Artificial Life Possibilities : A Star Trek Perspective

by Baillie-de Byl, Penny

• ISBN13: 9781584504146
• ISBN10: 1584504145
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-01-12
• Publisher: Cengage Learning

Summary

The Star Trek series has inspired not only armchair fans, but also the researchers who are trying to better the human race, developing the devices of the future, and struggling to conquer space travel. The Star Trek series was also the inspiration for this book, which examines the artificial intelligences portrayed in the shows. The question we'll be asking throughout this book is, "How do we get from where we are now to the point where we are able to create truly exceptional artificial beings such as Holodeck characters, Lieutenant Commander Data, and the Emergency Medical Hologram?" In order to answer this, we'll examine where we are right now and extrapolate where we are heading. Throughout the book a passion for Star Trek is integrated with academic research from the AI, A-Life, and Robotics domains, which are presented in an easy to understand way-- bypassing the technobabble and mind-blowing mathematics. The book examines the characteristics and capabilities of Star Trek's artificial life forms and compares them with current technologies in an attempt to predict if we'll ever create such advanced beings. It is written to provide both the serious Trekker and the occasional voyeur with a handbook of the current techniques and devices available in the fields of artificial intelligence, robotics, and artificial life. It examines the development of artificial life forms such as Data and the EMH from the bottom up, including their physical creation programming, and metaphysical aspects such as personality and emotions to determine if such beings might some day be a reality. If you have ever wanted to know what a positronic brain is or how to write a personality subroutine then this is the book for you!

Author Biography

Dr. Penny Baillie-de Byl currently works at the University of Southern Queensland in Australia where she teaches computer programming, computer graphics, and computer game development

Table of Contents

Preface	p. xi
Introduction	p. xv
Body	p. 1
Positrons, Neurons, and the Android Brain	p. 3
Chapter Overview	p. 4
Genesis (TNG#271)	p. 4
Prime Factors (VOY#110)	p. 5
Peak Performance (TNG#147)	p. 6
Investigations (VOY#135)	p. 7
In Theory (TNG#199)	p. 9
Shockwave (ENT#026)	p. 10
Threshold (VOY#139)	p. 11
Take Me Out to the Holosuite (DSN#554)	p. 14
Invasive Procedures (DSN#424)	p. 14
Inquisition (DSN#542)	p. 18
References	p. 18
Endnotes	p. 18
Physical Beings	p. 19
Chapter Overview	p. 20
Body Parts (DSN#497)	p. 20
Basics (VOY#142,146)	p. 22
The Next Phase (TNG#224)	p. 23
Tin Man (TNG#168)	p. 26
Projections (VOY#117)	p. 27
References	p. 27
Holographic Beings	p. 29
Chapter Overview	p. 30
Hollow Pursuits (TNG#169)	p. 30
Virtuoso (VOY#234)	p. 37
Endnotes	p. 38
Sensing the Environment	p. 39
Chapter Overview	p. 40
Second Sight (DSN#429)	p. 40
As Loud as a Whisper (TNG#132)	p. 43
In the Flesh (VOY#198)	p. 45
A Taste of Armageddon (TOS#023)	p. 46
Persistence of Vision (VOY#124)	p. 47
References	p. 47
Endnotes	p. 47
Mind	p. 49
Presence of Mind	p. 51
Chapter Overview	p. 52
I don't have a life, I have a program	p. 52
Frame of Mind (TNG#247)	p. 57
Endnotes	p. 58
Representing and Storing Knowledge	p. 59
Chapter Overview	p. 60
11001001 (TNG#116)	p. 60
Spock's Brain (TOS#061)	p. 61
Infinite Regress (VOY#203)	p. 61
Rules of Acquisition (DSN#427)	p. 66
Shattered (VOY#257)	p. 68
Retrospect (VOY#185)	p. 70
Endnotes	p. 71
Thinking and Reasoning	p. 73
Chapter Overview	p. 74
Elementary, Dear Data (TNG#129)	p. 74
Tuvix (VOY#140)	p. 75
The Voyager Conspiracy (VOY#229)	p. 79
Patterns of Force (TOS#052)	p. 81
Trials and Tribble-ations (DSN#503)	p. 87
All Good Things... (TNG#277,288)	p. 93
Endnotes	p. 94
Beyond Their Original Programming	p. 95
Chapter Overview	p. 96
Evolution (TNG#150)	p. 97
The Offspring (TNG#164)	p. 99
Bloodlines (TNG#274)	p. 105
Journey's End (TNG#272)	p. 109
References	p. 109
Endnotes	p. 110
Soul	p. 111
Imagination and Creativity	p. 113
Chapter Overview	p. 114
Eye of the Beholder (ENT#270)	p. 114
Dramatis Personae (DSN#418)	p. 116
Child's Play (VOY#239)	p. 119
Facets (DSN#471)	p. 120
Legacy (TNG#180)	p. 122
References	p. 122
Endnotes	p. 122
Humor	p. 125
Chapter Overview	p. 126
Riddles (VOY#227)	p. 126
The Battle (TNG#110)	p. 127
The Outrageous Okona (TNG#130)	p. 130
References	p. 131
Endnote	p. 131
Emotions	p. 133
Chapter Overview	p. 134
Hope and Fear (VOY#194)	p. 134
Bliss (VOY#209)	p. 135
Emotional Behavior	p. 135
Fast Primary Emotions	p. 136
Emotional Experience	p. 136
Body-Mind Interactions	p. 137
Cognitively Generated Emotions	p. 138
Drive (VOY#249)	p. 139
References	p. 139
Endnotes	p. 139
How to Make Friends and Influence Humans	p. 141
Chapter Overview	p. 142
Looking for par'Mach in all the Wrong Places (DSN#501)	p. 142
Interface (TNG#255)	p. 143
The Perfect Mate (TNG#221)	p. 146
Blood Fever (VOY#157)	p. 147
References	p. 148
Endnotes	p. 148
Epilogue	p. 149
Intelligence and Fooling the Turing Testers	p. 151
Chapter Overview	p. 152
Obsession (TOS#047)	p. 152
Distant Voices (DSN#464)	p. 155
Language Generation and Parsing	p. 158
Markov Language Learning	p. 159
Real Life (VOY#164)	p. 161
References	p. 162
Endnotes	p. 162
Future's End (VOY#150,151)	p. 163
Chapter Overview	p. 164
Future Imperfect	p. 164
Worse Case Scenario (VOY#167)	p. 164
Survival Instinct (VOY#222)	p. 165
The Doomsday Machine (TOS#035)	p. 166
Suddenly Human (TNG#176)	p. 167
What You Leave Behind (DSN#575,576)	p. 170
References	p. 171
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