We could be conversing with robots within three years
29 Sep 2012
A new generation of software, being developed by researchers at the University of Aberdeen, could be used in key industry sectors including aerospace, aviation, defence and energy generation and supply.
The team behind the development, which is funded by a £1.1-million grant from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), say they hope the new systems will build trust between machines and humans and increase efficiency - both operationally and financially.
Dr Wamberto Vasconcelos from the University of Aberdeen's School of Natural and Computing Sciences, who said the software could be ready in less than three years, says, "Autonomous systems - such as robots - are an integral part of modern industry, used to carry out tasks without continuous human guidance.
"Employed across a variety of sectors, these systems can quickly process huge amounts of information when deciding how to act. However, in doing so, they can make mistakes which are not obvious to them or to a human.
"Evidence shows there may be mistrust when there are no provisions to help a human to understand why an autonomous system has decided to perform a specific task, at a particular time, and in a certain way.
"What we are creating is a new generation of autonomous systems, which are able to carry out a two-way communication with humans.
