Researchers from Spain have accomplished a huge feat for robots by constructing the very first artificial cerebellum to assist them to interact with people. The cerebellum is the part of the mind that guides motor functions.
The project will now install the cerebellum in a robot so as to convert its actions and interaction with humans to be more natural. The end goal is to amalgate the cerebellum into a automaton fashioned by the German Aerospace Centre in two year’s time. The scientists plan that their labor will also payoff in hints on how to cure or alleiviate cognitive diseases like Parkinson’s
The 4-year project, named Sensopac (SENSOrimotor structuring of perception and action for emerging cognition) is financed by the EU under its Sixth Framework Programme (FP6) and combines physicists, neuroscientists and electronic engineers fromthe best universities in Europe.
The researchers at the University of Granada are focusing on the layout of microchips that comprise a full nervous system, mimicking the fashion the cerebellum works with the human nervous system.
Installing the man-made cerebellum in a robot will grant it to use and interact with other objects with very much better than anything designed previously.
A possible application for the humanoid machines would be as live in assistance for the disabled.