10 things you don't know about robots

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10 things you don't know about robots

Rich Pell

7/15/2008 12:17 PM EDT

Well, okay, some of you robot aficionados out there are probably already familiar with some of the interesting facts about robots that appeared recently in a Chicago Tribune article (see "10 things you might not know about robots"), but it's an interesting read anyway. I was expecting the article to answer the usual "who first coined the term?" type of question (it does), but it offers some other interesting insights as well.

For example, do you know what the term proprioception means, and how it relates to robots? I didn't.

Nor was I familiar with the Japanese theory of the "Uncanny Valley." It goes a long way toward explaining why humans may be disturbed by human-like robots, but at the same time can become attached to their Roomba vacuum cleaners!

The article also makes an interesting point about how robots are viewed differently by the Japanese and American cultures. Americans tend to find them threatening, while the Japanese appear to view them almost parentally.

Finally, while noting the increasing incidence of clashes between pets and household robots (like vacuum cleaners), the article mentions a popular YouTube video that shows a confrontation between a puppy and an autonomous robot toy called Roboquad. The video (2:21), titled "Puppy Vs. Robot! Epic Battle For Territorial Domination!" has been viewed almost 2.5 million times: