Talking Robots: Yasuo Kuniyoshi - Embodied Cognition

In this episode of Talking Robots, Sabine Howard interviews Professor Yasuo Kuniyoshi about embodied cognition and humanoid robotics. Kuniyoshi explains embodied cognition as the inseparability of mind, body, and environment, detailing experiments where robots learn from human actions and adapt to unstructured environments. He discusses the design and capabilities of his humanoid robot, which can lift heavy objects by exploiting environmental constraints and perform complex motions like the roll and rise. Kuniyoshi also explores the use of chaos theory in robotics, simulating early human motor development with a baby-sized humanoid in a virtual uterus. Looking ahead, he envisions humanoids assisting humans in close proximity, requiring advancements in physical performance, adaptivity, and understanding human intentions, and anticipates a shift towards biologically inspired robots.