iCub Robot Learns Archery

Tweet

Anyone else remember the pancake flipping robot? Well, the same guys who brought you this culinary wonder have brought us something far more disturbing–the robot that knows archery.

Using a program called ARCHER (the acronym form of Augmented Reward Chained Regression), the iCub learned archery to such an extent that it could fire on a bullseye and hit it after merely eight tries, a feat that would baffle most human archers, who might well spend years trying to accomplish such a feat. Worse yet, now that the iCub knows how to hit the bullseye, it can replicate that feat every time. Basically the iCub can now hit any stationary target, after a bit of practice, over and over and over again.

I’m a little dismayed by this fact–much as I like the thought of robot sentries to watch my doors and windows with weapons brought to bear, the thought of Something Going Wrong and them bringing those weapons to bear on me is a deeply, deeply disturbing concept. But still, at least for right now, the iCub is an adorable little archer with his suction cup darts. But when he goes to razor broadheads and starts hunting up humans, well, don’t say I didn’t warn you.