Rattle wrote:
] ] Scientists have been given the biggest ever grant to
] ] build a "conscious robot". The work will not only bring
] ] the scores of intelligent, self-aware machines that
] ] populate science fiction a step closer, it could also
] ] provide valuable clues on how human consciousness
] ] develops.
] ]
] ] "Consciousness is perhaps the last remaining mystery in
] ] understanding what it is to be human," said Owen Holland,
] ] who will lead the work at Essex University. "By
] ] attempting to build physical systems which can produce a
] ] form of artificial consciousness, we hope to learn more
] ] about the nature of consciousness."

Owen Holland is editor of Machine Consciousness. Follow the link on the Guardian news article to see some of the work being done in the field.

RE: Guardian Unlimited | Life | Scientists start work on thinking robot