Right now the real-world results are only half as good as the computer simulations suggest but, by using this data to improve the algorithm, scientists hope future versions could be accurate enough for the robots to perform better in real-life than in a rigorous simulation.
The researchers claim that getting this right could be a major step forward in any number of applications, ranging from interplanetary mining to repairing damaged nuclear reactors. Seth is known as "new Seth" around the newsroom so we don't mistake him for Seth. Follow him on twitter to help sort through the confusion.