Two Minutes

An engineer developing smarter robots

Alexander Stoytchev, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, is trying to figure out how a robot can learn what children learn over the first two years of their lives.

A new field of study: Stoytchev and his three graduate students are advancing developmental robotics, a blend of robotics, artificial intelligence, developmental psychology, developmental neuroscience and philosophy.

Inspiration at a young age: "My interest in robotics stems from the day I saw Star Wars for the first time," said the 34-year-old director of Iowa State's Developmental Robotics Laboratory. "I must have been in second or third grade at that time, but the two robots in the movie (R2-D2 and C-3PO) left a lasting impression on me."

A future with robots: Stoytchev is sure personal robots aren't very far away. As soon as the first "killer app" is developed, he said we'll be putting robots to work. "The robots are coming," he said. "Are we ready?"

-- Mike Krapfl

Alexander Stoytchev (right) and graduate student Jivko Sinapov