[00:00.16]When a dog loses a leg, [00:02.56]the animal eventually figures out the best way to get around on three legs. [00:09.60]In a short time, the dog learns deal with its physical disability. [00:16.08]Now, scientists have developed robots that behave in much the same way. [00:22.84]We can find robots everywhere. [00:26.24]Robots build cars, play chess [00:29.44]and can clean your house. They may someday drive your car, too. [00:35.60]Two robots, named Spirit and Opportunity, [00:39.44]were sent to Mars on a mission to explore the red planet. [00:44.20]Jeff Clune is a computer scientist [00:46.88]with the University of Wyoming. [00:49.96]He says robots also help people in natural disasters. [00:55.12]Robots are deployed in search and rescue operations [00:59.04]following an earthquake. They may someday also be used [01:03.84]to examine the wreckage of a nuclear accident, [01:07.24]like the one in Fukushima, Japan. [01:10.08]Mr. Clune says robots can be sent to a lot of places said to be unsafe. [01:17.36]"The problem is that all of those types of situations and environment [01:20.68]are extremely unpredictable and hostile. [01:23.28]And it is very likely that robots and humans in those situations become damaged." [01:27.88]He and other scientists are developing technology so that robots will continue operating [01:34.72]after the first sign of injury. [01:38.00]They want the machines to have the ability to make changes [01:42.16]and continue performing until they can be repaired. [01:46.64]Mr. Clune and researchers in France [01:49.52]have added one more operation to the skill set of robots [01:53.56]working under difficult conditions. [01:56.60]They say they programmed a hexapod robot, [02:00.16]one with six legs, and a robotic arm to learn how to deal with injury. [02:06.08]Their findings were reported in the journal "Nature." [02:10.48]Mr. Clune said that once the robots become damaged, [02:14.56]they use their intuition and knowledge of how their body works [02:19.04]to find a way to deal with the damage. [02:22.92]He says the robots are also programmed with child-like curiosity. [02:29.36]In other words, they are always asking questions and looking for answers. [02:36.16]The whole process takes about a minute for the robots to find a way to overcome damage. [02:43.96]I'm Jonathan Evans. [02:47.16]Words in This Story [02:49.56]figure out 每 v. to solve a problem [02:53.80]skill set 每 n. a number of skills or abilities [02:59.68]hexapod 每 adj. having six legs [03:04.36]intuition 每 n. knowing or understanding something without any evidence or past experience [03:13.16]curiosity 每 n. the desire to learn more about something [03:18.36]載嗣泭薯③溼恀51VOA.Com [03:18.80]