Term Paper: Robotics and AI

The objective of this project is to learn about the fields of robotics and artificial
intelligence in general, and how they are likely to affect life in the future. You will have to
turn in two finished products: a paper, and a PowerPoint presentation.
Everyone writes the paper on the same general topic the fields of robotics and artificial
intelligence in general, how they work, what they're used for now, and how they are likely
to affect life in the future. The paper will be worth points.
Everyone makes a presentation on a specific subject that they have chosen within the
general field of !obotics and "#. $o two presentations in a class section will be on the
sa%e topic. The presentation will be worth &' points.
The total project counts for a total of (& points. One third of your total score on this entire unit will
become part of your final exam grade, and two thirds will become part of your second marking
period grade.
Part #1 Survey of Robotics and Artificial Intelligence
The first part of the project is to write a paper providing a general survey and discussion of robotics and
artificial intelligence. This paper %ust specifically include the following:
" definition and discussion of artificial intelligence, including specific e)a%ples fro% both
%edicine and other areas. *y specific e)a%ples, # %ean the na%es of specific projects or
products +typically including na%es, years, locations, etc,, not just categories or types of
applications. -on.t just na%e the% say how they work, and what capabilities they have. *e
sure to specify what the syste%s are used for, and what it is that /ualifies the% to be considered
intelligent. To do a good job of this, you will have to talk about what intelligence %eans.
"lthough %any robotic syste%s include aspects of artificial intelligence, the e)a%ples you use
for this section %ust incorporate artificial intelligence but not robotics. 0o a %edical e)pert
syste% or a chess1playing progra% is a good e)a%ple for this section, but a surgical robot or a
soccer1playing robot is not. Be sure that this section includes a definition of machine learning,
and some examples of how it is used. Also be sure that this section includes a description of the
Turing test, and whether or not you think it is valid.
" definition and discussion of robotics, including specific current e)a%ples fro% both %edicine
and other areas. "s %entioned above, robotics typically includes aspects of artificial intelligence
these days, and that is fine those are the %ost interesting e)a%ples. Be sure that this section
explains what autonomous means in the context of robotics.
" discussion of the risks and opportunities presented to society by robotics and artificial
intelligence technologies in general +not just in the %edical field,. "re there ethical issues
involved with replacing hu%an workers with robots2 3hat kinds of decisions should %achines
be allowed to %ake2 4ow do you think the econo%y %ight be affected2 "re there other ethical
issues involved with increasingly intelligent %achines2 Please consider both the positive and
negative potential aspects. +#f you're looking for so%e inspiration for this part of the paper, have
a look at the reco%%ended reading at http:55www.e)tre%ities.co%5pct5inde).php2n)t6airobotics,
especially 7!obotic $ation7, 7!obo18thicists 3ant to !eva%p "si%ov's 9 :aws7, and 70cientists
3orry ;achines ;ay <uts%art ;an7,
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Deadlines and Guidelines for Paper
*onday, +anuary ,th, $$-## .*- Paper due, both on paper and /ia Turn0t0n.
The first page is the title page, including the title of your paper, your na%e, the class na%e
+Principles of =o%puter Technology,, and your period. You are encouraged to include pictures
and artwork on the cover. ;ake it look cool.
The ne)t five to nine pages contain the %ain body of your paper. Proper citations %ust be
included whenever so%eone else.s ideas are used, even if you su%%ari>e the%. ;assive /uoting
is not acceptable. The %ain body %ust be at least &'' lines +' or %ore full pages of actual te)t,
not counting headers, references, pictures, etc., and no %ore than ?(@ lines. Ase &.' line spacing,
with a &? point Ti%es $ew !o%an font. ;argins for top and botto% %ust be & inch, and left and
right %argins %ust be &.?' inches. Your grade will be prorated if your paper is too short. #f it
goes a little over, that.s okay, but please don.t give %e &' or ?@ pages of junk and filler and
e)pect %e to be i%pressed. Benerally # have found that the best papers tend to be longer than the
%ini%u%, so don't e)pect a top grade on a paper that's e)actly &'' lines, unless you're an
e)ceptionally talented writer with a superb grasp of the subject.
