. One fear is that spillover from all that R&D will give terrorists new ways to build effective GPS-guided suicide bombers for $500 or less.

"How long is it going to be before the terrorists get in on the act? With the current prices of robot construction falling dramatically and the availability of ready-made components for the amateur market, it wouldn't require a lot of skill to make autonomous robot weapons."

But Sharkey has other more philosophical issues, ones that echo Isaac Asimov's own concerns of more than a half century ago.

Says the New Scientist:

Sharkey is most concerned about the prospect of having robots decide for themselves when to "pull the trigger." Currently, a human is always involved in decisions of this nature. But the Pentagon is nearly two years into a research programme aimed at having robots identify potential threats without human help.

But Ronald Arkin of Georgia Tech, the Siskel to Sharkey's Ebert, says that because a robot has no emotional baggage, it could be a much more "ethical" killer:

Arkin suggests trying to design ethical control systems that make military robots respect the Geneva Convention and other rules of engagement on the battlefield... "With a robot I can be sure that a robot will never harbour the intention to hurt a non-combatant," he says. "Ultimately they will be able to perform better than humans."

Today, Sharkey, Arkin and others are discussing these matters at length at a symposium called "The Ethics & Legal Implications of Unmanned Vehicles for Defence and Security Purposes," hosted by the Royal United Services Institute in London. [RUSI; New Scientist; Reuters]

Georgia Tech to Launch First Interdisciplinary Robotics Ph.D Program

Adrian Covert — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 20:00:17 EST

Georgia Tech is going to create the nation's interdisciplinary Ph.D program in Robotics, pulling from various engineering (mechanical, electrical, biomedical, aerospace) and computer science disciplines to form a more focused program. Other schools tend to offer a concentrated look at one area of robotics. The idea behind Georgia Tech's program is to get students to think about robots holistically, rather than only focusing on one aspect of a bot with minimal knowledge of the rest.

The university will begin the program with 15 students, eventually bolstering it to 60, and currently have 30 faculty working in robotics. This announcement goes hand in hand with the launch of Georgia Tech's new center specifically designated for robotics. Maybe Carnegie Mellon should worry about their distinction as the robotics school. [Gizmag]

New Air-Sampler Gadget Looks for Asthma Attack Triggers

Kit Eaton — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 09:41:16 EST

Asthma attacks can come out of nowhere, or so it would seem. A new portable system is trying to predict asthma attacks by sampling the air and identifying likely triggers. The 1-lb. device, designed by a team at Georgia Tech, takes samples every two minutes, looking at recorded air temperature and humidity, and testing the samples for particulates, volatile organic compounds and gases like ozone.

The researchers will ideally find a means to reconstruct the environment immediately before an asthma attack. So far tested by six volunteers, it may be extended to trials in children. Hopefully, one of the triggers of an asthma attack doesn't prove to be "wearing a 1-lb. sensor array around your neck." [New Scientist]

Wire haters can rejoice knowing IBM has entered...

Wilson Rothman — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 08:58:43 EDT

Wire haters can rejoice knowing IBM has entered the 60GHz wireless radio business, with partner MediaTek. They follow Georgia Tech and a whole bunch of TV makers into the space. IBM claims 2.5Gbps of bandwidth, plenty enough to shift 10GB of high-def movie in 5 seconds. [CNet]

IBM, Georgia Tech To Announce World's Fastest Microchip: 500GHz

Gizloco — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 10:58:26 EDT

Think your dual core 3-GHz processor is the bee's knees? IBM and Georgia Tech will more than likely make you cry today with their expected announcement of a silicon-based microchip that runs at 500GHz, a world record. No, not 50GHz, but 500GHz. This feat is accomplished because researchers essentially froze the microchip to 451 degrees below zero—only nine degrees hotter than the theoretically lowest possible temperature, absolute zero. At room temperature, the microchip still runs at a respectable 350GHz.

Now, let's just pause a minute to think of the possibilities: high definition movie playback (like Blu-ray and HD DVD) could be carried out effortlessly; weather forecasts could crunch more numbers, leading to more accurate forecasts; most importantly, your frame rate in Battlefield would be off the charts. – Nicholas Deleon

Researchers Say New Chip Breaks Speed Record [The New York Times via Drudge Report]