Steve Grand (roboticist)
{{Short description|British computer scientist and roboticist}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2024}}
{{infobox person
|name=Steve Grand
|image=Steve Grand (cropped).jpg
|birth_date={{birth date and age|1958|2|12|df=y}}
|nationality=British
|occupation={{flatlist|
- Computer scientist
- roboticist
}}
|awards=Order of the British Empire (2000)
|website={{url|http://grandroids.com/}}
}}
Steve Grand OBE (born 12 February 1958) is a British computer scientist and roboticist.{{cite news|last=Daniel |first=Dr |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/sci/tech/4596662.stm |title=Science seen under the right conditions |publisher=BBC News |date=2006-01-09 |accessdate=2011-03-06}} He was the creator and lead programmer of the Creatures artificial life simulation, which he discussed in his first book Creation: Life and How to Make It, a finalist for the 2001 Aventis Prize for Science Books. He is also an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, which he received in 2000.{{cite web |url=http://fp.cyberlifersrch.plus.com/people/steve/investiture.htm |title=Investiture |access-date=2014-08-07 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080421220832/http://fp.cyberlifersrch.plus.com/people/steve/investiture.htm |archive-date=21 April 2008}}
Grand's project from 2001 to 2006 was the building of an artificial robot baby orangutan, with the intention of having it learn as a human baby would.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/1083257.stm |title=SCI/TECH | Robots get busy |publisher=BBC News |date= 27 December 2000|accessdate=2011-03-06}}{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/thematerialworld_20050929.shtml |title=Radio 4 - The Material World 07/04/2005 |publisher=BBC |accessdate=2011-03-06}}{{cite news|last=Dermody |first=Nick |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/3521852.stm |title=UK | Wales | A Grand plan for brainy robots |publisher=BBC News |date=2004-03-18 |accessdate=2011-03-06}} This is documented in his book Growing up with Lucy.
Projects
;Creatures
One of the best known projects created by Steve Grand is Creatures, an artificial life simulation, which his company Cyberlife Technology released in the 1996. It was the first in a series of games.
;Lucy, the Android
His project from 2001 to 2005 was Lucy, a mechanical baby orangutan. Lucy was an attempt at simulating the mind of a human baby.{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/02/arts/man-who-would-be-god-giving-robots-life.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm | work=The New York Times | first=Sarah | last=Lyall | title=Man Who Would Be God: Giving Robots Life | date=2 February 2002}}{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/3521852.stm | work=BBC News | first=Nick | last=Dermody | title=A Grand plan for brainy robots | date=18 March 2004}}{{Cite web|date=2005-12-14|title=Cyberlife Research Product 1|url=http://fp.cyberlifersrch.plus.com/lucy.htm|access-date=2021-07-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051214165042/http://fp.cyberlifersrch.plus.com/lucy.htm|archive-date=14 December 2005}}
;Sim-biosis
Grand worked on Sim-biosis, a computer simulation game in which complete artificial creatures could be built from functional, structural units.{{cite journal|last=Grand|first=Steve|year=2008|title=Creating artificial life for fun, one cell at a time|url=http://www.perada-magazine.eu/pdf/1449/1449.pdf|journal=PerAda Magazine|doi=10.2417/2200812.1449|doi-broken-date=1 November 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201031949/http://www.perada-magazine.eu/pdf/1449/1449.pdf|archive-date=1 December 2017}} It is available on SourceForge under the name Simergy.{{cite web |last1=Barbalet |first1=Tom |title=[tt] [alife] Steve Grand's project released open source |url=http://postbiota.org/pipermail/tt/2010-June/007499.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201030842/http://postbiota.org/pipermail/tt/2010-June/007499.html |archive-date=1 December 2017 |url-status=dead}}{{cite web | url=https://sourceforge.net/projects/simergy/ | title=Simergy: ALife Construction Set | date=7 August 2015 }}
;Grandroids
In February 2011, Grand announced a new project, Grandroids, described as "real 'alien' life forms who can live in a virtual world on your computer".{{cite web|url=http://stevegrand.wordpress.com/2011/02/28/blowing-my-own-trumpet/ |title=Blowing my own trumpet « Steve Grand's Blog |publisher=Stevegrand.wordpress.com |date=2011-02-28 |accessdate=2011-03-06}} In September 2024, the project was renamed to Phantasia, and the progress updates were made public.{{cite web|url=https://phantasia.life/welcome-back-1/ |title=Welcome back part 1: Website |date=2024-09-24 |accessdate=2024-11-01}}
Bibliography
{{Library resources box |by=yes |label=Steve Grand |viaf=166479738 |lccn=n 2001003750 |lcheading=Grand, Steve |wikititle= }}
- Creation: Life and How to Make It (2001) {{ISBN|0-7538-1277-0}}
- Growing Up with Lucy (2004) {{ISBN|0-297-60733-2}}
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcwGkvIfmTM What is the Secret of Consciousness?] (2014) TEDx Oporto presentation
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References
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External links
- {{Official website|http://www.cyberlife-research.com/}}
- [http://www.akri.org/ai/steveg.htm Transcript of Steve's keynote speech, "Machines Like Us," given at the Applied Knowledge Research Institute's 2002 Biennial Seminar]
- [https://www.mobygames.com/person/23531/stephen-grand/ Steve Grand] at MobyGames
- [https://creatures.wiki/Steve_Grand Steve Grand] at the Creatures Wiki
- [http://www.scienceagogo.com/news/cyber_life.shtml Feature article on Steve Grand's anthropoid orangutan, Lucy]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20070701155011/http://www.machineslikeus.com/People/Grand_Steve.html Steve Grand quotes]
- [http://machineslikeus.com/news/what-consciousness Steve Grand's discussion with Johnjoe McFadden]
- [http://www.cyberlife-research.com/cyberliferesearch/Default.aspx Cyberlife Research Limited]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20081201015638/http://machineslikeus.com/machines-like-us-interviews-steve-grand.html Steve Grand's Machines Like Us interview]
- [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1508284443/grandroids-real-artificial-life-on-your-pc Grandroids: Real artificial life on your PC] a project by Steve Grand
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Category:British artificial intelligence researchers
Category:British video game designers
Category:Creatures (video game series)
Category:English computer scientists