The experiment is “really cool,” says Jeffrey Krichmar, [professor of cognitive science], at the University of California, Irvine, who was also not involved in the study. The robot was allowed to make mistakes and amend them later on, Krichmar says. The researchers did not preprogram its future steps, he notes, “but they let the whole training be a part of its circuit.” … Such a low-power system could have many applications. For instance, it might help robots work for long hours at remote places on Earth—or even on another planet—without constantly needing to recharge, Krichmar says.

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