When Robots Attack - In the Name of Science
The University of Ljubljana has been making headlines in the science and technology community for a rather unusual experiment taking place by its researchers.
Scientists are attempting to teach a robot, borrowed from Japanese firm Epson, to understand levels of human pain by setting it to punch human participants at varying strengths. The participant then ranks the level of discomfort caused by the strike, thereby "teaching" the robot how to avoid causing pain to humans.
The research, as reported by Wired magazine, "will be used to limit the speed of a robot when it senses a nearby human, so any interaction or collision, purposeful or accidental, won’t injure them."