robots.net blog for Flanneltron

Snake vs. Robosquirrel

Mon, 6 Feb 2012 03:17:06 GMT

Animal behavior scientists are teaming up with engineers to devise new kinds of research tools: mechatronic animal models. Or you could just call them robots. Robosquirrel Is that a real squirrel? Nope! Chuck Testa. That was a joke…Chuck Testa was not involved with this study. But given his talents, maybe he should be involved with ethology research robots. Now you may [...]

Does a Chinese Boy Really have Nightvision Eyes?

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 07:17:01 GMT

Well, no. But so many people seem to be taking this seriously that I felt the need to make a skeptical commentary on society’s desire for mutants (and the lack of skepticism in memes): Alien Mutant Hybrid Has Super Cat Eyes That Glow In The Dark

Social Games for Health Behavior Modification

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 04:17:05 GMT

Gamification is a topic I have mentioned not too long ago (see this post). Recently I attended a Boston CHI presentation by Chris Cartter called “The Socialization and Gamification of Health Behavior Change Apps.” Gamification One thing that Cartter said that sounds right, and may resonate with some of my readers, is that games are fuzzy, not [...]

The Seed and the Flower

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 05:18:20 GMT

Right now I’m reading an architecture book from the 1970s called The Timeless Way of Building. So far it has to do with theories of how towns and buildings and other things seem more “alive” than others, and how to achieve this quality—the “quality without a name”. This of course goes far beyond merely architecture; indeed [...]

Recursion and the Human Mind

Tue, 6 Dec 2011 02:17:07 GMT

It’s certainly not new to propose recursion as a key element of the human mind—for instance Douglas Hofstadter has been writing about that since the 1970s. Michael C. Corballis, a former professor of psychology, came out with a new book this year called The Recursive Mind. It explains his specific theory that I will attempt [...]

15 Nov 2011

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 04:06:11 GMT

I just published version 2 of my Enactive Interface Perception essay over on Science 2.0. It’s now called “Enactive Interface Perception and Affordances”.

Gamification and Self-Determination Theory

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 05:09:55 GMT

Games are not just for fun anymore—and indeed “fun” is not a good enough description for the psychology of gameplay anyway. Designers are trying to “gamify” applications which traditionally were not game-like at all. And this isn’t limited to just the Serious Games movement that’s been around for several years. This is a type [...]

Jeff Lieberman’s Evolution and Future of Consciousness

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 06:06:39 GMT

Recently I attended a presentation at MIT by Jeff Lieberman called “It’s Not What You Think: An Evolutionary Theory of Spiritual Enlightenment.” Lieberman is a science-educated artist and host of a TV show called Time Warp. He’s a relatively good presenter, and given his credentials, one would expect him to juxtapose disparate fields of science and [...]

Embedded Systems Expo 2011: A Few Notes

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 05:08:41 GMT

Today I was at the 2011 Embedded Systems Conference / DesignCon exposition. I typically attend technology expos in Boston, keeping an eye out for devices and software that I might be able to use in my job. But of course, I’m also interested in what embedded systems technology will enable in the near future. There wasn’t [...]

The Future of Emotions

Sun, 11 Sep 2011 05:07:09 GMT

I recently happened upon an article [1] about the work of Jennifer Lerner: Lerner is best known for her research on two topics: the effects of emotion on judgment and decision making, and the effects of accountability on judgment and decision making. Recently, along with a number of National Science Foundation-supported scientists, she appeared on the [...]