14 DAY TRIAL // We all thought about what might happen if films like the Terminator came true, but autonomous robots are still a way off, although researchers from the Technical University of Munich aren't slacking.
Indeed, they have been tirelessly working on the robots James and Rosie.
What they've achieved is success in their goal to enable them to cook meals, albeit very simple ones.
So far, the cookbook includes sandwiches and popcorn, though the process doesn't always go by without a hitch.
At one point, Rosie fumbled a piece of paper and wasn't able to find it. Also, the whole process is very, very slow.
Still, Rosie, for instance, did 'know' that the bread was on the cutting board and that it had to be toasted, so it used a Kinect sensor to find it and place it in the toaster.
The robots also have to use video input to match shapes and colors to the things they need, like tools and ingredients.
All in all, the two robots are able to make decisions based on an inferential reasoning and external inputs instead of preprogrammed commands.
Not that such preprogrammed things weren't involved, of course. After all, the software of the robots has to be sophisticated enough to manage the movements and also choose what and when to do.
Still, this is a clear step towards robots that can genuinely deduce how to complete tasks instead of getting and following specific instructions, step by step.
Of course, before humanoid automatons truly come to life and begin turning into potential threats to the continued existence of mankind, Rosie and James will have to gain more human-like bodies instead of the big, wheeled contraptions that hold them up and permit them to move around.
Then again, given their purpose, they are more likely to end up being built into futuristic, high-tech kitchens, giving the words 'kitchen robot' a whole new meaning.
