Ability to perceive mind surfaces in robots

A robot is being tested for its ability to track the mental states of others. Known as theory of mind this gives humans many sophisticated traits, including empathy and deception.

Robots have demonstrated theory of mind before but iCub (a pearly white humanoid) is different. Last week, at the Living Machines conference in London, researchers revealed that it is the first robot to acquire theory of mind without specific programming. "This all emerged," says Peter Dominey, leader of the research team.

Dominey is one of a band of roboticists who are showing that building with basic biological machinery – instead of ever-more complex algorithms – can endow robots with lifelike characteristics. "We can directly take advantage of the evolutionary lessons of nature," says biologist Joseph Ayers.

If this materializes, it means that I wouldn’t need to crack my brain to understand what you are thinking, I only need a smart robot like the iCub.

readmore at newscientist.com