Quote of the Day

From Slate's science roundup:

A new robot can recognize when it's injured and change its behavior to compensate. Animals do this all the time, but previous robots have shown little or no adaptability. This robot was designed to observe the consequences of its movements, infer how its limbs work, and adjust when the consequences change. Key test: When its creators shortened one of it's legs, it changed the way it walked. Sci-fi spin: It's an early model for explorer robots that must handle surprises on other planets without human aid. Nightmare scenario: 1) Adaptive, self-modifying robots will treat human interference as just another challenge to overcome. Scientists' rejoinder: "We just pull the plug out of the robot." Nightmare scenario 2: Your plug-pulling habit is just another challenge.