How soon will it be before robots become so intelligent that will be able to do things, such as teaching
languages or looking after patients in hospital? Some experts believe this will happen within twenty years
while others disagree.
     One London company, UAS (Universal Automated Systems) has already developed machines that can be used as "home helps" for old people unable to look after themselves and who are living on their own or
in special homes.These machines can now do such things as cooking eggs and cleaning the floor, and the
company says that future models still accept simple voice instructions and be controlled by a " brain" that is the equivalent(当量) of the latest IBM microcomputer. The director of USA, Mr Henry Jeffries, believes
that in the next five to ten years companies will have developed even more sophisticated(复杂的) robots
for use in industry. By this time, it is likely that they will also have begun to sell new forms of these
machines into ordinary homes. Robots could do a wide range of household tasks, such as preparing meals, washing dishes, cleaning the house and so on. By then, the price of such machines may have come down to as little as $1 000.
     But Dr Sandra Lomax, who has done research into artificial(人工的) intelligence at Sussex University
and MIT ( Massachusetts Institute of Technology) believes we have a long way to go before we can
develop truly intelligent machines,
     "Preparing an omelette (煎蛋)  may seem easy enough. But suppose one of the eggs has gone bad,
even the most "intelligent" robot would probably still use it. If something slightly unusual needs
doing-something that requires even a little bit of ordinary human imagination, a robot is useless. They need programming for even the simplest of tasks and are not able to leam from experience. And teaching a
robot how to recognize a bad egg is far more difficult than teaching it to prepare the omelette the egg goes
into," she says.