That's one froody droid!

[robkelk]

BBC News: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8607538.stm]US researchers create towel-folding robot

Yes, I know that developing this sort of coordination and precision is important in the quest to develop an all-purpose robot, but it just seems... trivial.
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

[SkyeFire]

Speaking as a professional roboticist (is that even a word?), I can say that this is MAJOR.  You would be A-MAZED how incredibly ^&^(*%*(&!!! hard it is to enable a robot to deal with these kinds of mundane, brain-dead tasks that we handle almost as easily as breathing.

[Wiregeek]

so, next headline 'work on artificial intelligence halted, work on artificial stupidity off to a great start?'

in all seriousness, this is a very major accomplishment.
"No can brain today. Want cheezeburger."
From NGE: Nobody Dies, by Gregg Landsman
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5579457/1/NGE_Nobody_Dies

[Bob Schroeck]

Did anyone note that the video was speeded up by a factor of fifty? It may be able to fold a towel, but it'll never be a good launderer.

In other AI news, there's http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg2 ... chine.html]this article about creating machines with self-awareness, and how close we actually are to that goal. And http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/08/science/08chips.html]this one, which is mostly about HP making memristor-based chip designs, but has a little bit about using memristors to build analog computing systems that mimic the human brain.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.