Humanoid robot reveals learning process in toddlers : The Tribune India

Join Whatsapp Channel

Humanoid robot reveals learning process in toddlers

WASHINGTON: A new research has found that toddlers learn new words using the same method as robots.

Humanoid robot reveals learning process in toddlers

Photo source: Thinkstock



Washington

A new research has found that toddlers learn new words using the same method as robots.

The study suggests that early learning is based not on conscious thought but on an automatic ability to associate objects that enables babies to quickly make sense of their environment.

Dr Katie Twomey from Lancaster University, with Dr Jessica Horst from Sussex University, Dr Anthony Morse and Professor Angelo Cangelosi from Plymouth wanted to find out how young children learn new words for the first time.

The researchers programmed a humanoid robot called iCub designed to have similar proportions to a three-year-old child, using simple software that enabled the robot to hear words through a microphone and see with a camera.

They trained it to point at new objects to identify them in order to solve the mystery of how young children learn new words.

Dr Twomey said: "We know that two-year-old children can work out the meaning of a new word based on words they already know. That is, our toddler can work out that the new word "giraffe" refers to a new toy, when they can also see two others, called "duck" and "rabbit". " It is thought that toddlers achieve this through a strategy known as "mutual exclusivity" where they use a process of elimination to work out that because the brown toy is called "rabbit," and the yellow toy is called "duck", then the orange toy must be "giraffe". What the researchers found is that the robot learned in exactly the same way when shown several familiar toys and one brand new toy.

Dr Twomey said: "This new study shows that mutual exclusivity behaviour can be achieved with a very simple "brain" that just learns associations between words and objects. In fact, intelligent as iCub seems, it actually can't say to itself "I know that the brown toy is a rabbit, and I know that that the yellow toy is a duck, so this new toy must be giraffe," because its software is too simple.

"This suggests that at least some aspects of early learning are based on an astonishingly powerful association making ability which allows babies and toddlers to rapidly absorb information from the very complicated learning environment." — ANI

Top News

Chief Judicial Magistrate's court in UP's Banda orders judicial inquiry into death of gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari

Judicial inquiry ordered into death of gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari

Asks additional CJM to conduct probe into Mukhtar Ansari's d...

Cash-strapped Congress gets fresh IT notice of Rs 1,700 crore, say party insiders

Cash-strapped Congress gets fresh I-T notice of Rs 1,800 crore

Ajay Maken addresses a press conference

Special court convicts 7 people in BSP MLA Raju Pal murder case

Special court convicts 7 people in BSP MLA Raju Pal murder case

The proceedings against Atiq Ahmad, his brother and prime ac...

Arvind Kejriwal's wife releases WhatsApp number for people to send messages for jailed AAP leader

Arvind Kejriwal's wife launches WhatsApp campaign to garner support for AAP leader

In a digital media briefing, Sunita says her husband has cha...


Cities

View All