The human body is a marvelous piece of work – an intricate network of 206 bones, 900 ligaments, 4000 tendons, 100 organs, and more than 600 muscles (about 40% of the body’s total mass)  It is serviced by a vast plumbing arrangement of veins, arteries and capillaries totaling around 60,000 miles.  Input from 5 familiar sensors – taste, smell, sight, sound and touch – must be processed rapidly in order to synchronize this complex system.  It’s no wonder it has been such a challenge to reverse-engineer.

Consider the not-so-simple task of walking, which requires coordination of 200 or more muscles. It is an oft-used idiom that people lacking basic intelligence and coordination cannot “walk and chew gum at the same time.”   The phrase originated with President Lyndon Johnson in reference to then Representative Gerald Ford.  (Johnson actually substituted “walk” with another more colorful word)  The President’s intent nevertheless remained the same – walking is complex enough to require extra concentration for certain folks.

Research shows that the average human brain is perfectly capable of multi-tasking some basic activities including walking and chewing gum – such combinations can actually improve stability and coordination.  Some physicians are using the “walk and chew gum” test, with varying tasks, to assess cognitive function and potential dementia risk. I know of no robots that can pass this test. <continue reading>