Psychology, Physics, and Geometry for Smarter Robots

A Columbia Engineering team created a machine, DextAIRity, that watches videos to learn physical concepts with the aim of training the computer to anticipate what the scene would look like in the future. Here, the team uses DextAIRity to effectively perform a target task through a sequence of grasping or air-based blowing actions. Using visual feedback, the system uses a closed-loop formulation that continuously adjusts its blowing direction.

"Some of the hardest problems for artificial intelligence are the easiest for humans," said Carl Vondrick , associate professor of computer science and a recipient of the Toyota Research Institute Young Faculty award.