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Introduction: The Substitution of Human Faculties with Technology: Early Tools |
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The development of modern technologies, led by men's curiosity and inquiring mind as well as the desire to facilitate work processes has a long and complex history.
Already in prehistoric times tools made of stone were developed to expand men's physical power. In the following millenniums simple mechanical devices and machines such as the wheel, the lever and the pulley were invented. The next step was the development of powered machines. For example, windmills, waterwheels and simple steam-driven devices.
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Artificial intelligence approaches
Looking for ways to create intelligent machines, the field of  artificial intelligence (AI) has split into several different approaches based on the opinions about the most promising methods and theories. The two basic AI approaches are: bottom-up and top-down. The bottom-up theory suggests that the best way to achieve artificial intelligence is to build electronic replicas of the human brain's complex network of neurons (through neural networks and parallel computing) while the top-down approach attempts to mimic the brain's behavior with computer programs (for example expert systems).
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