Robot J1 Project: Term Definition


Measured, Sensual, Mobility

The concept of controlled mobility. The ability to make intelligent movements, while at the same time, knowing ones position relative to ones envrionment. Also includes the ability to sense obstacles in ones path and route path around them.

Damage

Any undesired, unwanted, or harmful effect caused by the execution of a directive. Damage can be physical and/or ethical. Ethical damage is harder to measure than physica. However, depending on the situation, the effect can be much worse.

Self

Any reference to the body, or any internal or external part thereof, of the robot.

Command

A statement in which an order to do something is given. It can be given verbally, motionally, or in written form. In the case of Model J1, it will only be accepted by typed text input. A command can be as simple as "Move Forward" or as complex as "Go to Joe's Office".

Process

Becuase a command may be complex, and require several to many different movements, it must be broken down into simple parts. These parts are processes. The command "Move forward then turn left" requires two more simpler processes; "Move forward", and "Turn left".

Operational Limits

Certain assumtions are made factoring into Model J1's abilities. Obviously, one cannot expect Model J1 to cross a busy street (without getting ran over) or traverse Mt. Everest. See list of operational assumptions.

Ethics

A sense of right and wrong using morals to guide actions. In the case of Robot J1, this will be some kind of ruleset. Although it seems that ethics are being stressed less and less, any new form possilbly capable of any kind of intelligent thought must have ethics coded in on the ground floor of it's creation. If ethical and moral values aren't implanted early on in a new design, it would be extremely hard to hard-code them later on in the design process.

Plot a Course

The process of determining a route from point A to point B. For the point of simplicity in Robot J1, this might not necessarily be the fastest route, but it does have to take into account any ethics rulesets, and terrain concerns (stairs, walls).

Use the BACK button to return to previous page

Document page written by Joe Thielen.
Last modified 12/18/1998