Next Up for AI? Dancing Robots | Catie Cuan | TED

Summary

The speaker, a pioneer in choreo-robotics, shares their unique journey from dancing with humans to choreographing movements for diverse robots. They emphasize the importance of intentional robot movement for positive human interaction and advocate for integrating AI to enhance robots' physical intelligence. The talk highlights Project Starling, an interactive AI-driven performance, illustrating the potential for robots to be integrated into everyday life with grace and emotional resonance, ultimately shaping a future where humans and robots coexist harmoniously.

Takeaways

• 💃 The speaker is a choreographer who teaches robots how to dance, highlighting the intersection of robotics and dance in choreo-robotics.
• 🤖 They emphasize the importance of robot movement in influencing human emotions and perceptions, such as politeness or fear.
• 🚶 Robots are increasingly present in everyday environments, and their movements need careful examination to avoid being threatening or confusing.
• 🔧 As a roboticist and engineer, the speaker studies the connection between robot motion and emotion, aiming to make robots more emotionally intelligent.
• 🧠 AI technologies are enhancing robots' physical intelligence, making them smarter and more capable in the physical world.
• 🕺 Teaching robots to dance with intention, agility, and emotional expression can improve their roles as caregivers, teachers, and companions.
• 🤖 The speaker's work at Everyday Robots involved using AI to teach multiple robots to move together as a flock, demonstrating AI's capability for improvisation.
• 🎵 Project Starling is an interactive performance where robots generate music through their movements, creating a unique symphony.
• 👀 The project aimed to create an immersive experience that felt like a natural and safe world with robots, encouraging public engagement.
• 👨‍🔧 Robotics engineers are starting to consider emotion and context in the design of intelligent machines for better human-robot interaction.
• 🌐 The choices made now in robot design will dictate how humans live with robots, potentially making them more welcomed, safe, and delightful.
• 🛠 With AI, robots can learn from specific examples and generalize to new situations, as demonstrated in teaching them to dance and navigate spaces.

Q & A

What is the speaker's profession and how did it evolve?

The speaker is a choreographer who teaches robots how to dance. Their profession evolved from dancing on stages with humans to choreographing and dancing with various types of robots, including large, small, single-armed, and roving robots, as well as those that fly and resemble humans.

Why does the speaker believe that the way robots move is important?

The speaker believes that the way robots move is important because it can affect human emotions. For example, a polite robot movement can make people feel acknowledged, while a sudden or aggressive movement might cause fear or revulsion.

What is the emerging field that combines the speaker's expertise in robotics and dance?

The emerging field that combines the speaker's expertise in robotics and dance is called 'choreo-robotics,' which is the intersection of dance and robotics.

How does the speaker describe the current state of AI in relation to robots?

The speaker describes the current state of AI as giving robots a physical intelligence with technologies like GPT and Gemini becoming the robot's brains, making them much smarter and capable of learning from specific examples to perform tasks in various environments.

What is the speaker's view on the future of intelligent robots in our everyday lives?

The speaker envisions a future where intelligent robots are more integrated into our everyday lives, interacting with us through movement. They believe that if robots can dance and move with intention, agility, and grace, they will become better caregivers, teachers, and companions.

What is the significance of teaching robots to dance according to the speaker?

Teaching robots to dance is significant because it helps them move with intention, agility, balance, emotional expression, and grace. This, in turn, can make them better at various roles in society and more welcomed by humans.

What is 'Project Starling' and how was it achieved?

Project Starling is an interactive performance and installation work that involved training an AI agent on the preferences of a choreographer to generate movement for 15 robots to move together as a flock. It took two years of engineering to complete and included teaching the robots to recognize and respond to human gestures and to act as musical instruments.

How did the speaker's work at Everyday Robots differ from traditional robot choreography?

The speaker's work at Everyday Robots differed from traditional robot choreography by using AI to teach multiple robots to move together as a flock, rather than scripting each individual movement. This approach allowed for improvisation and reaction to the environment, which was not possible with traditional choreography.

What role does AI play in the speaker's choreography for robots?

AI plays a crucial role in the speaker's choreography for robots by enabling them to learn from specific examples and adapt their movements to different environments and circumstances. This allows for more natural and contextually appropriate interactions between robots and humans.

What is the speaker's vision for the role of robots in addressing demographic challenges?

The speaker's vision is for general-purpose robots to help address demographic challenges such as aging populations and labor shortages. The way these robots move will determine how readily humans accept and welcome them into their homes and workplaces.

How can the lessons from choreographing robots be applied to their everyday interactions with humans?

The lessons from choreographing robots can be applied to their everyday interactions with humans by considering emotion and context in their design. This includes teaching robots to recognize and respond to human gestures and to move in ways that are natural and safe, making them more approachable and welcomed.