Deceiving Robots? - The UpStream

Deceiving Robots?

posted Sunday Aug 23, 2009 by Nicholas DiMeo

Lying robots? And we always thought they would have morals! According to a new study, it's been discovered that robots are able to learn certain human survival techniques. Researchers at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne in Switzerland have discovered a new type of "rebellious" robot, one that doesn't always play by the rules. These robots, equipped with artificial neural networks, were programmed to locate food.

Originally when the food was found, the robot would flash a blue light indicating his find to the other robots and allowing them to also locate the food. With limited room in the area of the food, fights between the bots would break out, forcing them to battle each other for the space.

The robots later mastered survival instincts similar to those of humans. When the robot found the meal, it no longer flashed the blue light, so others were unable to also pinpoint the prize. Researchers integrated the artificial neural networks of the most 'intelligent' robots, and altered the code to imitate biological mutations.

After hundreds of attempts to improve the intelligence, they were successful, with the majority of robots not alerting others of their find. The outcome of this experiment will be published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. With these robots on the loose, you better keep your eye on your food!

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