��ҹ��1000��

Skip to content

Designed for life

1 June 2002

They caused a sensation when they first appeared in the 1990s but now robots COG and Kismet are not enough for the man who helped create them. Rodney Brooks, professor of robotics at MIT’s Artificial Intelligence Lab, wants more. In his new book Robot: The future of flesh and machines, he argues that there’s something lacking in our maths. We need “new stuff” that will zero in on the vital difference between living and non-living systems and help us transform robots from the lumbering arms of the car factory or the single-use cute little home machines. Duncan Graham-Rowe caught…

Sign up to our weekly newsletter

Receive a weekly dose of discovery in your inbox. We'll also keep you up to date with New Scientist events and special offers.

Sign up

or

Existing subscribers

More from New Scientist

Explore the latest news, articles and features

Archaeopteryx. Artwork of the prehistoric feathered reptile Archaeopteryx which lived around 150 million years ago. Discovered in 1861 in southern Germany, it was the first feathered fossil specimen ever found. Despite possessing bird-like feathers, wings and a wishbone, Archaeopteryx also had sharp teeth, finger digits and a bony tail similar to non-bird predatory dinosaurs. This species and numerous other feathered fossils support the theory that modern day birds evolved from prehistoric theropod dinosaurs.

Life

New Scientist recommends a brilliant take on the evolution of birds

Culture

Aerial view of an oasis on the edge of the desert town of Mao, known as the 'White City' for the limestone used to build local homes. For centuries, oases have enabled humans to survive, and even to thrive, in some of the harshest environments on earth. Now they are under threat from climate change.

Environment

Striking photos show how sands are encroaching on oases in the Sahara

Regulars

Think you have a good sense of humour? So do most people…

Comment

Think you have a good sense of humour? So do most people…

Regulars

Backrooms A strange doorway appears in the basement of a furniture showroom.

Comment

Sci-fi horror film Backrooms is a triumph for its 20-year-old director

Culture

1

Fully autonomous drones have killed human soldiers for the first time

2

Millions of fossil whale bones found in deep-ocean ‘necropolis’

3

Hundreds of new moons are revealing our solar system's violent history

4

What is a ‘normal’ memory slowdown, and when should I worry?

5

Robots are about to overtake armed soldiers as the deciders of war

6

Wolves seen hunting European bison in rare camera-trap recording

7

New Scientist recommends a brilliant take on the evolution of birds

8

Pancreatic cancer halted by virus injection in three patients

9

Dinosaur-killing asteroid impact site stayed hot for millions of years

10

Understanding anorexia’s grip on the brain could unlock new therapies