• Question: How would your research help people?

    Asked by Izzy to Huma, Jack, Lucy, Miranda, Peter on 7 Nov 2016.
    • Photo: Huma Shah

      Huma Shah answered on 7 Nov 2016:

      Great question Izzy,

      Robots are, and have been for a few years now, developed as carers and companions for the sick and the elderly. If these robots could interact with humans in human language, talk with us as robots talk with humans in the movies, then that would help humans not to feel isolated if they had mostly robots in their daily life. I haven’t seen it yet, but there’s a movie called Robot and Frank about a robot butler given to an elderly gentleman, here’s a link to it:
      http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1990314/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_16

      My research on the Turing test helps to scale machine capability in human language by gathering findings on what humans say and how they say it. This can then be used to build and improve conversational robots.

      Huma

    • Photo: Peter Boorman

      Peter Boorman answered on 7 Nov 2016:

      Hi Izzy,

      This is a very good question! There have been many inventions/advancements in our history that have come from developments in instruments used for astronomy. Improved optical sensors and imaging equipment made for ultra-sensitive telescopes have been adapted to help with cameras you might use nowadays in your phone. One famous example is the invention of the nappy – the first nappy was actually produced for an astronaut travelling into space in a space shuttle!

      Peter

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