« Ada - der intelligente Raum » - Universität und ETH Zürich an der Expo.02


		Project description
		Project objectives
		Namesake patron
		Research Team

What is «Ada – the intelligent space»?

Ada is a novel artificial organism, a creature in the shape of a space that can perceive and react to its surroundings. At the same time, her form facilitates a novel interaction between humans and machine that goes beyond the possibilities offered by a conventional computer, such as keyboard, mouse or joystick.

Like we humans, Ada has sensory organs. She can see, hear and sense touch and contact. While Ada cannot communicate with words, she expresses herself through sounds, light and projections on the walls.

"Ada is a creature that likes to play, like a dog.”
Prof. Klaus Hepp, ETH Zurich

She is an open artificial system based on the latest achievements of neuroscience. Similar to humans – and in contrast to a conventional computer – she can process erroneous and imprecise information. She has the ability to direct her attention to a person or group of persons and play with them.

«Ada is an organism, an artificial organism. She is a space that ‹lives› and that wants to interact with people. When people participate, she is happy. When people do not participate, she is frustrated. What is the personality of a space? What does it mean when a space is in love or is angry?»
Dr. Paul Verschure, Project Leader Ada, Institute of Neuroinformatics (INI)

Unlike conventional computer systems based on rules, Ada consists of a neural network modelled after natural nervous systems. Ada is able to learn but is also "unpredictable,” and her way of reacting to her environment is analogous to human emotional behaviour. She can coordinate her individual components and employ them in a goal-directed way. Yet Ada is also distinguished by having her own will.





		-	Artificial intelligence