'''Article:''' Astronauts Must Program Robots by Mark Yim

'''Introduction to paper:'''

The author argues that it would be better to provide astronauts with modules that can be pieced together and programmed, on-site, instead of deploying them with pre-made, specialized robots. Once modules are pieced together, they can be programmed through “demonstration” or “puppetry,” and then fine-tuned by editing the code.

'''Application to personal research:'''

It wouldn't be feasible to program scripts for TiLAR by moving parts of the robot. Pleo parts don't move freely, LEGO & Mechanical Engineering robots would need additional work to record motion by demonstration, and the avatar isn't even a physical body. However, Honda's Motion Learner software could be used to record human demonstrations, and those poses could be interpreted into poses for any one of the TiLAR robots. A therapist could create new animations for any robot using Honda's software. Alternately, a user could click on body parts of a 3D model of the robot and move them, in order to “progarm by demonstration.”

These techniques could be used to create new animations for a TiLAR robot OR to lookup an animation in a list of pre-made animations. For example, the user could click and drag the tail of a 3D model of Pleo, making it wag in the air, which would list all animations that Pleo is already programmed to do which involve its tail wagging in the air.

'''Questions:'''

• How might the principle of modularity apply to TiLAR? We could allow the therapist to program a short script for a TiLAR robot, label it, and then use that short script multiple times in a larger script (kind of like creating “functions” or “methods” in traditionally programming languages).

'''Additional notes from paper:'''

• Autonomy could be measured by the rate of communication with a human
• Large problems can be solved by combining several small modules that each solve a part of the problem
• Having smaller modules allows for more powerful problem solving, but takes longer to piece all together.

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