Term Paper: Robotics and AI
The objective of this project is to learn about the fields of robotics and artificial
intelligence in general, and how they are likely to affect life in the future. You will have
to turn in two finished products: a paper, and a PowerPoint presentation.
Everyone writes the paper on the same general topic – the fields of robotics and artificial
intelligence in general, how they work, what they're used for now, and how they are likely
to affect life in the future. The paper will be worth 66 points.
Everyone makes a presentation on a specific subject that they have chosen within the
general field of Robotics and AI. No two presentations in a class section will be on the
same topic. The presentation will be worth 15 points.
The total project counts for a total of 81 points. One third of your total score on this entire unit will
become part of your final exam grade, and two thirds will become part of your second marking
period grade.
Part #1 – Survey of Robotics and Artificial Intelligence
The first part of the project is to write a paper providing a general survey and discussion of robotics and
artificial intelligence. This paper must specifically include the following:
 A definition and discussion of artificial intelligence, including specific examples from both
medicine and other areas. By specific examples, I mean the names of specific projects or
products (typically including names, years, locations, etc), not just categories or types of
applications. Don’t just name them – say how they work, and what capabilities they have. Be
sure to specify what the systems are used for, and what it is that qualifies them to be considered
intelligent. To do a good job of this, you will have to talk about what intelligence means.
Although many robotic systems include aspects of artificial intelligence, the examples you use
for this section must incorporate artificial intelligence but not robotics. So a medical expert
system or a chess-playing program is a good example for this section, but a surgical robot or a
soccer-playing robot is not. Be sure that this section includes a definition of machine learning,
and some examples of how it is used. Also be sure that this section includes a description of the
Turing test, and whether or not you think it is valid.
 A definition and discussion of robotics, including specific current examples from both medicine
and other areas. As mentioned above, robotics typically includes aspects of artificial intelligence
these days, and that is fine – those are the most interesting examples. Be sure that this section
explains what autonomous means in the context of robotics.

A discussion of the risks and opportunities presented to society by robotics and artificial
intelligence technologies in general (not just in the medical field). Are there ethical issues
involved with replacing human workers with robots? What kinds of decisions should machines
be allowed to make? How do you think the economy might be affected? Are there other ethical
issues involved with increasingly intelligent machines? Please consider both the positive and
negative potential aspects. (If you're looking for some inspiration for this part of the paper, have
a look at the recommended reading at http://www.extremities.com/pct/index.php?nxt=airobotics,
especially "Robotic Nation", "Robo-Ethicists Want to Revamp Asimov's 3 Laws", and
"Scientists Worry Machines May Outsmart Man")
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Deadlines and Guidelines for Paper
Monday, January 7th, 11:00 AM: Paper due, both on paper and via TurnItIn.
 The first page is the title page, including the title of your paper, your name, the class name
(Principles of Computer Technology), and your period. You are encouraged to include pictures
and artwork on the cover. Make it look cool.
 The next five to nine pages contain the main body of your paper. Proper citations must be
included whenever someone else’s ideas are used, even if you summarize them. Massive quoting
is not acceptable. The main body must be at least 155 lines (5 or more full pages of actual text,
not counting headers, references, pictures, etc.) and no more than 280 lines. Use 1.5 line spacing,
with a 12 point Times New Roman font. Margins for top and bottom must be 1 inch, and left and
right margins must be 1.25 inches. Your grade will be prorated if your paper is too short. If it
goes a little over, that’s okay, but please don’t give me 15 or 20 pages of junk and filler and
expect me to be impressed. Generally I have found that the best papers tend to be longer than the
minimum, so don't expect a top grade on a paper that's exactly 155 lines, unless you're an
exceptionally talented writer with a superb grasp of the subject.
 You should include photos, diagrams, and/or drawings of the things your paper talks about.
These won’t be counted towards the line count, but they will help make the paper interesting and
understandable.
 The last page is the reference page, with at least five different sources listed in APA reference
format. Sources must be cited within the text, using APA format. Here's an example of what
might be in the paper's body:
Scientists use the term "weak AI" to refer to artificial intelligence that can solve difficult
problems like playing chess or making medical diagnoses. The term "strong AI" refers to
computer systems with the general ability to understand the world and solve a broad
range problems the way humans do, and that could even be considered to be conscious.
("Strong AI", 2009)
and the corresponding entry in your citations page:
Strong AI. (April 23, 2009). In Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved May 4, 2009,
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strong_AI
(For Wikipedia, the date in parentheses in the citation is the date of the most recent edit, which
can be obtained from the history tab on the article page.)
 Your paper must be clearly written, and geared toward an audience that is intelligent but not an
expert in the fields of medicine or computer technology.
 Your paper must be submitted via TurnItIn as well as on paper.
 Note that the biggest problem with most student papers on this subject is a lack of sufficient
detail, particularly in the examples they describe. More examples and more details
generally make for a better paper.
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Title page formatted as
specified
References:
-at least five
reliable and verifiable
sources
-All references cited in
body
-Correct APA format
Grammar, spelling, and
writing style.
Max
Points
1
1
Didn’t include title page
5
Insufficient number, not
reliable, or improper
citations or format used
throughout paper
15
Frequent spelling,
grammar, and/or
punctuation errors. The
document is generally not
well written, and is
frequently difficult to
understand.
Content area omitted
completely
AI Overview
-Appropriate level
-Sufficient detail
15
Robotics Overview
-Appropriate level
-Sufficient detail
15
Content area omitted
completely
Discussion of risks,
opportunities, ethics
-Appropriate level
-Sufficient detail
15
Content area omitted
completely
2
3
Title page included but
missing some information
Most references check
out, but some errors in
citation or formatting
Title page includes all
required information
At least five different
sources, reliable and
verifiable, properly cited
and formatted
A few spelling, grammar,
and/or punctuation errors.
The documents is
basically well written, but
a few parts are not clear.
No spelling, grammar,
and/or punctuation errors.
Document is well written,
information is clearly
written and
understandable
Content area included, but
insufficient detail and/or
examples to demonstrate
understanding
Content area included, but
insufficient detail and/or
examples to demonstrate
understanding
Content area included, but
insufficient detail and/or
examples to demonstrate
understanding
Content area included,
with sufficient detail and
examples to demonstrate
understanding
Content area included,
with sufficient detail and
examples to demonstrate
understanding
Content area included,
with sufficient detail and
examples to demonstrate
understanding
66
Part #2 – Research and Presentation on a Specific Topic in AI and
Robotics
For the second part of the assignment, you must pick a specific topic within the field of AI and
Robotics, explore it in some detail, and present what you’ve learned to the class. You are
encouraged to choose medical topics, but it is not a requirement. A long list of possible topics is
included below – but feel free to propose others. I will coordinate with others so that everyone in the
same class period has a different topic for this section. Signups are first-come, first-served.




