Engineering robotics discover alternative physics
The first step to understanding physics is to identify the relevant variables. Columbia Engineers developed an AI program to address a longstanding problem: is it possible to identify state variables only from high-dimensional observational data. Using video footage of various physical dynamic systems, the algorithm discovers the intrinsic dimensions of the observed dynamics and identifies a candidate set of state variables — with no prior knowledge of the underlying physics. Energy, Mass, Speed. These three variables make up Einstein’s iconic equation E=MC 2 . But how did Einstein know about these concepts? The first step to understanding physics is to identify the relevant variables. Without the concepts of energy, mass, and velocity, even Einstein could not have discovered relativity. But can such a variable be found automatically? Doing so can greatly speed up scientific discovery. This is the question that researchers at Columbia Engineering are asking on a new ...