You should include photos, diagra%s, and5or drawings of the things your paper talks about.
These won.t be counted towards the line count, but they will help %ake the paper interesting and
understandable.
The last page is the reference page, with at least five different sources listed in "P" reference
for%at. 0ources %ust be cited within the te)t, using "P" for%at. 4ere's an e)a%ple of what
%ight be in the paper's body:
0cientists use the ter% 7weak "#7 to refer to artificial intelligence that can solve difficult
proble%s like playing chess or %aking %edical diagnoses. The ter% 7strong "#7 refers to
co%puter syste%s with the general ability to understand the world and solve a broad
range proble%s the way hu%ans do, and that could even be considered to be conscious.
+70trong "#7, ?@@C,
and the corresponding entry in your citations page:
0trong "#. +"pril ?9, ?@@C,. #n ikipedia, the free encyclopedia. !etrieved ;ay D, ?@@C,
fro% http:55en.wikipedia.org5wiki50trongE"#
+For 3ikipedia, the date in parentheses in the citation is the date of the %ost recent edit, which
can be obtained fro% the history tab on the article page.,
Your paper %ust be clearly written, and geared toward an audience that is intelligent but not an
e)pert in the fields of %edicine or co%puter technology.
Your paper %ust be sub%itted via Turn#t#n as well as on paper.
1ote that the biggest problem with most student papers on this subject is a lack of sufficient
detail, particularly in the examples they describe. *ore examples and more details
generally make for a better paper.
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*ax
Points
$ " (
Title page for%atted as
specified
$ -idn.t include title page Title page included but
%issing so%e infor%ation
Title page includes all
re/uired infor%ation
!eferences:
1at least fi/e
reliable and verifiable
sources
1"ll references cited in
body
1=orrect "P" for%at
' #nsufficient nu%ber, not
reliable, or i%proper
citations or for%at used
throughout paper
;ost references check
out, but so%e errors in
citation or for%atting
"t least fi/e different
sources, reliable and
verifiable, properly cited
and for%atted
Bra%%ar, spelling, and
writing style.
$' Fre/uent spelling,
gra%%ar, and5or
punctuation errors. The
docu%ent is generally not
well written, and is
fre/uently difficult to
understand.
" few spelling, gra%%ar,
and5or punctuation errors.
The docu%ents is
basically well written, but
a few parts are not clear.
$o spelling, gra%%ar,
and5or punctuation errors.
-ocu%ent is well written,
infor%ation is clearly
written and
understandable
"# <verview
1"ppropriate level
10ufficient detail
$' =ontent area o%itted
co%pletely
=ontent area included, but
insufficient detail and5or
e)a%ples to de%onstrate
understanding
=ontent area included,
with sufficient detail and
e)a%ples to de%onstrate
understanding
!obotics <verview
1"ppropriate level
10ufficient detail
$' =ontent area o%itted
co%pletely
=ontent area included, but
insufficient detail and5or
e)a%ples to de%onstrate
understanding
=ontent area included,
with sufficient detail and
e)a%ples to de%onstrate
understanding
-iscussion of risks,
opportunities, ethics
1"ppropriate level
10ufficient detail
$' =ontent area o%itted
co%pletely
=ontent area included, but
insufficient detail and5or
e)a%ples to de%onstrate
understanding
=ontent area included,
with sufficient detail and
e)a%ples to de%onstrate
understanding
&&
Part #2 Researc and Presentation on a Specific Topic in AI and
Robotics
For the second part of the assign%ent, you %ust pick a specific topic within the field of "# and
!obotics, e)plore it in so%e detail, and present what you.ve learned to the class. You are encouraged
to choose %edical topics, but it is not a re/uire%ent. " long list of possible topics is included below
but feel free to propose others. # will coordinate with others so that everyone in the sa%e class
period has a different topic for this section. 0ignups are first1co%e, first1served.

