Researchers use brain waves to correct robot mistakes

Baxter the robot is blushing. It made yet another embarrassing mistake by placing a spray paint can in the wrong bin. A moment later, the big, red bot makes the right choice, placing a bundle of wire in the wire bin. Baxter smiles at the researcher in front of it, a young woman who’s wearing a rather unattractive electroencephalography (EEG) cap.

We’re witnessing a visibly symbiotic relationship between metal and flesh. That’s because Baxter, from Rethink Robotics, and the researcher are connected. Every time the hulking, two-armed robot with a face made out of an animated screen makes a mistake, it’s the researcher’s brainwaves that let it know. Read more...