This is obvious stuff, it`s probably nothing new to anybody but I`m going to say it anyway.
How does a robot solve a problem he hasn`t meet before? The problems we`re facing can be solved either directly using our body members like hands (opening a barn door that has no handle) or using intermediary objects (opening a room door that has a handle that need to be rotated downwards). When we solve problems that involve intermediary objects we`re still using our body members (that`s the only way for us to interact with the surrounding world) but our body members are just the first link in a chain of objects that are interacting with each other.
The chain of objects we set in motion can be physical (let me give you an extreme example: driving a car, that a chain made off a million objects) or virtual/half real like the virtual objects we`re manipulating while we`re using a laptop/computer (buttons, windows, icons). The mind handles virtual and real objects the same way. Solving problems in a virtual space works just like solving problems in a physical environment. I will give you an example that involves real (non-vitual) objects. Lets say I need to move an object that is out of my reach. To solve the task I will take a look around me and create in my mind a list of objects that are found next to me. Each object nearby has a set o properties. To move the object (A) I need another object (B) long enough to cover the spawn between me and A. Length is a property. What my mind will do is iterate though the properties of each nearby object and seek a match between the property we`re looking for and the properties of the object we`re investigating. When we need to reach a goal or our windows95 laptop it works the same way each task is achieved by the means of chain made of intermediary objects. We have a list in our mind of all available objects at one time and select the appropriate one based on its properties.
One last notice: opening a door with a handle might not be the best example because it`s a one button only interface. When you`re opening a door like that your mind doesn`t have a list of options to iterate through.