All PowerPoint due in electronic format.
Name your powerpoint file yourname per#.ppt – for example, bobjones per2.ppt.
Your presentation must include:
1) a title page
2) at least 6 substantial content slides
3) a summary slide listing the 3-5 most important things that you want someone to
remember from your presentation
4) a slide listing your sources, in APA format
Your presentation should take 4 to 7 minutes to present. If you have something special that you
want to include that will make the time limit impractical, speak with me ahead of time and we
can discuss it.
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

Please make it interesting and lively.
Students will be randomly chosen to present, so everyone must be ready to go at any time.
Deadlines for Presentation
Monday, December 3rd , 7:30 AM: Signup begins for presentation topics.
Wednesday, December 12th, 11:00 AM: Last chance to sign up for presentation topic
without penalty.
Tuesday, January 15th, 11:59 PM: presentations due, via email or googledocs link
Wednesday, January 16th: presentations begin
Presentation Rubric
Length
3
Care and
Workmanship
3
Effectiveness
of Delivery
3
Content
6
1
Presentation is under 3
minutes or over 8 minutes
Slides are slapdash, have
numerous grammar or
spelling errors, little
evidence of an effort to
make them interesting or
appealing
Student is hard to hear,
uses poor body language,
reads almost entirely from
notes
Little information is
provided, or student does
not appear to understand
the topic he/she is
presenting.
No slide with APA
references
2
Presentation is between 3 and
4 or 7 and 8 minutes long.
Slides are mostly effective, but
exhibit some flaws in
appearance, grammar, or
spelling
3
Presentation is between 4 and 7
minutes long.
Slides are attractive, carefully
put together, make good use of
graphics to enhance
understanding and interest. No
errors in grammar or spelling.
Basically an effective job, but
some problems with
occasional inaudible speech,
ineffective body language,
lack of energy in presentation,
or over-reliance on notes.
Subject is described well
overall, but important aspects
are omitted, or some details
are inappropriate for the
audience.
Student speaks with clear, strong
voice, uses good body language,
makes eye contact, projects
energy and enthusiasm. Little or
no reading from notes
Subject is described thoroughly
and effectively. Interesting and
informative details are provided,
but unnecessary or overly
technical details are avoided.
Includes slide with APA
references
15
Some Possible Presentation Topics:
Robotic Surgery (such as da Vinci), Robotics in Nursing, Agricultural Robots, AI in Video Games, Robotic Pets and Toys,
Therapeutic Robots, Computer Chess, Robot Soccer, Robot Prosthetics and Exoskeletons, Self-Driving Cars, Humanoid
Robots, Robotic Battlefield Medicine and Trauma Pods, Military Uses of Robots, Pharmacy Robots, Robots in Space
Exploration, Household Robots, Undersea Robots, Art and Artificial Intelligence, "The Singularity", Flying Robots, Robotic
Insects, Swarm Robotics, AI and Music, The DARPA Robotic Challenge and Disaster Response Robots, Elder Care Robots,
and many, many more.
Suggested Resources
I post good sources to http://www.extremities.com/pct/index.php?nxt=airobotics sometimes. There's a
lot, take a look.
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