Company

Surfing Samurai Robots was incorporated in 2007. Our mission is to develop software and hardware systems that are both intelligent and safe.

Our Approach

In contrast to most artificial intelligence research, our work places a strong emphasis on the use of architectures that are as close as possible to the human mind. One reason that we emphasize human-mind-like systems is safety. The motivation mechanisms that underlie human behavior are quite unlike those that have traditionally been used to control the behavior of AI systems. Our research indicates that the AI control mechanisms are inherently unstable, whereas the human-like equivalent can be engineered to be extremely stable.

Our work is also governed by an R&D methodology derived from complex systems research. This methodology has, at its heart, the fact that complex systems tend to exhibit a disconnect between their overall behavior and their underlying mechanism, which can (in extreme cases) make it impossible to design a mechanism that will give rise to a desired behavior. The history of research in cognitive psychology, artificial intelligence and cognitive neuroscience seems to indicate that this "complex systems problem" is indeed limiting progress in these fields. Our methodology is unique, and specially designed to overcome the complex systems problem.

Why "Surfing Samurai Robots"?

The name derives from an offbeat science fiction novel of the same name published in the mid 1980s. In the story, there is a company making robots that are primarily designed to surf, but which are also as loyal and dedicated as samurai.