"ll PowerPoint due in electronic for%at.
$a%e your powerpoint file yourname per!.ppt for e)a%ple, bobjones per".ppt.
Your presentation %ust include:
&, a title page
?, at least substantial content slides
9, a su%%ary slide listing the 91' %ost i%portant things that you want so%eone to
re%e%ber fro% your presentation
D, a slide listing your sources, in "P" for%at
Your presentation should take D to G %inutes to present. #f you have so%ething special that you
want to include that will %ake the ti%e li%it i%practical, speak with %e ahead of ti%e and we
can discuss it.
Principles of Computer Technology - !!"#$%
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Please %ake it interesting and lively.
0tudents will be rando%ly chosen to present, so everyone %ust be ready to go at any ti%e.
!eadlines for Presentation
*onday, 2ecember (
rd
, ,-(# .*- 0ignup begins for presentation topics.
3ednesday, 2ecember $"
th
, $$-## .*- :ast chance to sign up for presentation topic
without penalty.
Tuesday, +anuary $'
th
, $$-'4 P*- presentations due, via e%ail or googledocs link
3ednesday, +anuary $&
th
- presentations begin
Presentation Rubric
$ " (
5ength ( Presentation is under 9
%inutes or over ( %inutes
Presentation is between 9 and
D or G and ( %inutes long.
Presentation is between D and G
%inutes long.
Care and
3orkmanship
( 0lides are slapdash, have
nu%erous gra%%ar or
spelling errors, little
evidence of an effort to
%ake the% interesting or
appealing
0lides are %ostly effective, but
e)hibit so%e flaws in
appearance, gra%%ar, or
spelling
0lides are attractive, carefully
put together, %ake good use of
graphics to enhance
understanding and interest. $o
errors in gra%%ar or spelling.
6ffecti/eness
of 2eli/ery
( 0tudent is hard to hear,
uses poor body language,
reads al%ost entirely fro%
notes
*asically an effective job, but
so%e proble%s with
occasional inaudible speech,
ineffective body language,
lack of energy in presentation,
or over1reliance on notes.
0tudent speaks with clear, strong
voice, uses good body language,
%akes eye contact, projects
energy and enthusias%. :ittle or
no reading fro% notes
Content & :ittle infor%ation is
provided, or student does
not appear to understand
the topic he5she is
presenting.
$o slide with "P"
references
0ubject is described well
overall, but i%portant aspects
are o%itted, or so%e details
are inappropriate for the
audience.
0ubject is described thoroughly
and effectively. #nteresting and
infor%ative details are provided,
but unnecessary or overly
technical details are avoided.
#ncludes slide with "P"
references
$'
Some Possible Presentation Topics:
!obotic 0urgery +such as da Hinci,, !obotics in $ursing, "gricultural !obots, "# in Hideo Ba%es, !obotic Pets and Toys,
Therapeutic !obots, =o%puter =hess, !obot 0occer, !obot Prosthetics and 8)oskeletons, 0elf1-riving =ars, 4u%anoid
!obots, !obotic *attlefield ;edicine and Trau%a Pods, ;ilitary Ases of !obots, Phar%acy !obots, !obots in 0pace
8)ploration, 4ousehold !obots, Andersea !obots, "rt and "rtificial #ntelligence, 7The 0ingularity7, Flying !obots, !obotic
#nsects, 0war% !obotics, "# and ;usic, The -"!P" !obotic =hallenge and -isaster !esponse !obots, 8lder =are !obots,
and %any, %any %ore.
Suggested Resources
# post good sources to http:55www.e)tre%ities.co%5pct5inde).php2n)t6airobotics so%eti%es. There's a
lot, take a look.
Principles of Computer Technology - !!"#$%
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