CS1AC16 INTRODUCTION

The main focus of the subject is how computers operate and what you can do with them.
Main ideas:
 Robotics and artificial intelligence
o Daisyworld – an example of artificial life. Daisyworld is a computer simulation
introduced by James Lovelock to illustrate the plausibility of the Gaia theory – the world
filled by black and white daisies shows how the life influences the environment.
 Cybernetics
o Feedback
o Open-loop and closed-loop
 Open-loop – no feedback: a cause brings on an effect

 Closed loop – the system reacts and adjusts to the conditions

 Steersman analogy – the steersman must be responsive to winds and currents.

It's important that measuring system works well
o Learning – another feedback process
 Neural network – a lot of little processors connected together to imitate human brain. It adapts
and learns through feedback – the neurons receive inputs and calculate outputs that go to other
neurons in the net.
o Needs to adjust the weights to work. To learn, it needs an external teacher – you
provide inputs but know what the outputs should be so the weights can be calculated.
 Haptics – feeling the artificial world
 Other interactions
o Robots can interact with each other and with the environment
o Robots can also interact with people and learn
You can also have computer systems inspired by various things in nature other than human brain.