<s>
Joshua	B-Application
Blue	I-Application
is	O
a	O
project	O
under	O
development	O
by	O
IBM	O
that	O
focuses	O
on	O
advancing	O
the	O
artificial	O
intelligence	O
field	O
by	O
designing	O
and	O
programming	O
computers	O
to	O
emulate	O
human	O
mental	O
functions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
researchers	O
at	O
IBM	O
's	O
Thomas	O
J	O
.	O
Watson	B-Application
Research	O
Center	O
,	O
the	O
main	O
goal	O
of	O
Joshua	B-Application
Blue	I-Application
is	O
"	O
to	O
achieve	O
cognitive	O
flexibility	O
that	O
approaches	O
human	O
functioning	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
short	O
,	O
IBM	O
is	O
aiming	O
to	O
design	O
Joshua	B-Application
Blue	I-Application
to	O
'	O
think	O
like	O
a	O
human	O
 '	O
,	O
mainly	O
in	O
terms	O
of	O
emotional	O
thought	O
;	O
similar	O
IBM	O
projects	O
focusing	O
on	O
logical	O
thought	O
and	O
strategic	O
reasoning	O
include	O
Deep	B-General_Concept
Blue	I-General_Concept
,	O
a	O
logic-based	O
chess-playing	O
computer	O
,	O
and	O
Watson	B-Application
,	O
a	O
question-driven	O
artificial	O
intelligence	O
software	O
program	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Through	O
Project	B-Application
Joshua	I-Application
Blue	I-Application
,	O
IBM	O
hopes	O
to	O
develop	O
computers	O
to	O
the	O
point	O
where	O
they	O
are	O
asking	O
questions	O
and	O
searching	O
for	O
answers	O
themselves	O
rather	O
than	O
relying	O
on	O
an	O
external	O
input	O
to	O
run	O
or	O
only	O
crunching	O
numbers	O
to	O
give	O
a	O
pre-programmed	O
response	O
once	O
given	O
a	O
task	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
If	O
they	O
succeed	O
in	O
this	O
task	O
,	O
the	O
artificial	O
intelligence	O
knowledge	O
gained	O
from	O
Project	B-Application
Joshua	I-Application
Blue	I-Application
could	O
potentially	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
create	O
social	O
robots	O
that	O
work	O
and	O
act	O
very	O
much	O
as	O
humans	O
do	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
robots	O
could	O
take	O
over	O
tasks	O
too	O
dangerous	O
for	O
humans	O
to	O
engage	O
in	O
even	O
if	O
such	O
tasks	O
required	O
many	O
different	O
decisions	O
to	O
be	O
made	O
along	O
the	O
way	O
;	O
the	O
technological	O
advancement	O
gained	O
through	O
Joshua	B-Application
Blue	I-Application
's	O
potential	O
success	O
would	O
allow	O
for	O
the	O
robots	O
to	O
think	O
for	O
themselves	O
and	O
work	O
their	O
way	O
through	O
problems	O
just	O
as	O
humans	O
do	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
model	O
of	O
Joshua	B-Application
Blue	I-Application
's	O
learning	O
pattern	O
has	O
been	O
created	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Similar	O
to	O
how	O
young	O
children	O
learn	O
human	O
traits	O
through	O
interacting	O
with	O
their	O
surroundings	O
,	O
Joshua	B-Application
Blue	I-Application
will	O
acquire	O
knowledge	O
through	O
external	O
stimuli	O
present	O
in	O
its	O
environment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
likely	O
done	O
as	O
a	O
precaution	O
to	O
avoid	O
theft	O
of	O
their	O
ideas	O
,	O
IBM	O
has	O
not	O
released	O
any	O
significant	O
information	O
regarding	O
how	O
Joshua	B-Application
Blue	I-Application
will	O
physically	O
gather	O
information	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Thus	O
far	O
,	O
IBM	O
has	O
revealed	O
that	O
Joshua	B-Application
Blue	I-Application
will	O
be	O
a	O
computer	O
with	O
a	O
network	O
of	O
wires	O
and	O
input	O
nodes	O
that	O
function	O
as	O
a	O
computer	O
nervous	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
nervous	O
system	O
will	O
be	O
used	O
by	O
Joshua	B-Application
Blue	I-Application
to	O
perceive	O
affect	O
or	O
personal	O
emotional	O
feelings	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Not	O
only	O
will	O
this	O
network	O
of	O
input	O
nodes	O
help	O
Joshua	B-Application
Blue	I-Application
discover	O
things	O
physically	O
,	O
but	O
it	O
will	O
also	O
allow	O
Joshua	B-Application
Blue	I-Application
to	O
interpret	O
the	O
significance	O
of	O
events	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
input	O
nodes	O
,	O
or	O
proprioceptors	O
,	O
will	O
enable	O
Joshua	B-Application
Blue	I-Application
to	O
be	O
aware	O
of	O
things	O
that	O
happen	O
around	O
itself	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
recognize	O
and	O
attach	O
meaning	O
to	O
the	O
emotional	O
effect	O
produced	O
by	O
interacting	O
with	O
an	O
object	O
in	O
a	O
certain	O
way	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
,	O
Joshua	B-Application
Blue	I-Application
's	O
proprioceptors	O
will	O
function	O
as	O
pain	O
and	O
pleasure	O
sensors	O
,	O
allowing	O
Joshua	B-Application
Blue	I-Application
to	O
employ	O
a	O
similar	O
"	O
reward	O
and	O
punishment	O
"	O
system	O
that	O
humans	O
use	O
to	O
form	O
behaviors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
will	O
eventually	O
lead	O
Joshua	B-Application
Blue	I-Application
to	O
expect	O
certain	O
outcomes	O
from	O
acting	O
,	O
reacting	O
,	O
or	O
interacting	O
in	O
certain	O
ways	O
,	O
eventually	O
leading	O
to	O
the	O
development	O
of	O
behavioral	O
patterns	O
which	O
IBM	O
hopes	O
to	O
study	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
further	O
bridge	O
the	O
gap	O
between	O
human	O
mental	O
functions	O
and	O
computer	O
functions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Through	O
three	O
of	O
their	O
projects	O
(	O
Deep	B-General_Concept
Blue	I-General_Concept
,	O
Watson	B-Application
,	O
and	O
Joshua	B-Application
Blue	I-Application
)	O
,	O
IBM	O
is	O
attempting	O
to	O
create	O
computers	O
that	O
imitate	O
the	O
common	O
functions	O
of	O
the	O
human	O
brain	O
.	O
</s>
