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Life

Deceptive robots hint at machine self-awareness

By Celeste Biever

22 September 2010

Video: Robot deception

91av. Science news and long reads from expert journalists, covering developments in science, technology, health and the environment on the website and the magazine.

Lie, robot

(Image: Moviestore Collection)

A robot that tricks its opponent in a game of hide and seek is a step towards machines that can intuit our thoughts, intentions and feelings

ROVIO the robotic car is creating a decoy. It trundles forward and knocks over a marker pen stood on its end. The pen is positioned along the path to a hiding place – but Rovio doesn’t hide there. It sneaks away and conceals itself elsewhere.

When a second Rovio arrives, it sees the felled pen and assumes that its prey must have passed this way. It rolls…

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