Wednesday, May 5, 2010

What kind of problems would you like a robot to solve?

I need help. I am trying to brainstorm the types of problems I would like a robot to solve. But here's the kicker: it must be simple yet able to be divided into sub-problems. I need an EXAMPLE, just something that would look cool on a diagram.

Here's what I don't want:

  • A one step problem like "Do an A* search"

  • A problem that does not have a physical manifestation, like "Solve a theorem"

  • A problem that over-emphasizes the physical



I suppose something like solving a rubiks cube is a good example, but it's been done.

The winner of this competition recieves a lifetime supply of my gratitude :)

UPDATE 06 MAY 2010:
I am trying to think along the same lines as a programmer. As if you had to write a program to create the game of minesweeper:

  1. First you come up with data representation (variables)

  2. Now, you can do the representation for the user

  3. Now allow user to input

  4. Create game loop and exit conditions

  5. Clean up



Now - is there a problem like that for a robot (other than writing a computer programming robot)?