AI.js: Robots with Brains!
Once upon a time, there was a roboticist. She spent eight years working with robots of various shapes, sizes, and intelligence levels - her specialty was in planning and navigation algorithms (useful for driverless cars, rescue robots, etc.). Eager for some fresh air away from the lab, she switched gears and started developing a better Internet with JavaScript and Node.js.
In her time away, however, her little robot friends have also learned JavaScript! The likes of Johnny-Five and NodeCopter have breathed new life into those traditionally Python/C++-controlled machines, and our favorite roboticist's little vacation has come to a close.
Whereas 2012 was the start of moving, reactive robots programmed in JavaScript, 2013 will be the year of the smarter, autonomous robot! Task driven and data oriented, they will be the most intelligent JS robots you've ever seen - and they'll be the founders of the robot.js of tomorrow.
In this talk, we will discuss and review examples of not only what is possible, but also what traditional roboticists will have a hard time acknowledging: JavaScript is not only a legitimately viable language for robots, but also a fascinating opportunity to solve problems that can't be solved with Python/C++ alone!