By Daily Press staff
Artificial intelligence can be found at Santa Monica College this fall. SMC will offer a new course on embedded systems in the fall, as part of its robotics and artificial-intelligence program.
Embedded systems are found in many electronic devices, such as cell phones and microwaves, said incoming embedded systems professor Abbas Dehkhoda.
Analysts say that embedded systems are in more than 90 percent of electronic devices worldwide. By 2010, there will be 10 times more embedded system programmers than other types of programmers, according to school officials.
Santa Monica College’s computer science and information systems department launched the robotics and artificial-intelligence program in spring 2005 with an introductory robotics course, in which students learn to build and program mobile robots that interact with changing environments. Hardware includes computers and other controllers, motors, arms, grippers, sensors and cameras.
In the expert systems and chatbot course, students learn about artificial intelligence and how to program computers with "virtual humans." They are animated characters — with unique personalities, facial expressions and lip-synched speech — that appear on computer screens and are programmed to help users with a wide range of questions or tasks. Reading translates into summertime rewards
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 13, 2006. Read the original PDF.