�Robotic self-awareness is crucial if robots are ever going to work safely alongside humans� “For example, a robot may be able to look downwards and see its feet but not recognise them as its own.” “Many robots today not only do not recognise themselves in a mirror, but do not recognise their own body parts directly,” she says. Mary-Anne Williams of the University of Technology Sydney, Australia, points out that robotic self-awareness is crucial if robots are ever going to work safely alongside humans. He and Scassellati presented the work last month at the Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Toronto, Canada. “What excites me is that the robot has learned a model of itself, and is using it to interpret information from the mirror,” says Hart. Nico already understands how to connect movement of its limb to motion in its reflection, another important skill it achieved in an experiment in 2007. The team plan to teach Nico how to recognise where its torso and head are, what shape they are, and their colour and texture so it can see and react to the mark on its body. Before it does, though, the robot will need to learn more about itself. Precise recognition of where its body is in space will be key if Nico is to get to grips with the mirror test, which by its nature is performed in 3D.
