Beijing opens "kindergarten" for robots using alternative training approach

A “kindergarten” for robots has opened in Beijing, where scientists are exploring an alternative approach to training machines.

The Chinese newspaper Global Times reported that the fundamentally different approach involves teaching robots through tactile perception, trial and error, and their own experiences rather than relying on demonstrations provided by humans.

For example, if a robot collides with a wall while learning to walk, the collision becomes part of its experience. The machine records what happened and attempts to walk again, adjusting its movements to avoid repeating the same mistake. In this case, the failure itself becomes training data, Global Times reported.

The approach is expected to enable robots to continue learning after they enter service, allowing them to adapt to situations that were not encountered during their initial training.

The robot training centre was established jointly by Chinese company Tashan Technology, which specialises in tactile sensors, and a team led by Canadian computer scientist and artificial intelligence expert Richard Sutton.

By Vugar Khalilov